PREFACE TO THE THIRTY-SEVENTH VOLUME

Summary

ARRIVED in Port from our Thirty Seventh Cruise, we have now to present our Mensals, in which it will be seen that we have kept a good Lookout—have made some valuable Captures—and are fairly entitled to Head-money. Nor let it be said that we do not bear the King's flag, because we sometimes remonstrate to his Ministers, with the bluntness of a Seaman, who if he tells them they are wrong, it is because he thinks that they are wrong, and not because he wishes to change places with any of them. If experience has made us wise, why should we be niggardly of our knowledge, when we think it is wanted.—The Seaman has now nothing to do but to smoke his pipe, and, in a cloud of odoriferous vapour, puff out the wisdom of past experience, and present, practical suggestion—and the excuse for his occasional boldness should be found in the honesty of his intentions. But laying aside our metaphor, which, like all false-colours, cannot be long held out with consistency, let us now review the contents of our Thirty Seventh Volume, in order to ascertain, at least by the scale of our own judgments, the virtual, intrinsic value of that which we now respectfully offer to an enlightened and discerning Public.