Marx-Engels Correspondence 1873
Source: MECW Volume 44, p. 469;
First published: in Russian, in Minuvshiye gody, St Petersburg, 1908.
Dear Friend,
I have received, together with your letter, Sieber, Golovachev, and 5 volumes of Skrebitsky. I find it almost embarrassing for you to be put to such expense on my account. My warmest thanks!
The operas also arrived duly and gave my daughter great pleasure. She believed, however, that they had been sent by a Russian lady she knows, and now asks me to convey her thanks to the unknown giver.
The Znaniye had approached me directly earlier on with a request for contributions, but I have no time for such things. As for Lafargue, he will send a trial piece through you.
As to Chernyshevsky, it entirely depends on you whether I confine myself wholly to his scientific work, or touch on his other activities as well. In the second volume of my book he will, of course, only appear as an economist. I am familiar with a major part of his writings.
* As to the mutual friend, you may be sure that if I take steps — and I am still waiting for some informations [sic] on that point from Constantinople — they will be of such a nature as not to compromise him or anybody else.
As to Lyubavin I should prefer suppressing that whole part of the enquiry to be published rather than expose him to the least danger. On the other hand, boldness is perhaps the best policy. According to something which Bakunin has published in Switzerland, not in his name, but in that of some of his Slavonian friends, they intend giving their own account of the transaction as soon as circumstances will permit them to do so. The indiscretion of their accomplices at The Hague was intentional and, I suppose, was meant as a sort of intimidation.
On the other hand, I cannot judge of the possible consequences of the publication, and, therefore, should wish our friend to communicate [to] me through you his resolution, after having again quietly reconsidered the case.*
The second fascicle of the French translation [of Volume I of Capital] will only appear in the course of the next few days. The délais have been caused by all sorts of incidents which, in view of the present state of siege in Paris, make every transaction more difficult. The toil involved in revising the translation is incredible. I would probably have had less trouble if I had done the whole thing myself from the start. And moreover, such patched-up jobs are always an amateur job.
The last numbers of the Paris Économiste of last year contain a review of my book by Block which demonstrates once again how completely bankrupt the theoretical representatives of the middle class are.
With best wishes for the New Year,
Yours very sincerely,
A. Williams [Marx]