Excerpt from Two Years and a Half in the American Navy, Vol. 1 of 2: Comprising a Journal of a Cruise to England, in the Mediterranean, and in the Levant, on Board of the U. S. Frigate Constellation, in the Years 1829, 1830, and 1831 IT shall be my endeavour not to exhaust my read er's patience in the Preface, however heavily I may draw upon it in the work itself. It is so much the fashion now-a - days for writers of travels to apologise for their productions, by stating that they are less the result of volition, than a sort of irresistible inspiration, breathed into their spirits by the genii loci of the spots they have visited, that I should not, probably, be be lieved, if I should say that I joined the' Constellation without any intention of sporting my pen for the edifi cation of the public. As I do not wish to make my first - and probably my last - appearance before the world in the character of an author with an assertion at the outset that would occasion my veracity to be called in question, I shall make no such declaration albeit I might do it in good faith. My object, then, - to dash at once in medias res, ln applying for my situation, was twofold - the acqui sitiou of the languages of the South of Europe, and the sight of those glorious regions where Genius wan toned in her young and vernal hour. Being somewhat fond of scribbling, I inundated my friends with let ters, of which I was foolish enough to retain Copies, and kept, besides, a copious journal of notes and ob servations for my own improvement and diversion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.