asx. 49.] TO CHARLES DARWIN. 473 



mitted to if it can be prevented at any sacrifice. God 

 help us, indeed, if our honorable existence is to have 

 no better safeguard than the generosity or sense of 

 justice of more powerful nations ! As to slavery, the 

 course of things is getting to meet your views, as it is 

 clear must be, if the South continues obstinate. If 

 they give up war they may save their institution in 

 their own States, to have the chance of abolishing it 

 themselves in the only safe and easy way, with time 

 and the gradual competition of white labor. But 

 obstinate resistance will surely bring on wide-sweep- 

 ing manumission. 



You see that we are not going to have war [with 

 England] at present. And it appears that the deci- 

 sion of our government will be as unitedly and thor- 

 oughly sustained by the whole people as if it had 

 been the other way ; contrary to Mr. Russell's pre- 

 diction, and to our dear friend Dr. Boott's, who writes 

 about our " mob " in a way he would not if he were 

 here to see. Look at an English mob urging up their 

 government so that they felt obliged to back up their 

 demands, with a menacing force on our borders ; and 

 making such a peremptory demand as you justly say, 

 " entirely on Wilkes' acting as judge ; " a matter which 

 our government would as promptly concede as yours 

 could ask. 



Seemann l wrote me that the general belief at the 

 clubs and in the City was that our government wanted 

 to get into war with England for an excuse to give up 

 the South. A pretty idea they must have of our wis- 

 dom and discretion ! Dear Boott is firmly convinced 

 that we have all along been trying to quarrel with 



1 Berthold Seemann, 1825-1871 ; editor of the Journal of Botany, 

 British and Foreign, etc., etc. 



