. [London,] 7 May 1861 
Dear Frederick, 

Habes confitentem reum. But the circonstances atténuantes” for my 
not writing were as follows: D’abord* I spent, as you' know, the 
greater part of my time in Berlin at Lassalle’s house where it 
would have been impossible for me to write to you without my 
telling Lassalle what was in the letter, and ruar pip Not serve My 
purpose. Later, I was continually en route, from Berlin to Elberfeld, 
Cologne, Trier, Aachen, Bommel,’ Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. 
Lastly, my original plan, as I wrote and told my wife, had been to 
go from Rotterdam to Hull and from Hull to Manchester so that I 
could give you a detailed verbal report. This was frustrated by my 
cousin Jacques Philips. For, as I was about to leave Rotterdam, he 
told me he would be coming to London the following day, anv HE 
WAS AS GOOD AS HIS word. SO, of course, I had to proceed direct to 
London in order to do him the honneurs there. He did not leave 
here until the day before yesterday. 

In any case, I now hope that you will come to us for a few days 
at Whitsuntide. I heard in Elberfeld that you wanted to visit your 
family at Whitsuntide. Even if you do, you could so arrange 
matters that you spend at least a couple of days with us. I have 
much to tell you, and this can be done better by word of mouth 
than in writing. Moreover, it irks my womenfolk if you always give 
London a miss. 

First, then, to susiness’. For a start, I squeezed £160 out of my 
unclé* so that we were able to pay off the greater part of our 
debts. My mother, with whom any discussion about cash is out of 
the question, but who is rapidly nearing her end, destroyed some 
1.0.U.s I had given her in the past. That was the distinctly 
pleasant result of the two days I spent with her. I myself said 
nothing to her about money matters and it was she who took the 
initiative in this connection. Further, when in Berlin, I paved the 
way for me to establish a connection with the Vienna Presse;** 
should the need arise; in view of the present situation in America, 
this will doubtless prove indispensable. Finally, I have arranged 

a Your prisoner has a confession to make (Cicero, Pro Q. Ligario, paraphrased). - 
b extenuating circumstances - © First - 4 Zalt-Bommel - ¢ Lion Philips 

through Lassalle for the second part of my political economy* to 
be published by Brockhaus instead of Duncker. As to Duncker, 
Camilla Essig (alias Ludmilla Assing) rightly remarked to me that, 
if one wants to keep a book secret, one must get Duncker to 
publish it. However, I do at least figure in the recent piece by 
Rau-Rau*—the German Say. 

Apropos. With regard to your Po and Rhine, etc., I am told by la 
Hatzfeldt—who converses with all the Prussian generals at the 
house of her brother-in-law, General von Nostitz, and whose 
nephew Nostitz is, furthermore, an aide-de-camp to ‘handsome 
William’’—that your pamphlet is considered in high, if not the 
highest, military circles (including, inter alia, that of Prince Charles 
Frederick) to be the product of an anonymous Prussian general. 
The same thing happened in Vienna, or so I was told by assessor 
Friedlander (brother of the editor of the Vienna Presse). I myself 
have discussed it with General Pfuel, now 82, but still mentally 
alert and become very radical. Pfuel didn’t know, of course, that 
we had conferred on him the honorary title of ‘von Hdllenstein’.*”” 
He has, by the by, fallen out of favour and is ranked by the Court 
with the Jacobins, atheists, etc. 

Now to Political BUSINESS. 

In Berlin there is, of course, no haute politique< Everything 
revolves round the struggle with the police (not that the latter are 
in the least presumptuous just now, being a model of civility and 
tolerance) in that people would like to see Zedlitz, Patzke, etc., 
removed from office and punished; secondly, round the opposi- 
tion between the military and civilians. It is over these issues (in 
bourgeois circles, other particularly sore points are the military 
bills and tax exemption for the landowners) that matters will come 
to a head.” (Count Tavernier, an artillery officer, told me that 
they would like nothing better than to turn their batteries on the 
Garde du Corps.) The prevailing atmosphere is one of general 
dissolution, and people of every rank regard a catastrophe as 
inevitable. This would seem to be more the case in the capital than 
in the provinces. Curiously enough, military circles share the 
general conviction that the first clash with the crapauds will result 
in a trouncing for the Prussians. Berlin is in a cheeky, frivolous 
mood. The Chambers are despised. In one theatre I visited, a 
comical ditty about Vincke was sung to the accompaniment of loud 

4K. H. Rau, Lehrbuch der politischen O0Ökonomie. Bd. 1, Grundsätze der Volks- 
wirthschaftslehre, Leipzig und Heidelberg, 1860. - > William I - © high politics - 
@ Here, the French (literally —toads). 

applause. Among a broad section of the public there is much 
dissatisfaction with the existing press. At the coming new elections 
(in the autumn) to the Second Chamber, there is no doubt that 
most of the fellows who sat in the Prussian National Assembly will 
be elected.*”' This is important, not on account of the said fellows, 
but because ‘William the Handsome’ mistakes them for red 
republicans. All in all, ‘handsome William’ has been dogged by the 
Spectre rouge* ever since he became king. He considers his 
popularity as a ‘liberal’ to be a trap set for him by the overthrow 
party. 

Now, under the circumstances it might, in fact, not be 
inopportune if we could bring out a paper” in Berlin next year, 
although I personally find the place unpleasant. 20-30,000 talers 
would have to be got together in association with Lassalle, etc. But 
hic jacet. Lassalle put the proposal to me direct. At the same time, 
he confided that he would have to be editor en chef along with 
myself. And Engels? I inquired. ‘Well, if three aren’t too many, 
Engels can also be editor en chef, of course. Though you two ought 
not to have more votes than me, for otherwise I would always be 
outvoted.” As reasons why he, too, must take the helm he stated: 1. 
that he was generally regarded as being closer to the bourgeois 
party and hence could procure funds more easily; 2. that he 
would have to sacrifice his ‘theoretical studies’ and his theoretical 
tranquillity and ought, after all, to get something out of it, etc. If, 
however, we were unwilling, he went on: ‘I would stil be 
prepared, as before, to assist the paper financially and in literary 
ways; that would be an advantage to me; for I should have the 
benefit of the paper without the responsibility for it,’ etc. This was 
just sentimental hot air, of course. Lassalle, dazzled by the esteein 
earned him in certain learned circles by his Heraclitus’ and, in 
another circle, consisting of spongers, by his good wine and food, 
doesn’t know, of course, that he is of ill repute with the public at 
large. And then his intractability; his obsession with the ‘specula- 
tive concept’ (the fellow actually dreams of a new Hegelian 
philosophy raised to the second power, «hich he intends to write), 
his inoculation with early French liberalism, his arrogant pen, 
importunity, tactlessness, etc. If subjected to rigid discipline, 
Lassalle might be of service as one of the editors. Otherwise, we 
would simply make fools of ourselves. But, in view of the great 
friendliness he showed me, you can see how difficult it was for me 

* red spectre - > See this volume, p. 252, 257, 261, 271-73. - © Here is the snag 
dF, Lassalle, Die Philosophie Herakleitos des Dunkien von Ephesos, Berlin, 1858. 

to speak my mind. So, I was generally non-committal and told him 
I could settle nothing without prior discussion with you and 
Lupus. (That was the main reason why I didn’t write to you from 
Berlin, for I didn’t want to have a reply from you about this while 
I was there.) If we decide against it, the countess* and Lassalle 
intend to set out on a year’s trip to the East or to Italy. Bur uere's 
THE RUB.” He now expects me to give him an answer, which I can’t 
put off any longer. Qu’en dis-tu?° 

He’s a frightfully pompous fellow, and so I had no alternative 
but to be constantly ironical at his expense, which wounded his 
amour-propre, the more so in that it aroused in the countess, 
whom he has impressed as a universal genius, a disquieting urge 
to emancipate herself from this Buddha. At certain times, 
strangely enough, la Hatzfeldt’s voice has a Jewish intonation that 
has been acquired from and instilled in her by him. 

Lupus’s reservations about the Prussian police are quite our oF 
pace. The only difficulty that still remains can at most affect those 
who had formerly taken the military oath of allegiance. Assessor 
Friedlander tells me that Lupus is stm THE Most POPULAR MAN in 
Breslau and in another district of Silesia as well, I forget the 
name. Elsner has turned into a good-for-nothing on the Schlesische 
Zeitung, just as Stein has on the Breslauer. Nevertheless, a go-ahead 
democratic party has again been formed in Breslau. The enclosed 
excerpt from the Preussische Gerichts-Zeitung was inserted at my 
instigation by its editor, Stadtrichter Hiersemenzel.* Actuarius 
Stein, who has returned to Berlin from Zurich, sends Lupus his 
kindest regards. 

You shall hear of my negotiations with the Prussian government 
and/or police in my next letter.*” 

Apropos. I have a present for you from Lassalle, a fine military 
atlas, which you must come and fetch in person. 

Salut to you, Lupus and Gumpert. 

Your 
K. M.