TO THE Venerable Society FOR Promoting Christian Knowledge, by whose CONSTANT, JUDICIOUS, AND BENEVOLENT EXERTIONS, RELIGION HAS BEEN DISSEMINATED, MORALITY PROMOTED, EDUCATION ESTABLISHED AND DISTRESS ALLEVIATED, ΤΟ ΑΝ IMPORTANT EXTENT, AMONGST THE INHABITANTS OF SCILLY; PREFACE. WHEN I first turned my thoughts towards the composition of the Work which is now submitted to the Public, I had no idea of the task in which I have found myself engaged in its progress. My chief object was to furnish a brief description of the present appearance and state of the Scilly Islands, and thus to contribute to the information of a few Friends, who were kindly anxious to know what means of improvement or amusement I might find in this remote corner of the Empire. It had, indeed, been suggested to me, before I left England, that a faithful account of these Islands had long been a desideratum, and could scarcely fail to meet success; but I am too well versed in literary history to imagine that success is an invariable attendant even on works of much higher claims than are here advanced. "The race," says the Wise Man, "is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill." Having been repeatedly solicited, however, as well by several Gentlemen of Scilly, as by letters from some to whose desires I owe respectful attention, to undertake this task, I have endeavoured, in the best manner in my power, to comply with their requests. It will be observed that this work accomplishes much more than its title promises; yet I have retained the designation which I originally adopted, both because it is strictly applicable to the greater part of the book, and that other names which might have been thought more expressive of the nature of the publication, had been selected by preceding writers;-of a few of whom it is now necessary to take some notice, which may apologize for the appearance of the following sheets. Of the various authors who have treated of the Scilly Islands, Heath and Troutbeck alone appear to have enjoyed the advantage |