SOUTH AMERICA. 
225 
grace to the present age, and renders hideous every 
specimen in every museum that I have as yet visited. 
I intended to have given three lectures; one on 
insects and serpents; one on birds; and one on 
quadrupeds. But as it will be shortly seen, this 
little plan was doomed not to be unfolded to public 
view. Illiberality blasted it in the bud. 
We had a pleasant passage across the Atlantic, 
and arrived in the Mersey in tine trim and good 
spirits. Great was the attention I received from the 
commander of the Dee. He and his mate, Mr. 
Spence, took every care of my collection. 
On our landing, the gentlemen of the Liverpool 
Custom-house received me as an old friend and ac¬ 
quaintance, and obligingly offered their services. 
Twice before had I landed in Liverpool, and twice 
had I reason to admire their conduct and liberality. 
They knew I was incapable of trying to introduce 
any thing contraband, and they were aware that I 
never dreamed of turning to profit the specimens I 
had procured. They considered that I had left a 
comfortable home in quest of science; and that I 
had wandered into far-distant climes, and gone bare¬ 
footed, ill clothed, and ill fed, through swamps and 
woods, to procure specimens, some of which had 
never been seen in Europe. They considered that 
it would be difficult to fix a price upon specimens 
which had never been bought or sold, and which 
never were to be, as they were intended to ornament 
my own house. It was hard, they said, to have 
exposed myself, for years, to danger, and then be 
Q 
THIRD 
JOURNEY. 
Arrives at 
Liver¬ 
pool. 
