i have not felt at liberty to bring before the public at thus explained what will seem to many a lack of in allowing pages a of social opportunities i drop the et � one can realize more fully than the writer the utter absence of literary la these letters he not nor seek to i iv preface he only asks that his sketches be taken for what they profess and to and for nothing else that they are superficial their title they were hurriedly written with no thought of style nor of enduring all whom they are likely to interest or to reach must already know a in foreign lands especially those which have been once homes of his habitual readers or at least of their ancestors cannot well from writing of what he sees and hears his observations have a value k the eyes of those readers which will be utterly by the public outside of the circle for the habitual readers of hi especially were these letters written and their original purpose hm already been accomplished here they would have rested but for the offer of the to them in a book at their own cost risk and on terms a fair share of any proceeds of their sale to die writer such offers from to authors who have no reputation as book makers are rarely made and even more rarely therefore sir critic whose dog manuscript has from on s drawer to another until its pages are scarcely vi the ample retain all their freshness of hue you are welcome to your revenge your novel may be tedious beyond endurance your a preposterous waste of once valuable but your review is to be widely read and enjoyed my aim in writing these letters was to give a clear and vivid of the districts i traversed and the incidents which came under my to this end i endeavored to see so far as practicable through my own rather than those of others to this end i generally guide even those of the indispensable and relied mainly for and distances on the shilling hand book of that i have been into many and some gross as to noted works art c is quite probable but that i have though hastily indicated the rural aspects agricultural and more obvious social characteristics of the countries i traversed i am nevertheless confident i made a point of my impressions of each day s journey within the succeeding twenty four hours if practicable for i found that even a day s the distinctness of my recollections of the ever varying of hill and and mountain with long level or stretches of woods grain grass c c i trust the picture i have attempted to give of out door life in western europe the workers in its fields and the clusters in its streets will b� recognized by competent judges af correct the opinions with respect to characteristics or will of course appear crude and rash to those who regard them as based exclusively on the few days personal observation in which they may seem to have originated to those who regard them as in some knowledge of history and of the present political and social condition of those nations corrected and modified indeed by the personal observation their and audacity will be somewhat less no one will doubt that in europe have been far better qualified to observe and to judge than i was yet i see and think and am not forbidden to speak we know already how europe appears in the eyes of the learned and wise but if some or were to publish his first impressions of great britain or italy should we utterly refuse to open it because or could give us more accurate information on that identical theme would not the s possess some value as quite i art from their worth or might they not afford some insight into indian modes of thought if none into european modes of life i deeply regret that the general impression made on me by the mm that my estimate of their character and gave offence to their brethren now settled in this country their feeling is a natural creditable one i will not reply to their yet i must let what i wrote in italy of the stand i shall be most happy indeed to confess my mistake whenever it i all have been proved such but i cannot as yet ve il and to those who not on the of such on the of one who was only some few weeks in italy and did not even understand its people language i beg leave to commend a perusal of windows by elizabeth i had not seen it when i wrote and the coincidence of its estimate of the with mine is of course utterly mrs speaks italian and knows the she lived among them throughout the late years she with their sufferings and for their but without shutting her eyes to the faults and grave defects of character which that if they do not render it doubtful to those who will read her brief hut noble poem i need say no more on those who refuse to read it words firom me would be wasted believing that among the most imminent perils of the republican cause in europe is the danger of a premature fruitless in italy i have done what i could to prevent any such catastrophe when liberty shall have been re in france and shall thereupon have in germany the ii oi d � b q vl preface speedily in italy until that time i do not see how it can wisely be even assisted a word of explanation as to the world s fair must close this too long introduction the letters in this volume which refer to the great exhibition of industry were mainly written when the persistent and ment of the british 