London, 15 October* 1884 

Dear Kautsky, 

You will have got my postcard.” If possible I shall set to work on 
the preface‘ tomorrow; there are interruptions every day; today, for 
example, the whole of my time will be spent on correspondence and 
I'm still not allowed to sit for too long at my desk. Once I settle down 
to it I shall be done in a day or two. 

* August in the original.- ° See this volume, pp. 200-01.- © F. Engels, ‘Marx and 
Rodbertus’ 

So Geiser is the inventor of this marvellous spelling! Another 
feather in his cap. I must confess that my aversion to this procrustean 
bed was to some extent responsible for my failing to get a move on 
with contributions to the Neue Zeit. But do tell me whether this splen- 
did system was obligatory in the case of other books published by 
Dietz —in that of Bebel’s Frauw'! it was not; it is important that 
I should know this in the event of my replying to Dietz. 

Having protested to Dietz °° about Geiserianism so categorically, 
I cannot now submit to it in the Neue Zeit— nor yet where the print- 
ing of the preface is concerned. Elsewhere I have no objections, of 
course. 

For Ede: Wehner writes to say that the person did not demand the 
money on behalf of our people, he having sent it of his own free will; 
however the said person says that they had accepted it. This amounts to 
the same thing. 

I have not read Rodbertus’ Creditnoth either; however it can only 
contain what we know already, namely that mortgages are not re- 
deemable, not repayable in capital, but merely intended to establish 
a claim to ‘rent’, i.e. regular payments of interest; if these payments 
are not forthcoming, an order may be made for the sale of the prop- 
erty; the mortgagee has no further claim. This is Rodbertus’ ‘princi- 
ple of rent’, intended to enable the Junkers to produce, bourgeois- 
fashion, 5,000 talers per annum and expend, aristo-fashion, 10,000 
talers and still not ruin themselves. How it’s done remains a mystery. 
I had to laugh when I saw Schramm trying to find something signific- 
ant in it.? 

Marx’s photograph went off to Manz today.© I understand he 
wants to know about the colour. You will be able to help him there 
of course. As swarthy as any southern European might be, not much 
red about the cheeks (when you saw Marx he was already a very 
sickly yellow; that wasn’t normal), moustache jet black, streaked 
with white but without a trace of brown; save for grizzled hairs, hair 
and beard snow white. The picture a retouched photographic en- 
largement — is a speaking likeness, and he will get it per the Swiss 
post office. 

Apart from the Polish translation of the Origin, Vera Zasulich has 
applied to do the Russian and Anderfuhren (from Meiringen), a law 
* [J.K.] Rodbertus-Jagetzow, Zur Erklérung und Abhülfe der heutigen Creditnoth des 

Grundbesitzes.-_ * C.A.S[chramm], ‘K. Kautsky und Rodbertus’, Die Neue Zeit, 
No. 11, 1884.- © See this volume, pp. 191-92. 

student in Berne, the Italian.?°? Do you know anything about this 
man? Dr Cerioli, his teacher, an Italian and socialist, will go over the 
translation. 

I sent copies * to you and Ede yesterday. Over 30 have already gone 
off to all parts of the world. I have sent it to To-Day and Justice and 
no doubt you will attend to the other review copies. My sincerest 
thanks to you and Ede for all the trouble you’ve taken over the 
thing. 

Your 

F.E. 

What news of your coming here °? I am speaking not of origo © but of 
adventus.4