into a fyftematic tram— to (lamp them with the 

 importance of method — or to improve them by 

 more mature obfcrvation, he endeavoured to con- 

 vey, to his friend, a corred and faithful, reprefenta- 

 tion of the feelings impreffed upon his mind, by 

 the novel fcenes around him, whWR he was yet a 

 ilranger, and before habit and familiarity had 

 weakened their efFed:. 



He fears that the frequent repetitions, necef- 

 fary to this mode of communication, will be found 

 to be more tedious, and, in fome inftances, even 

 more muUiplied than a " thrice told tale," but he 

 faw no v/ay of avoiding them, without altering the 

 whole plan of the work, and depriving it of the 

 only merit, which he feels it has any title to clainij 

 viz. that of giving the occurrences, precifely as 

 they paiTed before the eye. He was not engaged 

 in a deliberate voyage of difcovery ; nor did the 

 bufy and anxious duties of his appointment allow 

 him time to devote to purfuits of minute invcftiga- 

 tion. The utrooft he could hope was to catch 

 events as they palT^d, and faithfully to note them, 

 from the impreffion of the fleeting moment : and, 

 if it ihould be objected to him that the remarks 

 are i;iot always of high importance, he v/ould 

 obferve that it is not from great occurrences, 

 alone^ that a correal judgment is formed of men 



