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pursuits, unworthy, from their frivolity, or from their vicious ten- 
dencies, to be adopted by a being, endowed with reason. 
I have lived long enough, to have repeatedly witnessed many such 
terminations of the dreams of happiness, which have disappointed 
those men of the world, who, intent only on the acquisition of money, 
have supplied their minds with so little information, that they pos- 
sessed not the means of using, as a blessing, the hardly-earned wages 
of a life of care. 
Influenced by these observations, and aware of the necessity of 
obtaining such resources, I have always allotted a small portion of 
my time to such pursuits, as have, at least, excited a disposition to 
scientific research, and an enthusiastic admiration of the beauties 
of nature. With my mind thus furnished, I have ventured to avail 
myself of the opportunity, which my little fortune affords me, and 
have, I trust, quitted the busy part of the world for ever. 
In pursuance of a plan, on which I had long determined, of visiting 
the most interesting parts of this island, I quitted London, last week, 
with my daughter, accompanied by our old friend Wilton, whose 
lively manners, as you well know, render him an excellent companion. 
But he has made himself highly estimable to us on another account ; 
his resolute scepticism, with respect to the more rational, and his 
submissive credulity, as to the more popular explanations of such 
natural phenomena, as are beyond the reach of his understanding, 
are frequently productive of remarks, so full of quaintness and of 
humour, as to render them, in the highest degree, amusing. 
Our first day’s journey was not completed, before I discovered, how 
insufficient the little knowledge was which I possessed. I was unable 
even to form a conjecture, respecting the nature of the very first 
object which particularly attracted om* attention. We were within 
about four or five miles of Oxford, when Wilton, looking out of 
the window of the chaise, exclaimed, “ Well, I never saw roads 
mended with such materials as these before !” This, of course, drew 
