London, Wednesday, 20 December 1854 
28 Dean Street, Soho 
Dear Elsner, 
Your letter arrived here on Monday. I myself only got back 
today after spending a few days visiting Engels and Lupus in 
Manchester. 

a the Library of the British Museum - © R. S. Ripley, The War with Mexico, in two 
volumes. - © W. F. P. Napier, History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of 
France, from the Year 1807 to the Year 1814, vols. 1-VI. 

I shall begin work as correspondent on Saturday. To start off 
right in the middle of the final part of the ‘preliminary’ 
parliamentary session woutp nor po. A résumé of this short session 
would make a better entrée. For the past two years I have been 
writing—i.e. for publication—only in English. German may give 
me some trouble at the start. 

As you are aware, I edited a Prussian newspaper* under 
censorship—for a whole year. So I am quite familiar with the 
torments which the Neue Oder-Zeitung may have to endure under 
a new form of censorship, and it is these difficulties, the underhand 
struggle AGAINST THE ESTABLISHED powers which incline me to work in 
the interest of this paper. 

So far as I am aware, and I know pretty well all the important 
reading-rooms in London, the N.O.-Z. is not available in any of 
them. Hence, for the time being, you'll have to send it direct to 
me. I might perhaps be able to introduce it into a reading-room or 
COFFEE-ROOM, 

You would particularly oblige me if, by way of an exception, you 
could send me one issue of the Breslauer Zeitung. Although Edgar 
Bauer comes to see me every week, he has never spoken about his 
articles and I would like to get to know his views from one 
‘sample’. 

Since Parliament will be going into recess, and—save for a 
résumé of its sessions and perhaps Of FINANCIAL MATTERS—there will be 
little of importance to report, I shall, if these premises hold good, 
write a number of consecutive articles providing a review of the 
conduct of the war in the Crimea so far,° concerning which I 
have seen nothing sensible, i.e. critical, either here or from 
Germany. Moreover, I suppose that this subject is of the greatest 
general interest and at the same time least liable to lead to a 
conflict with the indirect Royal Prussian Censorship. 

Requesting you to convey my kindest regards to your wife 
whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. 

Yours 
K. Marx