London, 17 January 1886 

My dear Laura, 

Glad the dictionaries have arrived at last.’ They were promised to 
be sent from here more than a week before Christmas. 

Yesterday I received a post-card from Dr Max Quarck informing 
me that as a good extract from the Capital is wanted, he intends to 
translate Deville’s‘: 

“Herr Deville hat mir nun eben auf mein Nachsuchen die alleinige 
Autorisation zur Ubersetzung seines Auszuges ins Deutsche gegeben’’; 

the great Quarck has offered it to Meissner and desires me to favour 
him with a preface. 

* See this volume, pp. 366-70. - Ibid., p. 375.-° G. Deville, Le Capital de Karl Marx. 
Résumé...-° ‘In reply to my request Mr Deville has just granted me the unreserved right to 
translate his brief exposition into German.’ 

Now if Deville has really done so, I cannot but consider that he has 
acted very unwisely and moreover contrary to all the international 
obligations practically existing amongst the lot of us. How in the 
world could he commit himself with a man of whom he knew noth- 
ing? This Quarck is one of half a dozen young literati who hover 
about the boundary land between our party and the Katheder- 
Sozialismus, °* take jolly good care to keep clear of all the risks in- 
volved by being connected with our party, and yet expect to reap all 
the benefits that may accrue from such connection. They make a live- 
ly propaganda for das soziale Kaisertum der Hohenzol- 
lern (which Quarck has dithyrambically celebrated), for Rod- 
bertus against Marx (Quarck had the cheek to write to me that he 
honoured the Capital by placing it in his library neben die Werke 
des grossen Rodbertus”) and especially for each other. The fellow 
is so utterly impotent that even Liebknecht who has a certain tender- 
ness for these fellows, has agreed with Kautsky that he is not fit to 
write in the Neue Zeit. °?° 

This moment Kautsky enters with Paul’s letter, ° according to that 
Deville has not replied and Quarck lies. I should be very glad if this 
was so, because then I should have that little scamp completely on 
the hip. 

But now as to the translation itself. First of all, an extract from the 
Capital for our German workmen must be done from the German 
original, not from the French edition. °° Secondly Deville’s book is 
too big for the working men, and would in the translation, especially 
of the second half, be as difficult as the original, as it is composed as 
much as possible of literal extracts. °! It does well enough for France 
where most of the terms are not Fremdwérter,’ and where there is a large 
public, not exactly working men, who all the same wish to have some 
knowledge — of easy access — of the subject, without reading the big 
book. That public, in Germany, ought to read the original book. — 
Thirdly, and chiefly, if Deville’s book appears in German, I do not 
see how I can consistently with my duty towards Mohr let it pass un- 
challenged as a faithful résumé. I have held my tongue while it was 
published only in French, although I had distinctly protested against 
the whole second half of it, before publication. * But if it comes to be 
put before the German public that is quite a different thing. I cannot 
allow, in Germany, Mohr to be perverted —in his very words. If there 

* the social empire of the Hohenzollerns-” beside the works of great Rodbertus - 
© Lafargue’s letter to Engels of 10 January 1886-* foreign words-° See this 
volume, pp. 61, 63. 

had not been that absurd hurry at the time, if it had been revised as 
I suggested, there would not be that objection now. All I can say, 
I reserve my full liberty of action in case the book is published in Ger- 
many; and I am the more bound to do so as it has got abroad that 
I looked it over in the ms. 

I cannot this moment ask Kautsky about his intentions as to 
Deville’s book, because all the people for Sunday’s dinner have come 
in, and I must conclude. Kautsky must write himself. As far as I know 
Kautsky and Bernstein intend making a fresh extract themselves 
which would be decidedly the best thing to do, and where they may 
make use of Deville’s work and acknowledge it with thanks. '37 

Tussy, Edward, the Pumps’ and Kautskys, all send their loves, 
kind regards and kisses and I don’t know what more, ditto Johnny * 
and the other little ones. 

Yours affectionately but hungry, 
FE.