she also penned among those letters about 100 letters to jacob bun, a springfield merchant and an old friend of her husband with whom she had left her personal finances in the states. on december 12th, 1876, she wrote a letter to him that i think is pretty typical of these business-type letters, and i think it also demonstrates mary's remarkably clear mind at a time when her son robert and many others believed she was severely mental unstable. i like this letter because it illustrates mary's mental health and intellect and it reveals her care and concern for family members back home and it demonstrates that even in her twilight years in a location far removed from home, she retained her passion and interest in american politics. the pension paper accompanied by your note with instructions have been received. i return the paper to you signed by the proper authorities, mr. musgrave is the consul connected with the american consulate. i observe by my daily paper of paris, which receives constant news of america, that gold on the 8th of december was 107.25, quite a decline, making it howe