516 LETTERS TO DARWIN AND OTHERS. [1863, 



TO CHARLES WRIGHT. 



CAMBRIDGE, September 18, 1863. 



What Don Jose affirms about coast and mountain 

 vegetation being much the same is curious, unlikely, 

 yet you seem to find it so. That bit of coast with all 

 microphyllous and spiny vegetation is also curious. 



I am glad you like him for being an abolitionist. 

 Though not very much of an abolitionist myself, at 

 the start, I hope I can fall in with, and welcome, the 

 ways of Providence, when Providence takes the mat- 

 ter in hand, and say Amen. . . . 



Well, you are doing well in botanizing, and should 

 finish up Cuban botany while you are at it. And on 

 your return, you and Grisebach should join teams, 

 and do up Cuban botany in a full memoir. You are 

 right to stay till next spring. You are happy in 

 Cuba ; you would not be so here. Things in the 

 United States do not go to suit you at all. " Things 

 is working," and in the right way, but the end must 

 be the total suppression of the rebellion, the exile 

 or punishment of rebel leaders, the return of the 

 masses to their duty, and they will put things straight. 

 Just what is now going on in Tennessee will go on 

 elsewhere, I suppose. I know only one man in Cam- 

 bridge that you could talk secesh to. We can corre- 

 spond very well, and keep cool. But if we were to- 

 gether, during the war, we should get into a row at 

 once. It could not be otherwise. . . . 



When the Union is restored (which it is to be, of 

 course, when the rebellion is put down) those who do 

 not love us well enough to resume their duties and 

 privileges have only to take themselves off to some 

 country they like better. The United States of Amer- 

 ica belongs to loyal Americans. After the war the 



