Letter to Ferdinand Lassalle, January 28, 1861

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 28 January 1861


First published in: F. Lassalle. Nachgelassene Briefe und Schriften, Bd. III, Stuttgart-Berlin, 1922
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 41


MARX TO FERDINAND LASSALLE

IN BERLIN

[London,] 28 January 1861

Dear Lassalle,

I am writing to you today in some haste, not from home, but from the City. In a few days, you shall have a longer letter and a reply to all your inquiries. First, my thanks for your package. I have passed one COPY of the petition to Freiligrath. Engels will receive No. II; No. III will be retained by me. It is a truly splendid document and is part and parcel of the history of the present era.

Perhaps you would be good enough to see that the enclosed note is delivered to Mr Eichhoff without delay.[1]

Owing to the current state of your health, friendly duty precludes my spurring you on to fresh labours. OTHERWISE I would have declared an anti-Zabel pamphlet, such as you envisage, to be a political deed.

My wife sends her kindest regards to you and the countess.[2] Her convalescence is proceeding satisfactorily. I, for my part, expect I shall be able to forego all medicine for some time to come (I finished the last BOTTLE yesterday).

My best respects to the countess. In my next letter to you I shall take the liberty of enclosing a line or two for her.

Tout à voush

K. Marx

  1. ↑ In this note Marx presumably informed Eichhoff of his intention to translate into English the latter's pamphlet Berliner Polizei-Silhouetten, which appeared in 1860, and have it published, whole or abridged, and probably with his own commentaries, in The Times. In his letter of 16 February 1861, Eichhoff agreed to the project, but Marx was unable to carry it out.
  2. ↑ Sophie von Hatzfeldt