Worthing, 6 August 1884 
48 Marine Parade 

Dear Ede, 

After all manner of vagaries I have at last landed up here, on the 
South coast, where I hope to stay for a good 3 weeks.?”7 At our door 
we have the whole expanse of the Channel, though at low tide it re- 
cedes a good 300 paces; on the whole a quiet, boring little spot where, 
between bouts of idleness, I shall probably find enough time to look 
through your and Kautsky’s translation of the Poverty.! 

Perhaps you would be so kind as to arrange for the proof-sheets ” to 

* 4 August-> F. Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. 

be sent me here until further notice. Eisengarten will arrange for the 
Sozialdemokrat to be forwarded from London. 

The weather here is fine and hot and J still have to notify umpteen 
people of my new address. So no further news (in any case damned 
scarce) save that Hyndman has now succeeded in buying To-Day as 
well. Bax, who invested in it what little money he had—I warned 
him as early as October that it wouldn’t be enough — was au bout de 
ses finances,* at which juncture Hyndman interposed his attendant 
page, Champion, through whom he offered additional funds if he, 
Champion, became editor in place of Bax. Thus seized by the throat, 
Bax accordingly resigned, the result being that Hyndman now con- 
trols the whole of the so-called socialist press. But as in the case of all 
such little fellows whose ambition is disproportionate to their charac- 
ter and talents the moment of victory was also the moment of defeat. 
Outward success is matched by failure within his own faction. To an 
increasing extent Hyndman’s following is coming to consist only of 
those he has bought outright, and/or people who are financially de- 
pendent on him. He is daily losing ground in the Democratic Federation- 
tion. The day before yesterday there was a conference of dele- 
gates °’8: what transpired there I cannot say since Aveling, though he 
attended it, is at present in Derbyshire. For he and Tussy have got 
married without benefit of registrar, etc., and are now revelling in 
each other’s company amidst the Derbyshire hills. Nota bene: No 
publicity should be given to this; it will be time enough when, per- 
haps, some reactionary puts something into the papers about it. The 
fact is that Aveling has a lawful wife whom he cannot get rid of de jure 
although he has for years been rid of her de facto. The matter is fairly 
common knowledge over here, and has, on the whole, been taken 
well, even by literary philistines. My London is almost a Paris in mi- 
niature and it educates its people. 

But enough for now. Regards to Karl Kautsky. 

Your 
F. E.