11 



afterwards performed, unfettered and unassisted by 

 any party whatever. 



Having- been led to travel from a sense of fraternal 

 duty, I would have willingly remained satisfied with 

 simply accomplishing the object of my journey, being 

 aware how recently some individuals of the highest 

 attainments had published works on America, and how 

 ill qualified I am, in some respects, to convey an accu 

 rate impression of a country and people so interesting. 

 But the solicitations of friends induced me to give my 

 opinions to the public, and the result will, perhaps, 

 prove their partiality to have been greater than their 

 discernment. 



Having passed much of my time apart from fashion 

 and politics, the position which I occupied in the 

 world may not have been favourable to an impartial 

 view of all which came under my notice. My acquaint 

 ance with agriculture enabled me, however, to judge 

 of American farming without relying on the opinions 

 of others, and, while listening patiently to much which 

 was told me, I drew conclusions only from what I 

 saw* 



In measuring the advantages of the different parts 

 of the country by the standards of nature, and the 

 reward of agricultural industry by produce, I hope to 

 have departed from custom without having been led 

 into error. Nature is the most general and invariable 

 of agricultural tests. 



