{London,] 5 January [1858] 
Dear Engels, 

Have had your note. You don’t say whether you have received 
my letter enclosing those of Lassalle and Friedlander.” 1’ d like to be 
sure that both will be preserved. 

a F. Engels, ‘The Siege and Storm of Lucknow’. - > See this volume, pp. 227-28 

As to C, I am in Fact in a considerable quandary. Nothing more 
has been sent to Dana since 27 November,”” as I finished. my own 
share of it (i.e. the non-military stuff) long ago. If circumstances in 
Manchester don’t admit of your seriously applying yourself to the 
business this month, I shall have to give it up altogether and tell 
Dana on some pretext or other that I can’t go on with the 
Cyclopaedia. The fact that I send him long, new lists before 
polishing off the old ones cannot fail in the end to arouse his 
suspicions and compromise me. Consequentiy he’s not even 
answering, let alone sending anything fresh. Nor can work of this 
kind be remunerative when there are constant hiatuses of a month 
or more. 

Still, I try to avoid mentioning the matter to you because the 
last thing I want is to subject you to any strain that might damage 
your health. Yer sometimes it seems to me that, if you could 
manage to do a little every two days or so, it might act as a CHECK 
on your junketings which, from what I know of Manchester and 
AT THE PRESENT EXCITED TIMES, Seem to me ‘unavoidable’ and far from 
good for you. 

Nor can there be any question at present of my taking over the 
military stuff, which would entail spending a great deal of time at 
the Museum to no real effect, for it’s absolutely essential that I 
should finish off my other work*°—and it takes up all my 
time—even if the house should come tumbling about my ears! 

So, *my boy, try to come to a definitive resolution—one way or 
the other *. 

Warm regards. 

Your 
K. M.