evidence: The Brahmins could see their power and influence waning. Boston had long ago ceded its dominance in trade to New York, with the hub of culture and communications to follow. "As Brahmins ceased to be the undisputed arbiters of the public good," wrote one historian, "they became less confident of the Americanization of the newcomers." Henry Adams, grandson and great-grandson of presidents, advised his brother to start writing their epitaphs, for the more he witnessed "the formation of the new society, I am more and more impressed with my own helplessness to deal with it." The intellectual arguments of the Brahmins carried progressively less weight, especially regarding immigration. Francis Walker noted: