London. 17 March 1872 
122 Regent’s Park Road, N.W. 

Dear Sorge, 
I have a favour to ask of you, which I hope will not put you to 
too much trouble. 

a‘an intrigante of the basest kind’ - © so-called French branch -¢ ‘a police 
section’ - 4 worthy remnants of the French section 

Would you be so kind as to buy 50 copies of the issue of 
Woodhull & Claflin’s which contains the translation of the Com- 
munist Manifesto, and 50-100 of the issues of the Socialiste with the 
French translation, and send them on to me? **° I shall send you 
the money for them as soon as I know how much it comes to. 
If there are not enough copies available, may I ask you to send 
what you can obtain. However much both translations leave 
to be desired, we still have to use them as propaganda for 
the time being, the French version especially is quite indispensable 
for the Latin countries of Europe as a counter to the nonsense 
purveyed by Bakunin, as well as the ubiquitous Proudhonist 
rubbish. 

As soon as we have time, Marx and I, we shall prepare a new 
edition of the Manifesto with an introduction, etc., but at the 
moment we have our hands full. Apart from Spain and Italy, I 
have to act as Secretary for Portugal and Denmark as well at 
present. Marx has quite enough to do with his second edition 
of Capital and the various translations that are now loom- 
ing.**° 

We had intended to celebrate the revolution of 18 March with a 
PUBLIC MEETING tomorrow—but yesterday evening the Hau. we had 
hired suddenly became unavailable! The pretext given was that THE 
FRENCH COMMUNISTS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MEET IN ANY HALL IN Lonpon! Since 
the owners are sure to be most unwilling to lose the 10 guineas 
rent, and since we shall sue for pamaczs and shall get them too, it is 
obvious that they are being compensated by the government. 
Meanwhile we shall chance it and just go along quietly and if we 
find the door locked, which is probable, but not certain, we shall 
put the man who made the aforementioned statement into the 
witness-Box and see what can be made of the affair.*” At all events 
we shall contrive to embarrass Mr Gladstone. 

With warmest regards, 

F. Engels 

In Lisbon a paper has come out called O Pensamento Social, Rua 
de S. Boaventura, No. 57, Lisboa, which has a number of 
outstanding articles in the first issue.* 

I enclose an article on Arthur O’Connor from the Brussels 
Liberté, which certainly deserves to appear translated in The Irish 

a See this volume, p. 340.