April 18th/70. My dear Challey,

I should have written to you long ago had I not been waiting for news from Keller. Paul called on him yesterday & the account I had of his visit is not exactly the one I should like to give you.

Keller has translated up to the 365th page of your book, but not having, up to the present, found an Editor, he has been obliged to interrupt his translation.Charles Keller übersetzte einen Teil von Karl Marx: Das Kapital. Bd. 1. Buch 1. Hamburg 1867. — siehe Erl. zu Marx an J. Ph. Becker, zw. 9. u. 15.1.1866: „1200 Seiten Manuscript“. (MEGA2 II/5) — ins Französische. Siehe dazu MEGA2 II/7. S. 715/716. The poor fellow, you must know earns his living by translating from the German into the French, books of all kinds I suppose (he is busy just now with a volume he has to get through with in two months “on the Microscope”) which he is paid for at the rate of a franc & a half per page. A page takes him about an hour & a half to do.

He did not like to inform you of all this & hence his silence. He hopes by dint of getting himself known to the different editors he drudges for to be able to find a publisher for your book. For the present he has to work hard for his living & has no time for any work which is not paid for immediately.

You know by the Marseillaise what is going on here. There is nothing so much talked over as the “Plebiscite”, the “Complot” and the “Grande Internationale”. The latter is doing wonders here. The workingmen seem to have an unlimited confidence in the Association; different sections are forming here daily. I don’t know whether they pay their subscriptions as members, but at any rate they do all they can for the different strikes going on. Every fresh movement among the workingmen, every fresh strike is considered as due more or less to the International & every strike seems to react upon the Association in bringing more & more societies & individuals to adhere to it. The title of “member of the International” is beginning to be highly considered here. Any person, in that quality, calling at the Office of the Marseillaise is received with open arms. A meeting is being held to-day at Paris for the purpose of uniting, I believe, the different sections, into one body. Paul has gone there so I shall know by & by the purpose of the meeting. –

The unfortunate men now at Mazas appear to be suffering greatly from their incarceration. The small-pox broke out there some time ago & many have been seriously ill in consequence. One man died there. Bazire is said to be going mad: he was suffering from a nervous disease previous to his imprisonnement & was refused admittance into an hospital.—Moilin is likewise “au secret since” some two months. He was caught calling upon a certain Dupont accused of having arms in his lodgings. He is exceedingly ill & moreover ruined having altogether neglected his patients since his last attack of acute political fever. The furniture of his grand apartment of the Rue de Rivoli is being sold to pay his house-rent.

Paul’s aunt has given us a curious account of the past life of this great agitator. He is an out and out quack in all that he undertakes, medicine, magnetism, socialism etc etc.

The poor wretch is paying dearly however for his quackery & love of domineering.

Will you make my compliments to Mr WilliamsPseudonym von Jenny Marx (Tochter)., but please to inform him that in the case of his one day’s waking up & finding himself famous, not to fall out with the Tooley TrinityFamilie Lafargue (Paul, Laura und ihr Sohn Charles) mit Bezug auf den Spitznamen für Paul Lafargue in Anspielung auf John Lawrence Toole . Keller knew Jenny was the author of the letters on Ireland having learnt the fact from a workingman who had called on you at London, I think, but whose name I forget. I mention this to prevent Jenny’s scolding us for having broken the news to Jaclard. Au reste, I don’t see why she wants to hide her light under a bushel.

Paul went to a grand banquet the other evening of the Libres-Penseurs de Paris. There were about 600 men & women present, all of them most enthusiastic. By the bye I saw Verlet , the Editor of the Libre Pensée the other day & he seemed very anxious to have some communications (anti-religious & non-political) from London. I thought on the occasion that Jenny Williams would be his man. In case she should have the time, she ought to send something to the paper as it may get to be worth something by & by.

Did you see the article signed Suzamel (Blanqui)? It is a reprint of his pamphlet: La foi et la science. Tridon, Regnard & many other friends of Pauls write in it. The paper is conducted by, & written for “workingmen”, consequently the articles to be inserted must not be too long or too difficult. The workingmen of Lyons read it a good deal & complain greatly, it appears, when the contents are “trop scientifiques”. Il est vrai que la science de Verlet est diablement indigeste.

—My dear Master, I am waiting as usual for news from you all & from you in particular as I want to know whether you are quite well again.

Give my best love to all at home & many thanks to Mama & Jenny for their letters. To Tussy a severe blowing up for having altogether forgotten me on Hot × blue day. I expected a letter from her.

My little Schnaps is getting on famously & sends you a 1000 kisses.

Dear Challey, I am Your affectionate Kakadou.

Tooley ’sSpitzname für Paul Lafargue in Anspielung auf John Lawrence Toole nose is a pale rose colour which means, as Jenny knows, that we have fine weather.