HOME LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE. 333 



over ourselves, and that He who has cut short the thread of life 

 is infinite in mercy, and his compassions fail not. All is 

 mystery, even when the best of us are called to the account ; 

 and where we know so little we must rest in faith and sub- 

 mission. "His way is in the sea, and his paths in the great 

 waters, and his footsteps are not hioivn." These words occurred 

 to me in thinking over this news, and I know not how to write, 

 but to bid you trust in Him who knows the secrets of all hearts, 

 and can best decide on the proper length of days allotted to 

 every separate life. It is impossible to offer comfort, but one 

 may try to lead the thoughts trustfully to the feet of the Cross, 

 to Him who underwent death for every sinner. 



I trust you will at length be able to acknowledge that all 

 that has occurred has been wisely ordered, and that we can 

 neither rebel nor murmur at the doings of Providence. . . . 



If a cry would bring back the dead, there would not be 

 wanting "an exceeding bitter cry," like that of Esau, but we 

 know it won't avail, and therefore it is suppressed. We know 

 our own time draws on, and so we rest more contented, as the 

 world thinks, but often (as we know ourselves) only silenced, 

 " shut up," driven back into ourselves. 



To Dr. Gray. 



Trinity College, May 20th, 1860. 

 I am still in the midst of my huge purchase, which it will 

 take a year or more to put into Herbarium, and, besides, I am 

 preparing Volume II. Flora Capensis to go to printer. The 

 Cuban Ferns must wait over till pressing things be stowed 

 away. 



And now for what you say of the famous theory. I saw in 

 the first few lines, by your using the word " sweeping," what 

 the undercurrent of your thoughts was, and I felt glad that 

 there was one, at least, of my botanical friends whose feet were 

 not quite whipt from under him. I am fully disposed to admit 

 natural selection as a " vera causa " of much change, but not as 

 the " vera causa " of species. I fully admit the impossibility of 

 defining the limits of species, genera, or orders ; but this does 

 not shake my belief in the existence of limits — unseen by our 

 eyes, undefinable by our philosophy. But how many " natural 



