My dear Friend,
You must rightly be vexed at my prolonged silence, despite your several friendly letters. But you must excuse me on account of the extraordinary conditions in which I find myself. As a result of my long illness my economic circumstances have reached a crisis point. I have piled up debts which oppress my brain and make me incapable of anything except the work that absorbs me. If I do not succeed in raising at least 1,000 thalers, say at 5% interest, I really see no way out. And despite the numerous appreciative letters I receive from Germany, I have no idea where to turn. I can only make use of assistance from private friends, nothing of a public nature. You will understand that, under such conditions, writing letters becomes difficult. I have still not succeeded in restoring my old, lucrative connections with America. People there have so much to do with their own movement that they regard any expenditure on European correspondence as faux frais of production. I could remedy this if I were to move over there myself. But I consider it my calling to remain in Europe and complete my work of many years.

As regards this work itself, I do not believe I can get the manuscript of the first volume (it will now be 3 volumes) to Hamburg before October. I can work productively for only a very few hours a day without feeling it immediately in my body, and out of consideration for my family I must reluctantly resolve to observe the hygienic limits, until I am fully restored. Moreover, the work is often interrupted by the influence of adverse external circumstances.

Although I devote much time to the preparatory work for the Geneva Congress, I cannot go there, nor do I wish to, because no prolonged interruption of my work is possible. I consider what I am doing by this work to be far more important for the working class than anything I could personally do at any congress whatsoever.

I regard the international situation in Europe as entirely provisional. As far as Germany in particular is concerned, one must take things as they are, i.e., assert the revolutionary interest in a manner appropriate to the changed circumstances. As to Prussia, it is now more important than ever to watch and to denounce its relations to Russia.
Yours most devotedly,
K. Marx