Letter to Karl Marx, January 31, 1861

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ENGELS TO MARX

IN LONDON

[Manchester, 31 January 1861]

Dear Marx,

It's difficult to answer Borkheim's letter.[1] All local commission houses which buy GOODS for the Italian market operate there themselves. Hence they would regard an order from London as the action of a competitor and duly ignore it. Reuss, Kling & Co. and A. S. Sichel are the main houses in this line, but they certainly won't accept small orders. At all events, make sure that whoever approaches these people does not mention my name; it would serve no purpose whatever and might make me look a complete ass. If the order is of any size and the intention is to start a regular connection, the buyer would do best to come up himself and go to the manufacturers direct. The people here who buy for the London houses are exclusively in the EAST INDIA TRADE or else small chaps whom I don't know.

That's all I have to tell you today. I can't imagine what fellows he is referring to who are up to all kinds of nonsense.

Your

F. E.

  1. See this volume, p. 253.