The Attache; Or, Sam Slick In England(Fiscle Part-3) - Thomas Chandler Haliburton (reading well txt) 📗

The Beginning

Instead Of The End Of The Book,  And Denominating Our

Parting Words Introductory Remarks.

 

The Result Of Our Arrangement Is,  That Nobody Reads It.

The Public Do Not Want To Hear An Apology Or Explanation,

Until It First Ascertains,  Whether The One Can Be Accepted,

Or The Other Is Required. This Contemptuous Neglect

Arises From Two Causes,  First Because It Is Out Of Place,

And Secondly Because It Too Often Contains A Great Deal

Of Twaddle. Unfortunately,  One Half Of What Is Said In

This World Is Unmeaning Compliment. A Man Who Wishes To

Mark His Respect For You,  Among Other Inconvenient Methods

Of Shewing It,  Offers To Accompany You To The Hall. You

Are In Consequence Arrested In Your Progress. You Are

Compelled To Turn On Your Pursuer,  And Entreat Him Not

To Come To The Door. After A Good Deal Of Lost Time He

Is Prevailed Upon To Return. This Is Not Fair. Every Man

Should Be Suffered To Depart In Peace.

 

Now,  It Is My Intention To Adopt The Irish Definition.

The Word Preface Is A Misnomer. What I Have To Say I

Shall Put Into My Last Chapter,  And Assign To It Its

Proper Place. I Shall Also Adopt Another Improvement,  On

The Usual Practice. I Shall Make It As Short As Possible,

Volume 2 Chapter 15 (The Irish Preface) Pg 188

And Speak To The Point.

 

My Intention Then,  Gentle Reader,  Was When I Commenced

This Work,  To Write But One Volume,  And At Some Future

Time To Publish A Second. The Materials,  However,  Were

So Abundant,  That Selection Became Very Difficult,  And

Compression Much More So. To Touch As Many Topics As I

Designed,  I Was Compelled To Extend It To Its Present

Size,  And I Still Feel That The Work Is Only Half Done.

Whether I Shall Ever Be Able To Supply This Deficiency

I Cannot Say. I Do Not Doubt Your Kind Reception; I Have

Experienced Too Much Indulgence And Favour At Your Hands,

To Suppose That You Will Withdraw It From One Whom You

Have Honoured With Repeated Marks Of Approbation; But I

Entertain Some Fears That I Shall Not Be Able To Obtain

The Time That Is Necessary For Its Completion,  And That

If I Can Command The Leisure,  My Health Will Insist On

A Prior Claim To Its Disposal.

 

If,  However,  I Shall Be Enabled So To Do,  It Is My

Intention,  Hereafter To Add Another Series Of The Sayings

And Doings Of The Attache,  So As To Make The Work As

Complete As Possible.

 

I Am Quite Confident It Is Not Necessary To Add,  That

The Sentiments Uttered By Mr. Slick,  Are Not Designed

Either As An Expression Of Those Of The Author,  Or Of

The Americans Who Visit This Country. With Respect To

Myself No Disavowal Is Necessary; But I Feel It Due To

My American Friends,  For Whose Kindness I Can Never Be

Sufficiently Grateful,  And Whose Good Opinion I Value

Too Highly To Jeopardise It By Any Misapprehension,  To

State Distinctly,  That I Have Not The Most Remote Idea

Of Putting Mr. Slick Forward,  As A Representative Of Any

Opinions,  But His Own Individual Ones. They Are Peculiar

To Himself. They Naturally Result From His

Shrewdness--Knowledge Of Human Nature--Quickness Of

Perception And Appreciation Of The Ridiculous On The One

Hand; And On The Other From His Defective Education,

Ignorance Of The Usages Of Society,  And Sudden Elevation,

From The Lower Walks Of Life,  To A Station For Which He

Was Wholly Unqualified.

 

I Have Endeavoured,  As Far As It Was Possible,  In A Work

Of This Kind,  To Avoid All Personal Allusions To _Private_

Persons,  Or In Any Way To Refer To Scenes That May He

Supposed To Have Such A Hearing. Should Any One Imagine

That He Can Trace Any Resemblance,  To Any Private Occurrence

I Can Only Assure Him That Such Resemblance Is Quite

Accidental.

 

On The Other Hand,  I Have Lost No Opportunity Of Inculcating

What I Conceive To Be Good Sound Constitutional Doctrines.

Loyal Myself,  A Great Admirer Of The Monarchical Form Of

Volume 2 Chapter 15 (The Irish Preface) Pg 189

Government; Attached To British Institutions,  And A

Devoted Advocate For The Permanent Connexion Between The

Parent State,  And Its Transatlantic Possessions,  I Have

Not Hesitated To Give Utterance To These Opinions. Born

A Colonist,  It Is Natural I Should Have The Feelings Of

One,  And If I Have Obtruded Local Matters On The Notice

Of The Reader Oftener Than May Be Thought Necessary,  It

Must Be Remembered That An Inhabitant Of Those Distant

Countries Has Seldom An Opportunity Of Being Heard. I

Should Feel,  Therefore,  If I Were To Pass Over In Silence

Our Claims Or Our Interests,  I Was Affording The Best

Justification For That Neglect,  Which For The Last Half

Century,  Has Cramped Our Energies,  Paralized Our Efforts,

And Discouraged And Disheartened Ourselves. England Is

Liberal In Concessions,  And Munificent In Her Pecuniary

Grants To Us; But Is So Much Engrossed With Domestic

Politics,  That She Will Bestow Upon Us Neither Time Nor

Consideration.

 

It Has Been My Object,  Therefore,  To Convey To The Public

Some Important Truths,  Under A Humorous Cover,  Which,

Without The Amusement Afforded By The Wrapper Would Never

Be Even Looked At.

 

This Portion Of The Work Requires No Apology. To Do As

I Have Done,  Is A Duty Incumbent On Any Person Who Has

The Means Of Doing Good,  Afforded Him By Such An Extensive

Circulation Of His Works,  As I Have Been Honoured With.

 

I Have Already Expressed Some Doubts Whether I Shall Be

Enabled To Furnish A Second Series Of This Work Or Not.

In This Uncertainty,  I Will Not Omit This,  Perhaps My

Only Opportunity,  Of Making My Most Grateful

Acknowledgments,  For The Very Great Measure Of Indulgence

I Have Received,  From The Public On Both Sides Of The

Atlantic,  And Of Expressing A Hope That Mr. Slick,  Who

Has Been So Popular As A Clockmaker May Prove Himself

Equally Deserving Of Favour As "An Attache."

 

I Have The Honour To Subscribe Myself,

 

Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

The Author.

 

London,  July 1st.,  1843.

Imprint

Publication Date: 05-16-2014

All Rights Reserved