PREFACE. IT is customary for a gentleman to enter a room with a bow, and for a book to be ushered into the world by a preface: fortunately, it is not necessary that the bow should be very profound, nor the preface very long in fact, in the latter case, the quality is pretty generally esteemed in the inverse ratio of the length a happy circumstance for one, who like the Author of the following pages, has little of an introductory nature to say; who has, in fact, only to express a hope, that even should his efforts to amuse prove unsuccessful, they may be viewed with a lenient eye. He is fully aware of the danger he incurs of being charged with presumption, in offering to the public what may be deemed not worth acceptance. He can only plead in extenuation, that the letters were not, originally, intended for the pages of a book, and that since that destination has been assigned them, for reasons which it is not necessary to intrude upon the public, they have received such revision as he could give them. In some instances, considerable additions have been made in the way of filling up sketches in the original letters, and in others, a good deal has been expunged. His greatest difficulty has been to condense what was originally written without restraint, into the moderate-sized volume, which he was anxious not to exceed in this, as in many other points, he has not succeeded to the extent he wished, but he has done the best he could. His hope is, (though he dare not enter into competition with Autolycus, in the Winter's Tale, who had "songs for man and woman of all sizes,") that there may be variety enough to beguile the reader, and that the lively and the grave may each find something to their taste. He concludes in the words of Byron, "What is writ is writ, Would that it were worthier. N.B. The Author particularly requests that the reader will be good enough to correct with his pen the typographical errors, of which a list is given below, which he concludes he must have overlooked in correcting the press, in consequence of their occurring in familiar passages which passed muster without due examination. Page 3, line 7, for vocare, read vocavi. 27, in note, for Physalido, read Physalida; and for Acalepho, read Acalephiæ 64 56, line 6, for that's, read that is. "168, last line but one, for aliquæ, read aliquid. "193, line 11, for recant, read ruant. "303,"12, for antem, read autem ix. CONTENTS. LETTER I. Embarkation Stowing away-Tropical Evening-Tropical Night LETTER II. "This a breakfast!"-Steam to Plymouth-The Sound-Parting LETTER III. En route for the fancy-fair-Characters and incidents-Mount terfly. The Launch of the George-"Call a boat, and let a boat be called" The Eddystone light-house-The Break water-The Diving-bell- The Dock-yard-Naval and Military Hospitals-Victualling-yard Trip to Tavistock-A coasting voyage--The Sound-The calm- "Margaret's Cove "-A Smuggler's tale-" Dirty weather "- Salcombe in a thunder storm-A bandit adventure in Switzer. Berry-head-Goose-taking in the Orkneys-Fishing vessels-Tor- Early rising-Church-yards-Doctors superfluities, if not worse. Drive to Teignmouth-The wise-woman, a tale. |