20 THE CRATER; erma, and Genoa to Florence. While it would be folly to pretend that Mark, in his situation, obtained the most ac curate notions imaginable of all he saw and heard, in his visits to Amsterdam, London, Cadiz, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Leghorn, Gibraltar, and two or three other ports that might be mentioned and to which he went, he did glean a good deal, some of which was useful to him in after-life. He lost no small portion of the provincial rust of home, more over, arid began to understand the vast difference between " seeing the world" and " going to meeting and going to mill."* In addition to these advantages, Mark was trans ferred from the forecastle to the cabin before the ship sailed for Canton. The practice of near two years had made him a very tolerable sailor, and his previous educa tion made the study of navigation easy to him. In that day there was a scarcity of officers in America, and a young man of Mark s advantages, physical and moral, was certain to get on rapidly, provided he only behaved well. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that our young sailor got to be the second-mate of the Rancocus before he had quite completed his eighteenth year. The voyage from London to Canton, and thence home to Philadelphia, consumed about ten months. The Rancocus was a fast vessel, but she could not impart her speed to the Chinamen. It followed that Mark wanted but a few weeks of being nineteen years old the day his ship passed Cape May, and, what was more, he had the promise of Captain Crutchely, of sailing with him, as his first officer, in the next voyage. With that promise in his mind, Mark hastened up the river to Bristol, as soon as he was clear of the vessel.
- This last phrase has often caused the writer to smile, when
he has heard a countryman say, with a satisfied air, as is so often the cast! in this good republic, that "such or such a thing here is good enough for me ;" meaning that he questions if there be any thing of the sort that is better anywhere else. It was uttered many years since, by a shrewd Quaker, in West-Chester, who was contending with a neighbour on a subject that the other endea voured 10 defend l-y alluding to the extent of his own observation. " Oh, yes, Josy," answered the Friend, " thee s been to meeting and thee ? s lieen to mill, and thee knows all about it!" America is full of travellers who have been to meeting and who have been to mill. This it is which makes it unnecessarily provincial.
