Letter to Ferdinand Lassalle, August 20, 1862

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 20 August 1862


First published in: F. Lassalle. Nachgelassene Briefe und Schriften, Bd. III, Stuttgart-Berlin, 1922
Printed according to the original
Published in English in full in The Letters of Karl Marx, selected and translated with explanatory notes and an introduction by Saul K. Padover, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1979
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 41


MARX TO FERDINAND LASSALLE

IN ZURICH

London, 20 August [1862]

Dear Lassalle,

I imagine that, excursions into the High Alps and Italy notwithstanding, you will be spending a few days in Zurich, or at least receiving poste restante letters there. To make doubly sure, I have also informed Mr Rüstow that I have written to you 'poste restante Zurich'.

Despite the 'position' I am in, I would rescind the whole transaction if the bill on you were not already in the hands of 'Meyer Brothers', Berlin. Actually, this was not altogether in accordance with the agreement, since Borkheim had originally promised me he wouldn't let the bill out of his hands until you returned to Berlin. However, I couldn't see that any harm had been done since, in the case of this first bill, I had thought the use of your name was a mere formality and had no idea it had any connection with your 'public existence' or might serve to spark off some civil drama or other. For I believed that Engels' security for 'an amount' of 400 talers would meet the case, even if the 'worst came to the worst' and, as regards 'the due date', I knew Engels to be a model of 'punctuality and promptitude' in money matters, particularly where bills are concerned. Otherwise, I wouldn't have involved you in this BUSINESS.

It being no longer possible to rescind the thing without making myself and Engels look foolish in Borkheim's eyes, I shall send you Engels' bond the day after tomorrow.[1] For it takes 3 days to get a reply from Manchester. As soon as you have the same, it would be good if you wrote to Meyer Brothers (this being the name of the firm in Berlin which has Engels' draft), telling them you will accept on your return.

Let me say once again how much I regret having involved you in the matter—a rash act for which the overlooking of certain premises on your part and mine is to blame. Meanwhile, I remain,

Your

K. M.

  1. ↑ See this volume, p. 413.