HUNTING. 171 



taught you to prize and cherish the priceless 

 creature which God has generously sent for 

 our enjoyment and our use, I shall cheerfully 

 lay aside my pen, happy in the conviction that 

 I have not written in vain. 



Yet, shall I say in the song- words, 



** Au revoir. Pas adieu ! " 



for we meet again, I trust, soon and often ; 

 but the subject upon which I have been 

 writing has come to an end. 



Whilst acknowledging the kindness of my 

 friends, I would desire also to shake hands 

 with my enemies. Life is short, and so it 

 behoves us to bear no malice. To those who 

 have unkindly criticised me I offer freely a 

 forgiving hand and heart. I have never 

 wilfally offended any, and if my efforts have 

 not come quite up to the standard of excel- 

 lence which certain captious critics have set 

 up, I have at east done my best, and have 

 been careful, in propounding theories which 

 might appear new and uncommon, to state 

 that such things were according to my notions, 

 in which, however, I did not expect all persons^ 



