PREFACE. 



I WAS considering how to excuse myself for wiitiiig a 

 book, when my eye fell upon an o!d edition of Lord Bacon's 

 works, of which the il lust rated title-page suggests au 

 excellent apology for nautical authors. It represents a 

 ship sailing into port ; and under it is this Scripture te.\t 

 tQ Latin, " Many sliall run to and fro, and kitowledi/e f^hail 

 he increased J' Certain it is that " they that go down 

 to the sea in ships, and occupy tlieir business m great 

 waters, these men see the works of the Lord, and hia 

 wonders in the deep." I believe that the profession, to 

 \\ liicli I have the honour to belong, ka^ increased uscfiil 

 knowledge more than all other professions, and that it 

 may still do ao. Let sailors simply tell wliat they have 

 ^een and can testJfy ; each storing up Ids share of 

 authentic information when he finds himself 



" Wbcrc things liimiUai' «atsc, and fttnmgc begin," 



and none such need apologise for the books they write* 



RAFFLES UBRARV 



