London, 19 December [1849] 
4 Anderson Street, Kings Road, Chelsea 

Dear Weydemeyer, 

An unconscionable time has elapsed since I last wrote to you. 
Civil vexations of every kind, all manner of business and, finally, 
the general difficulty I have in bringing myself to write a letter, 
will explain to you my long silence. I have at last, post tot discrimina 

rerum," succeeded in giving reality to my Revue, that is to say, I 
have a printer and a distributor in Hamburg.‘ Otherwise we do 
everything at our own expense. The worst of it is that in Germany 
so much time is always lost before one can get to the point of 
publication. I have little doubt that by the time 3, or maybe 2, 
monthly issues have appeared, a world conflagration will intervene 
and the opportunity of temporarily finishing with _ political 
economy will be gone.” 

As you live in the heart of Germany and hence are more 
familiar with the details than we are, you might perhaps find time 
to describe, for our Revue, briefly and concisely in a few main 
features, the present condition of South Germany and everything 
connected with it.?% 

I would further request you to insert the following announce- 
ment in your paper but not until you have seen the announce- 
ment in the Kolnische Zeitung for which the bookseller in 
Hamburg will be responsible. Perhaps you could send a copy to 
Westphalia. For you will see from the announcement that, besides 
our circulation through the book trade, we want to establish 
another by asking our party comrades to draw up subscription lists 
and send them to us here. For the time being we shall have to 
keep the price fairly high and the number of sheets low. Should 
our resources increase as a result of a wider circulation, this defect 
will be remedied. 

What do you think of the row between Proudhon, Blanc and 
Pierre Leroux? ?%° 

Willich sends you his regards, and likewise Engels, red Wolff* 
and Weerth. 

Here in England the most important movement is probably 
taking place at this moment. On the one hand, protectionist 
agitation supported by the fanaticised rural population—the 
consequences of the free corn rrape are now beginning to be felt in 
the form I predicted years ago'—on the other, the Free 
Traders who, as FINANCIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY REFORMERS," are extending 
the wider political and economic logic of _ their 
system to home affairs and, as peace party,’ to foreign affairs; 
finally, the Chartists who, while acting in concert with the 

a after so many vicissitudes (Virgil, Aeneid, 1) - > Neue Rheinische Zeitung. Politisch- 
Skonomische Revue - © J. E. M. Kohler and J. Schuberth - ¢ K. Marx and F. Engels, 
‘Announcement of the Neue Rheinische Zeitung. Politisch-dkonomische Revue’ was 
published in the Neue Deutsche Zeitung (edited by Weydemeyer), Nos. 14, 23 and 31, 
16 and 26 January and 5 February 1850. - ¢ Ferdinand Wolff - f K. Marx, ‘Speech 
on the Question of Free Trade’. ; 

g* 

bourgeoisie against the aristocracy, have at the same time resumed 
with increased vigour their own party activity against the 
bourgeois.” The conflict between these parties will be tremendous 
and the outward form of agitation will become more tempestuous- 
ly revolutionary if, as I hope—and not without good reason—the 
Tories come to power in place of the Whigs. Another événement,* 
as yet imperceptible on the Continent, is the mighty industrial, 
agricultural and commercial crisis now looming up. Were the 
Continent to postpone its revolution until after the onset of this 
crisis, England might from the start have to be an ally, albeit an 
unpopular one, of the revolutionary Continent. An_ earlier 
outbreak of revolution—unless directly motivated by Russian 
intervention—would in my view be a malheur’ since at this 
particular time, with trade still en ascendant the mass of the 
workers in France, Germany, etc., as well as the entire strata of 
tradesmen, etc., though perhaps revolutionary in words, are 
certainly not so en réalité* 

You know that my wife has made the world richer by one 
citizen*? She sends her warm regards to you and your wife.’ My 
best regards to the latter also. 

Write soon. 

Your 
K. Marx 

Apropos, can you find out Citizen Hentze’s address for me? 

You will have seen friend Heinzen’s inane bragging in the 
newspapers. This fellow, who was done for by the revolution in 
Germany— before that his things enjoyed a certain vogue parce que 
le petit bourgeois et le commis-voyageur s’amusérent a lire imprimées en 
pleins caractères les bétises et les rodomontades qu’ils débitaient eux-mémes 
mystérieusement chez le marchand de vin entre le fromage et le 
biscuit"—is endeavouring to rehabilitate himself by compromising 
the other refugees in Switzerland and England—those who have 
really worked—in the eyes of those countries’ governments,” by 

4 event -> misfortune -¢ on the up and up -4 in reality -¢ Heinrich Guido 
(Fawksy) - § Louise - § K. Heinzen, ‘Lehren der Revolution’, Deutsche Londoner 
Zeitung, Nos. 241 and 242, 9 and 16 November 1849. - » because the petty bourgeois 
and the commercial traveller liked to see printed in black and white the idiocies and 
rodomontades they themselves served mysteriously between the cheese and the 
biscuits at the wine-shop. 

102. Engels to Schabelitz. 22 December 1849 : 221 

kicking up a row, and earning himself a lucrative martyrdom by 
threatening shortly to gobble up a hundred thousand oF MILLIONS OF 
MEN at déjeuner a la fourchette.