528 LETTERS TO DARWIN AND OTHERS. [1865, 
Nearly all the little I possess is cheerfully put into 
United States government stocks, where I am well 
content it should be. 
Small countries, which you prefer, would do very 
well if all were small, but the few large, like England 
and France, will domineer unpleasantly over the 
smaller. Just look now at poor Denmark, which has 
the misfortune to be small, and so is made to suffer! 
All Seandinavia had best combine, and build up a 
strong nation. Natural selection is hard upon the 
weak! However it may be in Europe, you must ex- 
cuse us for endeavoring to prevent, while we may, 
even at great cost, the establishment of a European 
system on this side of the Atlantic; so we must not 
fail to put down the Confederacy. We shall, after 
that, in a quiet way, make the French emperor very 
uncomfortable in Mexico; but we hope that country 
may yet be a strong power, but not a French power. 
Enough of politics! And believe me to be, with 
affectionate regard, Ever yours, Asa GRay. 
CAMBRIDGE, January 30, 1865. 
My pear De CanpoLie: . . . This very day, I 
have received your envoi by post of the neat little 
article on leaves of Fagus, which I had seen in Eng- 
lish dress, and the copy of Heer’s address. Many 
thanks to you. I have received also, and thank you 
much for it, the ‘‘ Prodromus,” XIV., I. I have this 
evening read over Heer’s address. It is, as you say, 
capital. It interests me in its proof of the antiquity 
of the present flora; and I admit that he very neatly 
puts the case between his view of the production of 
our species out of the older ones, and that of Darwin. 
Here it still rests: Darwin has the great advantage of 
