Harmon's journal. 



229 



mitted to others, my more humble employment, 

 in which, however, I am quite as sure of being 

 successful, is to be, the superintendence of the af- 

 fairs of New Caledonia. 



No other people, perhaps, who pursue busi- 

 ness to obtain a livelihood, have so much leisure, as 

 we do. Few of us are employed more, and many 

 of us much less, than one fifth of our time, in trans- 

 acting the business of the Company. The re- 

 maining four fifths *are at our own disposal. If we 

 do not, with such an opportunity, improve our un- 

 derstandings, the fault must be our own ; for there 

 are few posts, which are not tolerably well suppli- 

 ed with books. These books are not, indeed, all 

 of the best kind ; but among them are many which 

 are valuable. If I were deprived of these silent 

 companions, many a gloomy hour would pass over 

 me. Even with them, my spirit at times sinks, 

 when I reflect on the great length of time which 

 has elapsed, since I left the land of my nativity, 

 and my relatives and friends, to dwell in this sav- 

 age country. These gloomy moments, thank God, 

 occur but seldom, and soon glide away. A little 

 reflection reconciles me to the lot, which Provi- 

 dence has assigned me, in the world, 



Saturday, June 12. A Sicauny has just arrived, 

 who states, that a little this side of M c Leod's 

 Lake, where he was encamped with his family, an % 



