London, 9 November 1889 
Dear Friend, 

Difficult as your situation is I can proffer no definite advice; for that, 
I should have to be on the spot, it being impossible to give an expert 
opinion from a distance. 

* Percy Rosher’s father — An allusion to the song O du lieber Augustin. 

Only one thing can be said with certainty, and that is that neither here 
not anywhere else in Europe would it be possible to find anything for 
you. Your proximity to Italy would mean that, wherever you were, they 
would demand your extradition, and not for a moment would you be 
safe. 

To find you even temporary employment in this country would be 
utterly impossible. Neither I nor my friends could procure this for you— 
your having been sentenced could not be kept secret. It would be impos- 
sible to accommodate you on the Sozialdemokrat. And in any case, the 
demand for your extradition would soon catch up with you. On the 
other side of the Atlantic things might be different. 

So there only remains the choice between prison and Buenos Aires. 
If you are finally convicted by the court of appeal and go to prison, it 
seems unlikely that, on the day of your release, you will have any other 
alternative but to go to Buenos Aires, for you would surely not be able 
to find work in Europe. In my opinion, therefore, the only question is 
whether you want to go now, or after having spent three or four years 
in gaol. 

Should you decide to go now, I can put 200 francs at your disposal as 
a contribution towards your travelling expenses. But this is the last help 
I shall be able to give you. At the moment I am having to maintain two 
families who are related to me, which means that I am myself sometimes 
at a loss to know where to turn for the necessary cash. 

I am sorry that I cannot do more for you. But the funds I have avail- 
able are limited, and I am powerless against the Italian judiciary. I know 
full well how desperate your plight is and assure you of my sincere 
sympathy but it is not in my power to help you beyond the extent indi- 
cated above. 

Very sincerely yours, 
F. Engels