2 



gratification from pursuits, unworthy, from their frivolity, or from 

 their vicious tendencies, to be adopted by a being, endowed with 

 reason. 



I have lived long enough, to have repeatedly witnessed similar 

 terminations of the dreams of happiness, which have deluded those 

 men of the world, who, intent only on the acquisition of money, 

 have supplied their minds with so little information, that they pos- 

 sessed not the means of using, as a blessing, the hardly earned 

 wages of a life of care* 



Influenced by these observations, and aware of the necessity of 

 obtaining such resources, I have always allotted a small portion of 

 my time to-, such : pursuits, as have, at least, excited a disposition 

 to scientific research,, and an enthusiastic admiration of the beauties 

 of nature. With my mind thus furnished, I have ventured to avail 

 myself of the opportunity, which my little fortune affords me; and 

 have, I trust, quitted the busy part of the world for ever. 



In pursuance of a plan, on which I had long determined, of visit- 

 ing the most interesting parts of this island, I quitted London, last 

 week, with my daughter, accompanied by our old friend WILTON, 

 whose lively manners, as you well know, render him an excellent 

 companion. But he has made himself highly estimable to us on 

 another account ; his resolute scepticism, with respect to the more 

 rational, and his submissive credulity, as to the more popular ex- 

 planations of such natural phenomena, as are beyond the reach of 

 his understanding, are frequently productive of remarks, so full of 

 quaintness and of humour, as to render them, in the highest degree, 

 amusing. 



Our first day's journey was not completed, before I discovered, that 

 the little knowledge, which I had obtained, was insufficient to enable 

 me to form, even a conjecture, respecting the origin of the very first 

 object, which particularly attracted our attention. We were within 

 about ten or twelve miles of Oxford, when WILTON, looking out of 



