CAMBRIDGE—^ JOURNEY IN BRAZIL 117 



together sometimes and decoy Mother in, too, next 

 winter. ... It seems as if there might be a kind of 

 revival of the good drama in Boston with this theatre 

 and the interest private people of a good stamp and 

 good dramatics take in it. To be sure, Monte Cristo 

 does not look like an effort to elevate the public taste, 

 for I suppose it's pure sensation stuff, but still that 

 may improve with time. . . . 



Madame de Chanal's letter interested us both 

 deeply. I hope she is not wholly right about the re- 

 publican party. I don't believe she knows anything 

 personally of the people who make the best strength 

 of the republicans, — the respectable merchant class, 

 the wine dealers, the foremen of factories and such 

 people, — among whom there are men of much steadi- 

 ness and thoughtfulness and honesty of purpose. At 

 least Agassiz thinks so, and yesterday he had a letter 

 from a man with whom he has been in negotiation for 

 an insect collection — a dealer in objects of Natural 

 History in Paris — and he speaks with the greatest 

 hopefulness and says the republic has done more in 

 eight days than the Empire had been able to do in 

 months. I am not sure but that the French will be 

 glad in the end that Prussia did not accept peace on 

 the conditions they offered. The French may yet be 

 able to make peace on their own terms. I must say, 

 if Jules Favre's statement is correct and correctly re- 

 ported, I think the Prussians were very ungenerous 

 or else they purposely offered what it was impossible 

 for France to accept. ... 



