284 WANDERINGS IN 



FOURTH W ere an ornament to the wilds, full of uses and 



JOURNEY. 



virtues, and capable of benefiting the world in a 

 superior degree. 



A man generally travels into foreign countries 

 for his own ends ; and I suspect there is scarcely 

 an instance to be found of a person leaving his 

 own home solely with the intention of benefiting 

 those amongst whom he is about to travel. A 

 commercial speculation, curiosity, a wish for 

 information, a desire to reap benefit from an 

 acquaintance with our distant fellow-creatures, are 

 the general inducements for a man to leave his 

 own fire-side. This ought never to be forgotten ; 

 and then the traveller will journey on under the 

 persuasion that it rather becomes him to court 

 than expect to be courted, as his own interest is 

 the chief object of his travels. With this in view, 

 he will always render himself pleasant to the 

 natives ; and they are sure to repay his little acts 

 of courtesy with ample interest, and with a fund 

 of information which will be of great service to 

 him. 



While in the United States, I found our 

 western brother a very pleasant fellow ; but his 

 portrait has been drawn in such different shades, 

 by different travellers who have been through 

 his territory, that it requires a personal inter- 

 view before a correct idea can be formed of his 

 true colours. He is very inquisitive ; but it is 

 quite wrong on that account to tax him with 



