DEDICATION. 
Tour to Iceland , first gave that pen the 
opportunity of being employed; the other, 
because it is chiefly in obedience to your ad¬ 
vice that I now lay before the public what 
was originally written for the perusal only 
of my personal friends. Theise friends h'ave> 
indeed, done me the kindness to receive 
this book in a manner the most gratifying 
to me; but the partiality of friends is pro¬ 
verbial, and in the public I must expect 
to meet with less favorable judges: the ap¬ 
prehension, therefore, which I cannot but 
feel of their criticism at my first appearance 
before them, makes me desirous to shield 
myself under the authority of a man, to 
whose judgment they are accustomed to pay 
the same deference that I do. As a farther 
reason for the change of my intention, I 
must be allowed to alledge the circum¬ 
stance, that I found my own withholding 
this book would not prevent its actual pub¬ 
lication ; different parts of it having already 
appeared in periodical works, which have 
announced their intention of continuing si¬ 
milar extracts; and I consequently consi¬ 
dered it more respectful to the public, if 
