Afghanistan and the Anglo-Russian Dispute

Afloat and Ashore

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Title: Afloat And Ashore
Author: James Fenimore Cooper
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
A SEA TALE
BY
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER

"Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits." Two Gentlemen of
Verona
PREFACE.
The writer has published so much truth which the world has insisted
was fiction, and so much fiction which has been received as truth, that,
in the present instance, he is resolved to say nothing on the subject.
Each of his readers is at liberty to believe just as much, or as little, of
the matter here laid before him, or her, as may suit his, or her notions,
prejudices, knowledge of the world, or ignorance. If anybody is
disposed to swear he knows precisely where Clawbonny is, that he was
well acquainted with old Mr. Hardinge, nay, has often heard him
preach--let him make his affidavit, in welcome. Should he get a little
wide of the mark, it will not be the first document of that nature, which
has possessed the same weakness.
It is possible that certain captious persons may be disposed to inquire
into the _cui borio?_ of such a book. The answer is this. Everything
which can convey to the human mind distinct and accurate impressions
of events, social facts, professional peculiarities, or past history,
whether of the higher or more familiar character, is of use. All that is
necessary is, that the pictures should be true to nature, if not absolutely
drawn from living sitters. The knowledge we gain by our looser reading,

often becomes serviceable in modes and manners little anticipated in
the moments when it is acquired.
Perhaps the greater portion of all our peculiar opinions have their
foundation in prejudices. These prejudices are produced in consequence
of its being out of the power of any one man to see, or know, every
thing. The most favoured mortal must receive far more than half of all
that he learns on his faith in others; and it may aid those who can never
be placed in positions to judge for themselves of certain phases of men
and things, to get pictures of the same, drawn in a way to give them
nearer views than they might otherwise obtain. This is the greatest
benefit of all light literature in general, it being possible to render that
which is purely fictitious even more useful than that which is strictly
true, by avoiding extravagancies, by pourtraying with fidelity, and, as
our friend Marble might say, by "generalizing" with discretion.
This country has undergone many important changes since the
commencement of the present century. Some of these changes have
been for the better; others, we think out of all question, for the worse.
The last is a fact that can be known to the generation which is coming
into life, by report only, and these pages may possibly throw some little
light on both points, in representing things as they were. The
population of the republic is probably something more than eighteen
millions and a half to-day; in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred, it was but a little more than five millions. In 1800, the
population of New-York was somewhat less than six hundred thousand
souls; to-day it is probably a little less than two millions seven hundred
thousand souls. In 1800, the town of New-York had sixty thousand
inhabitants, whereas, including Brooklyn and Williamsburg, which
then virtually had no existence, it must have at this moment quite four
hundred thousand. These are prodigious numerical changes, that have
produced changes of another sort. Although an increase of numbers
does not