Manchester, 31 May, 1870. My dear child,

We were beginning to fret somewhat at the obstinate London taciturnty, but your letter has again cleared up the horizon. I think not that we shall stay longer than to the beginning of next weekMarx hielt sich ca. vom 22. Mai bis 22. Juni in Manchester auf..

My cold is not yet quite gone, but the general state of health has wonderfully improved consequent upon the change of air. I see Gumpert almost daily and his advice is the more valuable the less he gets paid for it.

Here things are going on pretty much in the old track. Fred is quite jolly since he has got rid of „den verfluchten commerce“. His book on IrelandSeit Januar 1868, wahrscheinlich seit Ende 1867, trug sich Engels mit dem Gedanken, eine Geschichte Irlands zu schreiben. Mit den ersten Literaturrecherchen begann er im Juli 1869 und unternahm im September 1869 eine Reise durch Irland. Anschließend arbeitete er umfangreiche Literatur und zahlreiche historische Quellen durch. Seine überlieferten bibliographischen Verzeichnisse enthalten mehr als 150 Titel. In sechzehn Heften sind Textauszüge überliefert, dazu noch Notizen und Fragmente auf einzelnen Blättern, sowie eine große Zahl von Zeitungsausschnitten. Mit der Ausarbeitung des zusammengetragenen Materials und der Formulierung seines Manuskripts begann Engels wahrscheinlich im März/April 1870. Er schrieb das erste Kapitel „Naturbedingungen“ (MEGA2 I/21. S. 185.1–203.14) und begann mit dem zweiten „Altirland“ (Ebenda. S. 203.16–219.8), das er nicht mehr abschloß. Nach Ausbruch des Deutsch-Französischen Krieges im Juli 1870 unterbrach Engels seine Arbeit zugunsten der Artikelserie „Notes on theWar“ (Ebenda. S. 250–473) und nahm sie später nicht wieder auf. Siehe Friedrich Engels: Vorarbeiten und Entwürfe für das Buch über die Geschichte Irlands. In: MEGA2 I/21. S. 185–219 und 1506–1512 und MEGA2 IV/20 [noch nicht ersch.]. Siehe auch Jürgen Herres: Marx und Engels über Irland. Ein Überblick. Artikel, Briefe Manuskripte und Schriften. In: Marx-Engels-Jahrbuch 2011. S. 12–27.—which by the by costs him a little more time than he had at first supposed—will be highly interesting. The illustrious Doppelju who is so much up in the most recent Irish history and plays so prominent a part in it, will there find his archeological material ready cut.

Lange’s book differs from an “Irish Stew”Siehe J. Marx (Tochter) an Marx, 30.5.1860. in that particular point that it is all sauce and no substance. This muddled meddler evidently intends to fish out some compliments from me in return for his “sweets”, but he is woefully mistaken. How much he has understood of the “Kapital” is clearly shown by his discovery that my theory of “value” has nothing whatever to do with the developments on the “Arbeitstag” etc.

Our friend Gumpert settles more and more down into a liberal, town-talk speaking, commonplace sort of fellow. What with his self-produced and with his “inherited” family, this is hardly to be wondered at. It is too much of a good thing.

Tussy looks very blooming and is quite merry. She has happily found the live stocket Mornington Palace increased by a new supply of kittens and so forth. She crossexamined Fred of course as to the “threatening letters”; he considered it dangerous to allude to such a thing in letters conveyed by post and possibly falling under the eye of some Stieber. The true who Stieber, I see, is eagerly busying himself at Paris to hatch a new complot, in which the “Intern.W. Ass.” is to play the principal part and where I, as his old protégé, and “wirklicher geheimer Oberhauptchef” must of course set in my appearance.

While I write these lines, damned Fred is bothering me by continual “fragmentary” communications from the old Norse sagas. A propos of sagas, has Möhmchen not assisted at K. Blind’s poetical lecture Sunday last?

Little Dakyns came over Saturday evening and stayed here on Sunday, This his visit was paid to Tussy and myself. This beave gnome was horselaughing all the time over. His costume was faster than ever before,—papierne Vatermörder ohne Kravatte, a dirty white hat instead of the Scotch cap, and eine Sorte weisser Schuhe wie man sie at the seaside trägt. At our Sunday walk—Schorlemmer and Moore belonging of course to the party—his success with the general public was more than a succès d’estime. He created quite a sensation.

And now, illustrious Doppelju, give my best compliments to Möhmchen und Lehnchen. I miss here very much the “Marseillaise” and all news from Paris. At the Schiller Club they keep le Temps , about the dullest of all the French papers. Also its editor-in-chief is one Nefftzer, an Alsacian.

Adio, illustrious one Old Nick.