MARX TO ENGELS ”? 
Marseilles, 17 February 1882 
Hotel au petit Louvre, 
Rue de Cannebiére 
Dear Frep, 

I presume that Tussy dropped you a line yesterday. J had not origi- 
nally intended to leave Paris until next Monday’; since my *state of 
health was rather not improving, I took at once the resolution of re- 

* 20 February 

moving to Marseilles, and thence at once, on Saturday, to sail for Al- 
giers*.278 

In Paris, accompanied by my Johnny,* I called upon but one mor- 
tal, namely Mesa. (In fact he, Mesa, sollicitierte’ me to chatter too 
much, in addition to which I returned to Argenteuil somewhat too 
late, ABOUT 7 O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING. I didn’t sleep a wink all night.) 
I tried to persuade Mesa to ask his friends, notably Guesde, if they 
would be kind enough to postpone a meeting with me until my return 
*from Algiers. But all that in vain. In fact, Guesde is so much on all 
parts assailed just now, that it was important for him to have an ‘offi- 
cial’ meeting on my side*. After all, one was bound to concede that 
much to the party. Hence I arranged a meeting at the Hotel de Lyon 
et de Mulhouse, 8 boulevard Beaumarchais, to which Guesde and 
Deville came with Mesa at about 5 in the afternoon. I first received 
them downstairs in the restaurant, having been accompanied there 
from Argenteuil (on Wednesday° afternoon) by Tussy and Jen- 
nychen. Guesde was rather embarrassed on Jennychen’s account Br- 
CAUSE HE HAD Just [brought out] an acrimonious article against Lon- 
guet, ALTHOUGH SHE (Jennychen) DID NOT TAKE NO REGARD WHATEVER TO THAT 
incident. As soon as the young ladies had left, I @’abord' went up to ma 
chambre: with them, chatted there for about 1 Hour, then pown -~ it be- 
ing now time for Mesa to be off——-to the restaurant where they still 
had leisure enough to empty a sortie of Beauve with me. By 7 o’clock 
they’d ‘all’ gone. With att THAT, although I was in bed by 9 o’clock, 
a fiendish din of traffic without intermission until ] o’clock, at which 
time (about 1 o'clock) I had a vomissement,' having again got too much 
engrossed in conversation. 

A fine day for the journey to Marseilles, and all right until just 
beyond the station at Lyons. First, 1'/2 hours @’arrét ar Cassis on ac- 
count of the locomotive’s distemper; then again the same mishap with 
the engine at Valence, although this time the arrét wasn’t so long. 
Meanwhile it had turned bitter cold with a nasty biting wind. Instead 
of arriving some time before midnight, we did not reach [Marseilles] 
until after 2 o’clock in the morning; to some extent I was More OR LESS 
FREEZING, Gespite all my wrappings, the only antidote I found being 
‘alcohol’ and I acain AND AGAIN RESORTED TO IT. During the last quarter of 
an hour (if not more) in the exposed, cold and windswept gare de Mar- 

@ Marx’s grandson Jean Longuet-° incited -* 8 February -¢ first-° my room -! bout 
of vomiting -* stop 

seille,* there was one last épreuve’ in the shape of prolonged formali- 
ties before obtaining possession of one’s LUGGAGE. 

Today it’s sunny in Marseilles, but the wind itself not yet warm. 
Dr Dourlen advised me to stay at the above-named hotel, whence 
I shall leave for Algiers tomorrow (Saturday) at 5 in the afternoon. 
The office of the Paquebots a vapeur des Postes frangaises* is located 
here, in the very hotel at which I am staying, so that I was able to take 
a ticket (at 80 frs First ciass) for the paquebot said straight away; 
one’s BAGGAGE is likewise ENREGISTERED here, so that everything is as 
convenient as can be. 

Apropos. I [got] hold of a Prolétaire (L’Egalité is also soup here). 
Lafargue seems to me to be constantly fomenting further useless 
INCIDENTS — though maybe the peraits are *far from exact. As to his 
characterising Fourter a ‘Communist’, he is now that they’ make fun 
of him obliged to explain in what sense he might have called Fourier 
as a ‘Communist’.* Such ‘audacities’ may be ignored, ‘interpreted’ 
or ‘differently interpreted’; what is worse is that suca small Facts 
BE saved at all. To my mind, he is far too long-winded. 

*My best compliments to Laura; I shall write her from Algiers. 
There is one single man sufficient as patron; it is a long letter written 
by Longuet to his friend* Fermé, who has successfully made his way 
from being an erstwhile deportee to Algeria (under Napoleon III) to 
the post of juge d’appel' of Algiers. No question of passports and such 
like. Nothing is entered on the passengers’ tickets save Christian and 
surnames. 

My compliments also to Lenchen and THE OTHER FRIENDS. 
Addio. 

Otp Moor