[Algiers,] 6 April 1882 

My Sweet Child, 

Just now judge Fermé brought me your letter d.d. March 31; Iam 
always delighted at your letters, but whenever, my dear child, did 
you find the time for writing them? I think often anxiously at your 
little household, limited to the services of this queer fish of Emily, and 
the four little boys* alone would absorb the whole working time of 
a superior servant. 

Fermé handed me also a few days ago the promised numbers of the 
Justice (ci-inclus Hirsch’s elucubrations reproduced from Madame 
Adam’s Revue **7), Longuet’s articles on the ‘gréves’* are very good. 
En passant. He says somewhere that Lassalle did only invent the words 
(not the law itself developed by Ricardo, Turgot, etc.?). In fact, 
however, he, Lassalle, borrowed, to German ‘cultured’ people weil 
known, expression of Goethe who himself had modified Sophocles’ ‘ewige 
unwandelbare Gesetze’* into ‘ewige eherne Gesetze’.° 

Fermé had to sit opposite to me in my ‘chambre’, silent, reading, 
until I had finished a letter to Tussy (from her I had the same day re- 
ceived a letter, ditto one from Engels) to be ready for the messenger to 
Algiers. 

I expect Dr Stephann to-day. If he comes, I should be able to report 
on his examination, before despatching these lines you tomorrow 
morning. Meanwhile the progress of my health goes on satisfactory, 
though slowly for somebody eager to be again active and to drop that 
invalid’s, stupid métier. All this delay is due to this violent Algerian dis- 
temper, altogether quite anormous, never heard of since Fermé’s 12 
years long sojourn here. The weather remains fidgety, fitful, capri- 
cious; April weather, from sunny changing suddenly into rainy, from 
hot to cold, chilly, from a sky diaphane to scowling, almost black; 
from the dry atmosphere to being heavy with aqueous vapours; in 

@ Jean, Henri, Edgar and Marcel Longuet-" including -‘ ‘strikes’-4 ‘eternal 

immutable laws’ (from Sophocles’ Antigone) -° ‘eternal iron laws’-' room - clear, 
transparent 

129. Marx to Jenny Longuet. 6 and 7 April 1882 231 

one word, the weather far from being ‘settled’ or having subsided to 
what here may be considered the average ‘normal’ Algerian ‘spring’ 
character. However, if the wind blows not violently, if there be no 
rain, the April’s early hours were pleasant, so that I could indulge my 
morning promenades to-day, yesterday, and the day last before yes- 
terday; thus I enjoyed three consecutive morning promenades one or 
two hours long. 

I am just interrupted dy a noise rising from the little, in terraces 
mounting little garden (en rotbliihender Garten*) that forms the avenue 
to our Verandah (behind it the first éage of our Villa), while my cham- 
bre on the second étage (and 5 other ones) opens upon the little gallery 
over the Verandah, both of them looking at the sea before and 
from all sides to a charming panorama. Well, the noise called me 
upon the gallery, and how he would laugh, at my side, so heartfully, 
so delightfully, that little Johnny, below him in the garden a real 
pitch dark negro, dancing, playing a small fiddle, beating his long 
iron castagnettes, writhing his body into plastic grimaces and folding 
his face into broad humorous grins. These Algerian Negroes were 
formerly in general slaves of Turks, Arabs, etc., but were emancipat- 
ed under the French régime. 

Well, there looks down behind him, the negro, another figure, in 
a dignified manner and rather condescendingly smiling at the bla- 
ckie’s exhibition. This is a Maure (anglice Moor, germ. Mohr); en pass- 
ant the Maures are called the Arabs in Algeria, a small minority of 
them, withdrawn from the desert and their communities, dwelling in 
the towns at the side of the Europeans. They are taller than the aver- 
age French measure, oval faces, noses aquiline, eyes large and brilli- 
ant; hairs and beards black, their skin’s colour running over an échel- 
le from almost white to darkly bronze. Their costumes — even if in 
tatters — elegant and graceful, a culotte* (or a mantle), a rather toga 
of thin white wool, or a capot @ capuchon*; for their cover of the head 
(for which the capuchon serves also in unfavourable (too hot etc.) 
weather) a turban or a piece of white mousseline, wound round their 
culottes; generally they leave their legs naked, the feet also, but more 
rarely they wear pantoufles' of yellow or red maroquin. 

Even the poorest Maure surpasses the greatest European comedian 
as to the ‘art de se draper’ dans son capot,? and to show natural, graceful, 

e 

4 a garden in red blossom-° floor-° range-* breeches-° cape with a hood -' shoes - 

* art of draping in his cape 

and dignified attitudes, whether walking or standing (if they ride on 
their mules, or asses, or exceptionally on horses,— always throwing 
their both legs on some side down, instead of a European taking his 
horse between his both legs — then they offer the image of indolence). 

Well, the said Maure— behind the negro in our garden — cries out 
for sale of ‘oranges’ and ‘cocks’ (incl. hens), a strange combination of 
these articles vendible. Between the Maure, majestical even then, and 
the dancing grinning nigger there struts an animal-—a most vain 
paon* (belonging to one of our co-pensionnaires”) with its wonderfully 
blue throat and most adorned long tail. At this trio, how my Johnny’s 
laughter I should like to hear ring! 

It is now 4 o’clock p.m. (during part of the afternoon, I had of 
course some conversation with Fermé, having brought me your letter, 
then later on he removed himself to Algiers). The rain pours down: 
the sudden lowering of the temperature most disgusting. My best 
compliments to Dr Dourlen! 

7 April 1882 

Raining through the whole night; this morning is sky covered, but 
no rain; pleasant air, but too saturated with watery vapours. I had an 
hour’s promenade (9-10 a.m.), doubtful whether not surprised by 
rain— but none yet. As Dr Stephann came not yesterday nor the day 
before, I wrote him to-day morning, but at all events these lines, in 
order to be despatched still to-day, cannot await the Doctor’s exami- 
nation. He will not appear before 5 o’clock afternoon. You see, it is 
a good sign, that the Dr neglects me a little; in other words, he is no 
longer anxious to strictly repeat his visits in court intervals. 

How I shall feel happy when returning to my grandsons and their 
excellent Maman! I am not at all inclined here to prolong my sojourn 
longer than the Dr considers it absolutely necessary. Many kisses 
from your 

Old Nick 
The inclosed cut from a German-American paper Engels sent me; 
it is an amusing criticism of the newest “Teutsche Bedientenpoesie’.« 

I hope Longuet tries to understand it. 

* peacock -° lodgers -° German servile poetry 

Dear child, I had already sealed this letter, but was forced to re- 
open it. Dr Stephann came a bit earlier than expected. The fresh exam- 
ination led him to conclude — and I am very pleased to be able to 
tell you this—— that my left side has in the meantime healed almost as 
well as the right one.?9°