THE WONDERS OF THE SHORE. 41 



however, who have followed it out, especially on the 

 sea-shore, know better. They can tell from expe- 

 rience, that over and above its accessory charms of 

 pure sea-breezes, and wild rambles by cliff and loch, 

 the study itself has had a weighty moral effect upon 

 their hearts and spirits. There are those who can 

 well understand how the good and wise John Ellis, 

 amid all his philanthropic labours for the good of 

 the West Indies, while he was spending his intellect 

 and fortune in introducing into our tropic settle- 

 ments the bread-fruit, the mangosteen, and every 

 plant and seed which he hoped might be useful for 

 medicine, agriculture, and commerce, could yet feel 

 himself justified in devoting large portions of his 

 ever well-spent time to the fighting the battle of 

 the corallines against Parsons and the rest, and even 

 in measuring pens with Linne, the prince of natu- 

 ralists. There are those who can sympathise with 

 the gallant old Scotch officer mentioned by some 

 writer on sea-weeds, who, desperately wounded in 

 the breach at Badajos, and a sharer in all the toils 

 and triumphs of the Peninsular war, could in his 



