PREFACE. 



THE whole use of a Preface seems to be, either to elucidate 

 the nature and origin of the work, or to invoke the clemency of 

 the Reader. Such observations as have been thought necessary for 

 the former, will be found in the Introduction ; extremely solicitous 

 to obtain the latter, I beg leave to relate the following anecdote. 



In one of my late visits to a friend's in the country, I found their 

 youngest son, a fine boy of eight or nine years of age, who usually 

 resides in town for his education, just returning from a ramble thro 

 the neighbouring woods and fields, where he had collected a large 

 and very handsome bunch of wild flowers, of a great many differ- 

 ent colors ; and presenting them to his mother, said, with much 

 animation in his countenance, " Look my dear 'ma, what beautiful 

 flowers I have found growing on our place! Why all the woods 

 " are full of them ! red, orange, blue, and 'most every color. O I 

 " can gather you a whole parcel of them, much handsomer than 

 " these, all growing in our own woods ! Shall I 'ma.^^ Shall I go 

 " and bring you more ?" The good woman received the bunch 

 of flowers with a smile of affectionate complacency; and after ad- 



