PREFACE. IX 



creatures in passive admiration, and pursue my 

 favourite study, — which, to my mind, never palls, — 

 the study of animate and inanimate nature. 



In writing these " Reminiscences," and in sum- 

 ming up the list of the laughing, joyous, and agree- 

 able men who have shared in the merriest scenes 

 of my life, alas, what blanks appear ! What numbers 

 have been swept from the busy scene, who, to all 

 appearance, were as likely to have lived on as the 

 friend who now regrets their loss ! In the wide ac- 

 quaintance I possessed, many an amusing error, of 

 course, has come under my observation ; but with 

 these I shall deal as lightly as possible. In the life- 

 time of those who committed amusing errors, — not 

 serious ones, — I have spoken of them, laughed, and 

 made others laugh ; now that the friends are gone, 

 I Avill remember nothing but their virtues, and 

 only refer to the past when the anecdote, at least, is 

 harmless. 



And now, under no fear of being deemed egotistic, 

 as some readers may wish to be acquainted with the 

 sort of appearance the Author still wears, and his incli- 

 nation and capabilities, I will describe myself. My 

 height, in my shoes, is six feet two ; without my shoes, 

 in the measurement of the Coldstream Guards, it was 

 six feet one and a quarter. For seven-and-twenty 

 years I have never varied in weight more than eight 

 or nine pounds ; my average weight being thirteen 

 stone : and, so to speak, even now, as age advances, 

 I have not an ounce of superfluous flesh about me. 

 Age does advance, though : I see it in the " crow's- 

 foot" on my face ; it is evident by the snows that are 

 falling among my hair ; and, most of all, I feel it in 

 not being able to quit the ground as I used to do, 



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