Manchester, 14 March 1859 
6 Thorncliffe Grove, Oxford Street 

Dear Lassalle, 

First of all my thanks for your bons offices* with Duncker, which 
have met with such outstanding success and will, for the first time 
in nearly ten years, give me the opportunity of appearing before 
the German public. I sent the manuscript to Marx last Wednes- 
day” and he will have forwarded it on Thursday. The title page 
should read simply Po and Rhine, Berlin, Published by ... etc., etc. 
Marx and I both consider it better that the thing should first 
appear anonymously because specialised and, at the start, the 
name of a civilian could only be detrimental to a military paper. If 
the thing is successful, as I hope, it will be time enough to put my 
name to it. There’s no need for a table of contents, the sections 
being merely numbered. Nor have I written a foreword. 

Marx thinks it will amount to 4 sheets, which I doubt, but it all 
depends on the printing, of course. 

As regards terms, I have decided in favour of half the net 
profits; it goes without saying, of course, that there should be the 
usual number of free copies, one of which you must naturally 
bespeak in advance. They can be sent through publisher’s 
channels, though I’d like one (or else proofs) to be sent direct to 
me by post. I might bring it out in English. The matter lends itself 
less readily to a French translation which would, furthermore, be 
difficult to place; however, I shall see. 

How is the printing of Marx’s manuscript‘ getting on? So far 
I’ve only heard of one sheet having been printed, and yet the 
manuscript has been in Berlin for over a month. This seems to me 
very slow. One or two instalments at least should be out in time 
for the Leipzig Fair“ and there’s not long to go. 

Reiterated promises notwithstanding, Marx hasn’t yet sent me 
your Heraclitus, which I greatly look forward to seeing, although 
both my Greek and the speculative concept have grown exceeding- 
ly rusty. I am equally anxious to read your play,° which I have 

* good offices - > 9 March -¢ A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy - 
dF, Lassalle, Die Philosophie Herakleitos des Dunklen von Ephesos. - © F. Lassalle, Franz 
von Sickingen. 

seen advertised. Despite your versatility, I would never have 
expected you to take up this speciality as well. 

Since I’ve been here I have been devoting myself largely to 
militaria, also dallying at intervals with an old love, comparative 
philology. But when one has engaged in noble commerce all day 
long, it’s impossible to go beyond sheer dilettantism in so vast and 
extensive a discipline. And even though I once cherished the 
brash idea of writing a comparative grammar of the Slavonic 
languages, I gave it up long ago, the more so since Miklosich* has 
undertaken the same thing with such brilliant success. 

So once again very many thanks and kind regards from your 

F. E.