234 



WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



A man generally travels into foreign countries for his 

 own ends ; and T 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 tra- 

 vellers who have been through his territory, that it 

 requires a personal interview 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 

 being of an impertinent turn. He merely interrogates 

 you for information ; and when you have satisfied him 

 on that score, only ask him in your turn for an account 

 of what is going on in his own country, and he will tell 

 you everything about it with great good humour, and 

 in excellent language. He has certainly hit upon the 

 way (but I could not make out by what means) of 

 speaking a much purer English language than that 

 which is in general spoken on the parent soil. This 



