 | The little Frenchman and his water lots, with other sketches of the times |  |
PREFACE.
The author of this volume does not apprehend, that,
among the objections which may be brought against it by
those redoubtable personages, the critics, its brevity will be
included. A word of explanation, however, may be necessary
to account for its somewhat attenuated dimensions. It
was not until the greater part of the work had been put to
press, that the author found he had fettered himself by the
title of his volume within a very limited range of selection
from his miscellaneous prose productions. “Hits at the
Times” was not a designation sufficiently comprehensive to
embrace sketches of an opposite character, which were far
more abundant, and would have swollen the volume to an
ambitious size. In one instance only, has there been a departure
from the plan; and for that, the solicitation of many
friends, must be the plea and the extenuation.
With this brief preface, these gathered fragments, which
separately have been received with general favour at the
hands of the public, are submitted, in the hope that they
will meet with indulgence in their present form.
| The little Frenchman and his water lots, with other sketches of the times | |