PREFACE. V 



manners of the respective species. If we contem- 

 plate a painting or piece of sculpture, it pleases the 

 eye and commands our attention, but it requires time 

 to discover all its perfections — we only admire ac- 

 cording to the extent of our knowledge of the sub- 

 ject ; — so on viewing a map, those places interest us 

 the most that we have visited, or where some peculiar 

 circumstance has occurred, to impress the recollection 

 on our minds, in a pleasing or a painful way. — Thus 

 it is, with all other objects around us : a portrait of a 

 departed friend whom we loved, or an individual whom 

 we knew or respected, creates a more lively emotion 

 than that of a total stranger, though he be celebrated 

 in the annals of history. In all branches of human 

 knowledge each individual sees with a different eye, 

 and judges with a different mind, according to his 

 knowledge of the subject, or the powers of his dis- 

 crimination. 



