| May 9. 71.
56, rue Naujac.

My dear general,

The delicious warm air of the south has already done me a great deal of good. I am much better. Indeed, I felt a change so soon as we got into the Bay of Biscay, & regretted nothing more than that Mohr was not with us, the voyage might have cured him of his cough. The difference of climate is wonderfully great. Coming direct from smoky dusty Liverpool, the bright sky of Bordeaux quite dazzled us. I do believe one chimney in Liverpool sends forth more smoke than all the chimnies of this town put together.

Thanks to our International nationality we passed for Londoners on board the | English steamer & for Parisians at Bordeaux, so that we had no difficulty whatever on landing. Tussy’s famous passport was allowed to remain in my pocket-book—our boxes were not even searched.

Bordeaux is as dull as ever, the Bordelais eats & drinks & plays at dominoes as usually, his sleep is not disturbed by the deadly struggle going on at Paris. Bordeaux-ventre a resolu le problème de se passer “de la tête, du cœur du monde”. However even in this sleeply place the International manages to keep awake, which proves that great things might have been done in the Provinces, if the “leaders” had not left their posts in order to play a part at Paris.

| Yesterday a third section of the Inter. was formed under the auspices of M. Paul. Notre grand homme de Province est d’une activité fievreuse, il fait de la propagande du matin jusqu’au soir. Il ne rentre plus! comme dirait mad. Lormier. The last election were a triumph for the International. Four of its members were returned. The radical republicans who have just killed the Gironde, now feel that their own days are numbered—that the Inter. in its turn will kill them. They court the Internationals with a very sour face even place their paper la Tribune at the service of the Association. Paul is having a translation of Beesly‘s article inserted in that paper. Unfortunately the | first part published was one mass of miss-prints. At a meeting we went to, held before the day of the elections, the mere mention of the Association was the signal for bursts of applause. Indeed it shared the first honours with la Justice. As the Internationale is of the feminine gender there is every reason to believe that it will soon be worshipped along with the Goddesses liberté, égalité, fraternité! …

… Little Schnaps is calling out at the top of his voice for “ma tante Jenny”. He wishes to show me his latest trick. The little imp is immensely greedy of applause—he would jump down from a wall for a "bravo Schnaps". I wish you & Mrs Engels could have seen him to-day at luncheon. He was most amusing. We had taught him to say Vive la Commune!, to which he added vive le vin jaune! Schnaps is a chip of the old Block. he likes a glass of good wine, he does. Marc-/ Laurent is rather unwell at this moment so that I suppose our journey to the Pyrenees will have to be postponed for a few days—With love from all to Mrs Engels & yourself & Pumps. Believe me, my dear general

Your affectionate Jenny. /