Lausanne, 24 August 1849 
8, Place de la Palud 

Dear Schabelitz, 

I am most obliged to you for promptly forwarding a letter to 
me. Since I cannot have my letters sent direct and knew of no 
other address, I was compelled to put you to this trouble. You 

a F. Engels, The Campaign for the German Imperial Constitution. - > Max Joseph 
Becker - ¢ second-rate luminaries (literally: gods of minor peoples) 

may be receiving one or two more for me and would, perhaps, be 
kind enough to send these on to me also. 

I am at present stuck in Lausanne where I am writing my 
reminiscences of the farcical Palatinate-Baden revolution.? You 
know me too well to credit me with political participation in this 
affair which was lost before it began. In Karlsruhe and Kaisers- 
lautern I poked quiet fun at the provisional government’s 
blunders and lack of resolution, I refused all posts, and it was not 
until the Prussians arrived that I joined Willich at Offenbach and 
took part in the campaign as his adjutant. Now at headquarters, 
now in the face of the enemy, the whole time in correspon- 
dence with the High Command, in constant touch with d’Ester, 
who, as ‘red camarilla’, was spurring on the government, in 
various engagements and, finally, at the battle of Rastatt,’” I 
had the opportunity of seeing a great deal and learning a great deal. 
As you know, I am sufficiently critical not to share the illusions of the 
run-of-the-mill, vociferous republicans and to detect the desponden- 
cy lurking beneath the bravado of the leaders. 

As befits the Neue Rheinische Zeitung, the thing will take a view 
of the affair different from that of other prospective accounts. It 
will disclose many a shabby trick and, in particular, will contain 
much that is new concerning the goings-on in the Palatinate, about 
which hitherto virtually nothing has been known. It won’t be 
big—-about 4-6 sheets. 

Up till now I have not had leisure enough to look round for a 
publisher. I would not care to send the manuscript to Germany, 
there is a danger of its being intercepted in the post. Since I am 
largely unfamiliar with the book trade in Switzerland, I thought I 
would write and ask you whether your old man° might be the 
kind of publisher who would accept such work and— NB— pay for 
it, for I need money, i faut que l'on vives That the thing will be 
pleasant to read goes without saying, and my name is guarantee 
enough that it will be bought in Germany (it won't be liable to 
confiscation, le sujet n’y préte pas*). If, then, your worthy papa 
is prepared to do business, I shall rely on you, if not, it 
can’t be helped. In that case you will not, at any rate, refuse to 
advise me about other possible German publishers, since I am 
very much in the dark in regard to the German book trade 
as well. 

a F. Engels, The Campaign for the German Imperial Constitution. - > Jacob Christian 
Schabelitz - © one has to live - 4 the subject doesn’t lend itself thereto 

Write and tell me about this if possible by return. 
Best regards 

from your 
F. Engels