HOME LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE. 239 



pending struggle with the powers of evil, from which struggle 



you also can hardly be free. 



We have been reading " Uncle Tom's Cabin." 



God speed the day when the light of truth shall break all 



fetters from the mind and body, and poor humanity walk erect 



without spancel or handcuff ! 



To Mrs. Gray. 



Plassey, July, 1852. 



" I likes small scraps of paper to write on, 'cause 'pears 

 kinder easier to fill 'em." Dr. Hooker and I are up to mischief. 

 We are off for Switzerland. There's a run! Probably not 

 back till the end of September. I want to be more familiar 

 with glaciers, having occasionally to lecture about them, &c. I 

 go on Monday to Dublin, en route for London. Don't you envy 

 us ? It is very naughty of me, for the Smithsonian letter-press 

 is not finished. But as Topsy says — " I knows J.'s wicked ; heaps 

 wickeder than other folks." I suppose Mrs. T. will write you 

 her opinion of " Uncle Tom." I think I heard her say that it 

 ought to be printed in letters of gold, and every one compelled 

 to read it, or something to that effect. It is now in a very 

 dilapidated state, from much reading. It has been printed in 

 England, but in bad type, and so the American edition is in 

 greater favour. 



I have finished " Hungary," and have been much interested. I 

 always disliked Austrians from the days of Coeur de Lion, but 

 now more than ever. How can heaven and earth (the latter 

 particularly) endure such tyranny from year to year? and it 

 seems now fastened again on Europe by a renewal of lease since 

 1848. The French seem particularly pleased with the present 

 regime, and while that is the case, no hope for Germany or 

 Italy. We dare not interfere, much as we may individually 

 sympathize with the cause of freedom in Europe, not only 

 because of our debts — that is the least reason — but for fear 

 of the Irish Roman Catholics. They are our difficulty as much 

 as Blacky is yours. We both suffer under the effects of early 

 injustice and wrong, and are eating the sour grapes that our 

 fathers have planted. Well, fortunately, my paper is small, or 

 I might run on to no good purpose. 



