Afloat and Ashore: A Sea Tale Read online

  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 wasfiction, and so much fiction which has been received as truth, that, inthe present instance, he is resolved to say nothing on the subject. Eachof 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 hernotions, prejudices, knowledge of the world, or ignorance. If anybodyis disposed to swear he knows precisely where Clawbonny is, that hewas well acquainted with old Mr. Hardinge, nay, has often heard himpreach--let him make his affidavit, in welcome. Should he get a littlewide 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 inquireinto the _cui bono?_ of such a book. The answer is this. Everythingwhich can convey to the human mind distinct and accurate impressionsof events, social facts, professional peculiarities, or past history,whether of the higher or more familiar character, is of use. All thatis necessary is, that the pictures should be true to nature, if notabsolutely drawn from living sitters. The knowledge we gain by ourlooser reading, often becomes serviceable in modes and manners littleanticipated in the moments when it is acquired.

  Perhaps the greater portion of all our peculiar opinions have theirfoundation in prejudices. These prejudices are produced in consequenceof its being out of the power of any one man to see, or know, everything. The most favoured mortal must receive far more than half of allthat he learns on his faith in others; and it may aid those who cannever be placed in positions to judge for themselves of certain phasesof men and things, to get pictures of the same, drawn in a way to givethem nearer views than they might otherwise obtain. This is the greatestbenefit of all light literature in general, it being possible to renderthat which is purely fictitious even more useful than that which isstrictly 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 commencementof 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 factthat can be known to the generation which is coming into life, by reportonly, and these pages may possibly throw some little light on bothpoints, in representing things as they were. The population of therepublic is probably something more than eighteen millions and a halfto-day; in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred, it was but alittle more than five millions. In 1800, the population of New-York wassomewhat less than six hundred thousand souls; to-day it is probably alittle less than two millions seven hundred thousand souls. In 1800,the town of New-York had sixty thousand inhabitants, whereas, includingBrooklyn and Williamsburg, which then virtually had no existence,it must have at this moment quite four hundred thousand. These areprodigious numerical changes, that have produced changes of anothersort. Although an increase of numbers does not necessarily infer anincrease of high civilization, it reasonably leads to the expectationof great melioration in the commoner comforts. Such has been the result,and to those familiar with facts as they now exist, the difference willprobably be apparent in these pages.

  Although the moral changes in American society have not kept evenpace with those that are purely physical, many that are essential havenevertheless occurred. Of all the British possessions on this continent,New-York, after its conquest from the Dutch, received most of the socialorganization of the mother country. Under the Dutch, even, it had someof these characteristic peculiarities, in its patroons; the lords of themanor of the New Netherlands. Some of the southern colonies, it is true,had their caciques and other semi-feudal, and semi-savage noblesse, butthe system was of short continuance; the peculiarities of that sectionof the country, arising principally from the existence of domesticslavery, on an extended scale. With New-York it was different. Aconquered colony, the mother country left the impression of its owninstitutions more deeply engraved than on any of the settlements thatwere commenced by grants to proprietors, or under charters from thecrown. It was strictly a royal colony, and so continued to be, down tothe hour of separation. The social consequences of this state of thingswere to be traced in her habits unlit the current of immigration becameso strong, as to bring with it those that were conflicting, if notabsolutely antagonist. The influence of these two sources of thought isstill obvious to the reflecting, giving rise to a double set of socialopinions; one of which bears all the characteristics of its New Englandand puritanical origin, while the other may be said to come of theusages and notions of the Middle States, proper.

  This is said in anticipation of certain strictures that will be likelyto follow some of the incidents of our story, it not being alwaysdeemed an essential in an American critic, that he should understandhis subject. Too many of them, indeed, justify the retort of the manwho derided the claims to knowledge of life, set up by a neighbour,that "had been to meetin' and had been to mill." We can all obtain somenotions of the portion of a subject that is placed immediately beforeour eyes; the difficulty is to understand that which we have no means ofstudying.

  On the subject of the nautical incidents of this book, we haveendeavoured to be as exact as our authorities will allow. We are fullyaware of the importance of writing what the world thinks, rather thanwhat is true, and are not conscious of any very palpable errors of thisnature.

  It is no more than fair to apprize the reader, that our tale is notcompleted in the First Part, or the volumes that are now published.This, the plan of the book would not permit: but we can promise thosewho may feel any interest in the subject, that the season shall notpass away, so far as it may depend on ourselves, without bringing thenarrative to a close. Poor Captain Wallingford is now in his sixty-fifthyear, and is naturally desirous of not being hung up long on thetenter-hooks of expectation, so near the close of life. The oldgentleman having seen much and suffered much, is entitled to end hisdays in peace. In this mutual frame of mind between the principal, andhis editors, the public shall have no cause to complain of unnecessarydelay, whatever may be its rights of the same nature on other subjects.

  The author--perhaps editor would be the better word--does not feelhimself responsible for all the notions advanced by the hero of thistale, and it may be as well to say as much. That one born in theRevolution should think differently from the men of the present day, ina hundred things, is to be expected. It is in just this difference ofopinion, that the lessons of the book are to be found.

  AFLOAT AND ASHORE.