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Show iv P R E f A C E. ·y Oi k ; he aftcr~v.1rds paflc.l into the Can ad as, dd1rous of ol r.:ininr; equal infonnation as to the fiatc of thofc prov: ncc., and of dctcrn1ining frorn his own ir11n1cdiatc obfcr- ' .ttions, ho\v far the prcfcnt condition of the inhabitants of · t!1c Britifh don1inions in An1crica 111ight be inferior, or otherwif~:, to that of the people of the States, who had now jnJccd thrown off the yol c, but were forn1erly con1mon tncmbers of the fune cxtcnuvc en1pirc. WHEN abroad, he had not the rnoft diftant intention of pub1iibing his travels; but finding on his return ho111e, that tnuch of the n1atter contained in the following letters \vas quit~ ncvv to .his friends, and being induced to think that it n1ight prove C<Jually nc\v, and not wholly unacceptable to the Public, he can1c to the refolution of con1tnitting thcn1 to print: accordingly the prcfent volun1c is novv OJTcrcd to the wotld, in an hutnblc hope, that if not cntcrt' 1ini~1~ to a11 readers, it will at lcafl: be fo to fomc, as well ~~s u[i ful to future travellers. IF it fh~ll appear to any one, that he has fpokcn v;ith too tnuch af1 erity of An1crjcan n1cn and Atnerican tnanners) the f~ H thor be~<) that fuch lang1wge 111ay not be afc ibed to hafty P R E F A C E. v haf1 y prejudice, and a blind partiality for every thing that is European. lie crofied the Atlantic firongly prcpofi~ilcd in E1vour of the people aJH.l the country, \vhich he vvas about to vtfit; and if he returned with fentitncnts of a different tendency, they refultcd folcly frotn a cool and difpafiionatc obfcrvation of v1hat chance prcfcntcd. to his view v-rhcn abroad. AN entlndiaftic adn1ircr of the beauties of nature, the fccncry of the countries through ""hich he paHcd did not fail to at traer a great part of his attention; and intcrfpcrfcd through the bool· \vill be found views of \Vhat he thought \Vottld be rnofl intcrefting to his readers : they arc \vhat he hitnfclf !kctchcd upon the fpot, that of Mount v~rnon, the Scat of General vVa{hington, indeed, cxccptccl, for vvhich he is indebted to an ingenious fricn l that h~ n1ct in An1crica, and the View of Dcthl~hcn1. lie has tnany tnorc views in his poill:lJion ; but he thought it better to furni{h his Publi.fhcr wiLh a few only, in hopes that the engraving fron1 thcn1 \vould be well executed, rather than \Vith a great n1any, \Vhich, had they been given, Jnufl: either h1vc been in a flylc llll\'Otthy of the public (y~-.·, <,r L·H~ have f\Vtllecl the rv<c v of the V')llln1C bcyo~H.i the reach of n1any |
