London, 16 December 1876 

Dear Pauli, 

Yesterday I sent you, carriage paid, per ContTinentat Parces 
Express and thereon per German Imperial parcel post, a crate 
addressed to: Dr Pauli, Mannheim (Chemical Works, Rheinau), 
Germany, containing a plum pudding for your wife,” a currant cake 
baked for you by my wife,” a book, a small box of handkerchiefs 
and a small ink-pot for Pumps. As the crate would not hold 
anything further, we were forced to put a new dress for her into 
the crate containing the pudding for the Schupps; that’s the worst 
of these crates—one just has to take them as one finds them; they 
are German toy manufacturers’ crates. 

Should the small crate fail to turn up by Wednesday‘ at the 
latest, you had better make inquiries at the parcels office in 
Mannheim; the postal service is responsible for it—that office and 
Continental Parcets Express are agents one for the other. However, 
I hope that everything will arrive all right since we sent the things 
in good enough time for them to arrive before the Christmas 
bustle, which the Imperial postal service admits it can’t cope. 

Your two letters have arrived and I would thank you belatedly 
for the information about Schmidt. Similar news from Frank- 
furt”**: Sonnemann, whom he gave as a reference, doesn’t know 
him either, but one of the editors of the Frankfurter Zeitung knows 
him as a ‘professional lése-majesté man’ and ditto a martyr with 
intent who later, ‘on the strength of his martyrdom, became 
perhaps a bit of a schnorrer’ (North German term for a cadger). 
He wrote to me again, whereupon I drew his attention to the 
bogus references he had given me” and since then have heard 
nothing more from the elephant on crutches. 

I shall see to it that you get the articles' in one form or 
another as soon as several have come out. Later on they will come 
out in a separate edition which you will also receive, of course. 

During the past four or five days my wife has got very much 
better for no apparent reason; it’s almost miraculous how these 

38 

a Ida Pauli - > Lizzie Burns - ¢ 20 December 

sort of things seem to happen in the case of women between 40 
and 50. I only hope it lasts. 

The small crate also contains some Christmas evergreen, holly 
with its ritual red berries, for sticking into the pudding when it’s 
dished up. The holly’s right on top, so that the customs men get 
their fingers pricked. 

And now, warmest regards from my wife and myself to you all, 
and a merry Christmas! 

Your 
F. Engels