London, 1 September 1870 
1 Maitland Park Road, 
Haverstock Hill 

Dear Mr Sorge,” 

My continued silence in the face of your several letters was due 
to two circumstances: at first ‘overwork’, later very serious illness. 
At the beginning of August the doctors sent me to the seaside.™ 
But there a severe attack of sciatica bent me double for weeks. I 
have been back in London only since yesterday, by no means fully 
recovered. 

First of all, my best thanks for what you have sent me, especially 
the Lazor Statistics,” which are of great value to me. 

2 Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor... 

Now I shall briefly answer the questions in your various letters. 

Hume was empowered to carry on propaganda among the 
Yankees, but has exceeded his powers. I shall submit the matter 
to the General Council next Tuesday, with an exuition of his 
‘cards’ .* 

As for the ‘secretaryship’ for the United States, the matter is as 
follows: I am secretary for the German srancues over there, 
Dupont for the French, and lastly Eccarius for the Yankees and the 
English-speaking part of the branches. In our public declarations, 
therefore, Eccarius figured as ‘Secrerary ror THE Unitep States’. 
Otherwise we should have to employ useless circumlocutions. I, 
for instance, would also have to sign as ‘Secretary for the Russian 
branche’ in Geneva, and so on. Moreover, Eccarius himself plainly 
set forth the state of affairs in a New York paper—in connection 
with Cluseret.” 

Next week I shall send you a new pack of cards oF MEMBERSHIP. 

The lamentable behaviour of Paris during the war—still 
allowing itself to be ruled by the mamelukes of Louis Bonaparte 
and of the Spanish adventuress Eugénie* after appalling defeats— 
shows how much the French need a tragic lesson in order to 
regain their manhood. 

What the Prussian jackasses do not see is that the present war is 
leading just as inevitably to a war between Germany and Russia as 
the war of 1866 led to the war between Prussia and France. This 
is the best outcome that I expect from it for Germany. ‘Prussianism’ 
as such never has existed, and never can exist, except in alliance 
with and in subjection to Russia. And such a war No. 2 will act as 
the midwife of the inevitable social revolution in Russia. 

I regret that some misunderstanding on the part of my friend 
Vogt which is incomprehensible to me has led to a wrong opinion 
regarding Schily.** Schily is not only one of my oldest and most 
intimate personal friends; he is one of the ablest, most courageous, 
and most reliable members of the Party. 

I am very glad that Meyer is going to Cincinnati as a delegate.” 

Most faithfully yours, 
Karl Marx 

I should like to have a look at the Kellogg money nonsense 
(merely a variety of Bray, Gray, Bronterre O’Brien, etc., in 

a wife of Napoleon HI 

England and of Proudhon in France) in the original. The stuff 
cannot be obtained here.