London, 6 July 1892 

Dear August, 

Here be I again,* as you can see. With my obituary of Schorlem- 
mer,” I enclosed a note to the Vorwdrts asking them to send me 12 co- 
pies of that edition —i.e. only the page the thing was in, not all the 
supplements and such. I need these copies for people in Manchester 
and for leading chemists over here who ought to know where, outside 
of chemistry, Schorlemmer’s allegiance lay. Needless to say, I have 
not had a single copy. Would you tell the chaps ~--- the note may have 
been completely overlooked — that important party interests are at 
stake, and that they should send me what I asked before it is too late 
and the public over here has turned its attention elsewhere. 

The elections here °°* have proved a disappointment for the Libe- 
rals. So far they have gained 9 votes, i.e. the government’s majority 
has been reduced from 68 to 50 (68 — 9 = 59 votes; 0 +9 Libe- 
rals = 9; 59 — 9 = 50 at the poll). Yesterday’s elections didn’t bring 
them a single gain, but with 25 more votes, the 50 — 25 would be 
cancelled out by the + 25, and it would be simply splendid if neither 
the Right nor the Left were to end up with a proper majority. How- 
ever, the Liberals are likely to obtain a small majority and even that 
wouldn’t be too bad. 

Your Bismarck rumpus gets nicer every day °! —- the fellow must 
be quite mad. According to today’s telegram he’s absolutely intent on 
getting Caprivi’s scalp. Well, we may see some fun. If only our papers 
weren't always pointing out that it’s really a case for the courts! Must 
we really play the bureaucrat, policeman and public prosecutor like 
our opponents? Couldn’t we, just for once, allow that old, broken- 
winded jackass Bismarck to make a fool of himself to his heart’s con- 
tent? And wouldn’t three days in jug turn him into a martyr? It is al- 
most beyond belief how ultra-Prussian the chaps are! 

The Vorwarts has gone quite insane. Today it says that England, 

* In the original: mir sein (Saxon dialect).-? F. Engels, ‘Carl Schorlemmer’, Vorwéirts, 
No. 153, 3 July 1892. 

Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the colonies and India are all of them 
called Great Britain °'7! But that name comprises only England, Wales 
and Scotland — not even Ireland, let alone anything else (the official ti- 
tle is THe Unrrep Kincpom or Great Britain avn Trecanp). Are the fellows 
absolutely intent on making a universal laughing-stock of them- 
selves and of us? 

Downstairs the Witch is contemplating a baby belonging to our 
former housemaid, and so deeply has she been engrossed for the past 
two hours in this act of worship that I can’t winkle her out to send 
you her greetings. So unless she turns up at the last minute before the 
post goes, I shall have to send you and Mrs Julie* my warmest regards 
all on my own. 

Your old friend, 
F.E. 

[From Louise Kautsky] 

The General is only testifying to his own inadequacy for if, as he maintains, the 
baby-worship went on for two hours, he must have spent a full two hours writing the 
letter; an interpretation more flattering to me would be that, even though it was you he 
was writing to, the time seemed so long to him. However that may be, the child 
has gone, as you see, so that I can myself send my love to Mrs Julie who, of you 
three, is certainly best able to understand the attraction exerted by children. 
Same to you. 

The Witch 
[From Engels] 

How fanciful of the Witch to say (as she does) that I have spent two 
hours writing this letter. I was doing a very difficult legal task for 
Schorlemmer’s executors? on the subject of his literary estate, while 
she was giving the baby her fingers to suck. So it must have sucked 
away all her wits! 

[From Louise Kautsky] 

I’ve never heard the likes of it—the baby’s sucking from my finger the wisdom 
which enabled the General to write his legal piece— blessed is he who believes. 

[From Engels} 

She has to have the last word. 

4 Julie Bebel- * Philipp Klepsch and Ludwig Siebold 

[From Louise Kautsky] 
Written word. 
{From Engels] 
Nichevo.*