Letter to Carl Siebel, March 28, 1861

MARX TO CARL SIEBEL

IN BARMEN

28 March 1861 c/o (Letter to me to be enclosed in an envelope) 13 Bellevuestrasse, Berlin, Dr F. Lassalle

Dear Siebel,

The secret of my journey, which win. HAVE PUZZLED you to some extent, is as follows:

As a result of the crisis in America the Cyclopaedia Americana,¹ to which I was a contributor, has been completely suspended; similarly my contributions to the Tribune, my main resource, have been suspended until the end of April, and reduced by half for the period immediately thereafter (apart from myself all their European correspondents have been provisionally dismissed). This was compounded by a double misfortune: Herr Vogt, which, combined with the lawsuit, etc., cost me nearly £100, and a frightful stroke of ill-luck in that my wife (although twice vaccinated) caught small-pox and was ill for two months during which time I had to run two households, since the children couldn't remain at home.

So, I had to look round for other resources. Party friends here had already proposed to me starting a newspaper³ in the autumn. Hence my presence here. More in my next.

In the meantime, I have run into financial difficulties here (I shan't be staying much longer). If you could lend me 100-150 talers, you would oblige me.

Before returning to England I intend to see you at all events, if only on account of the newspaper project (for which 20,000 talers are READY). So, you must write and tell me, at all events, at which inn in Elberfeld I might best put up for 24 hours.

Your

K. Marx