“Le voyager me semble un exercise profitable: l'ame y a une continuelle ex-
ercitation, à remarquer les choses incognües et nouvelles ; et je ne sçache pas
meilleure escole à façonner la vie que de luy proposer incessamment la diversité
de tant d'autres fantasies et usances, et luy faire gouter une si perpetuelle varieté
de formes de nostre nature."-Essais de Montaigne, liv. 3, chap. ix.

RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
Publisher in Ordinary to Der Majesty.

1839.

174:

DEDICATION

TO

THE QU E E N.

MADAM,

It is with mingled feelings of anxiety and gratitude that I avail myself of Your Majesty's gracious permission to inscribe to you the following Narrative. It pretends to no other merit than that of truth; and its most ambitious object will be obtained, if it be found to afford any useful or interesting information, and thus to beguile a leisure hour stolen from Your Majesty's more grave and weighty occupations.

It has been customary to clothe a dedication in the language of panegyric: I will not presume to follow the tempting precedent. Your Majesty's qualities will be attested by an Empire, and be recorded by History. Nevertheless, I trust I may