Frederick Engels long time partner was called Lizzie Burns (1827-1878) and in this letter Karl Marx makes reference to another Burns, Robert Burns and references one of his best known works. Its not known if either of them ever ate haggis
My best compliments to Mrs Burns . I am indeed very glad to
hear that the o was an inorganic intrusion upon her name , and
that she is a name sake of the great poet. If Mrs Gumpert declines
becoming a member of a Workingmen’s Association, I hope Mrs
Burns will not follow that example , but will believe with her
name sake that ‘a man is a man for all that’.
Marx to Engels 13th February 1865
Edward Grumpert was a Manchester based doctor who Marx and Engels often consulted
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