My Dear Darwin,

Your fine long letter of Aug. 4^th. reached me up in the country—in my native region—in the centre of the State of New York—rusticating, and enjoying ourselves mightily.² We were among the people of a thriving region—a well-to-do set.— no poverty near us for miles & miles, i.e—no hardship, except any that a drunken laborer might bring on his family; and I longed to take you out with us in our drives that you might see a happy and comfortable country—more and more so every year,—and perhaps a larger ratio of the population refined to a reasonable degree in feeling and life than I know of in any other part of the world.

Well, I am at home again as well as possible, and as hearty as an ox,—thoroughly well, and all disagreeable feelings about my head quite forgotten. I hope it may keep so.

I hope to get other Specularia seeds for you.³

I will consider about fantastic variation of pigeons.⁴ I see afar trouble enough ahead quoad design in nature but have managed to keep off the chilliness by giving the knotty questions a rather wide birth. If I rather avoid, I cannot ignore the difficulties—ahead. But if I adopt your view bodily⁠⟨⁠,⁠⟩⁠ can you promise me any less difficulties?

—If your Lythrum-paper shall be at all equal in interest to that on Linum it will be a gem.⁵

As to tendrils, What are Hooker & Oliver (the latter a Professor too) about, and where have they lived not to know anything of them?⁶ Every body must have seen, in Cucurbitaceæ & Passiflora, tendrils reaching out straight for a certain time, and then, if they reach nothing, coiling up from the end.— Also the sweeping of stems. But I think I never noticed that till it was pointed out in print. You ask me to tell you where anything is published on this subject. I had indicated it well enough in the little note of mine on the visible coiling—which excited your interest. See the first 3 sentences.⁷ And consult Mohl (who is worth all Germany besides) On the Vegetable Cell, transl. by Henfrey, and published by Van Voorst, 1852, pp. 156–158, also 151. &c,—and be thankful to me for having instigated (in 1851) Van Voorst to get Henfrey to translate this little book.—tho you English pay no attention to it, when you have got it.⁸

No do not abandon this subject, for it will be fruitful in your hands.

You should go on and connect this with something analogous in the spiral twist of the wood & bark of Coniferous trees—and others— It is very marked in Thuja occidentatis. The twist here is to the right (of the observer). But in noticing a hundred trunks or so, while up in the country, I found 4 or 5 which twisted in the opposite direction.

Next week I will send you sheets containing abstract of Bates’ mimetic analogy, & your Linum paper.⁹

As to Agassiz, you must not infer that I have any real ill-will toward him. I have long been an impartial and perhaps useful friend to him.¹⁰ But he is not a person to be satisfied long with any one who acts as well as thinks independently. So, a good while ago, he undertook to put me down, and has once or twice repeated the attempt. He has not yet succeeded. All the revenge I take is to worry and tease him upon occasion. But he has many excellent points and great (morphological) ability, and I am truly sorry he does not make a career at all up to his early promise.

Ever your cordial   A. Gray

P.S.¹¹ Three nos. of Boston newspaper, recently sent you, two by this mail (in which my good beau-père is again “spiking the English”)¹² please to forward to Reuben Harvey, Esq, Limerick, Ireland.¹³

Parsons (the first) I think puts the case neater, and in much fewer words.¹⁴

You are quite out in supposing that hatred of England is increasing, or that there is the least desire to meddle with you, except in self defence¹⁵

My own feelings were very sensitive at first, because I expected better things, and I then deferred much to British opinion. I now do neither, and nothing strikes me more than the smallness of mind and largeness of gullibility of the British people, as far as I can judge from their press, (weeklies, quarterlies, & Times). But I do not suppose you will fight us because you dislike us. And so conversely. I suppose I do not see the papers which so abuse England, tho, I read influential & respectable papers. But from what I do see, I think we receive far more abuse and misrepresentation, and unfair usage than we give.

As to the course of the war and policy of our country as to slavery, some day when you turn back to some early letter of mine you will see that I was a fairly good prophet.—that the South might have delayed the abolition of slavery by giving up early in the conflict,—but that every month of continued resistance hastened and ensured the downfall of slavery¹⁶   That is now doomed, and sure near to rapid death, quick in some places—slower in others, but sure.—

Ill usage of negroes—who make such good soldiers—will soon be unheard of—except with Irish. It will take some generations of American life to breed out the barbarism they bring to the country.

Good bye— Ever Yours | AG.