[figure description] Page 165.[end figure description]

I found the &longs;outhern &longs;tates
not more engaging, to a young practitioner,
than the northern. In the &longs;ea
ports of both, the bu&longs;ine&longs;s was engro&longs;&longs;ed by
men of e&longs;tabli&longs;hed practice and eminence.
In the interiour country, the people
could not di&longs;tingui&longs;h, or encourage
merit. The gains were &longs;mall, and tardily
collected; and, in both wings of the
union, and I believe every where el&longs;e,

[figure description] Page 166.[end figure description]

fortune and &longs;ame are generally to be acquired
in the learned profe&longs;&longs;ions, &longs;olely,
by a patient, undeviating application to
local bu&longs;ine&longs;s.

If di&longs;&longs;ipation could have afforded pleaure,
to a mind yearning after professional
&longs;ame and independence, I might, &longs;o
long as my money la&longs;ted, have been happy,
at the &longs;outhward. I was often invited
to the turf; and, might have had the
honour of being intoxicated frequently,
with the mo&longs;t re&longs;pectable characters. An
a&longs;&longs;ociation with the well educated of the
other &longs;ex was not &longs;o readily attained.
There was a haughty re&longs;erve, in the
manners of the young ladies. Every
attempt at familiarity, in a young stranger,
habituated to the &longs;ocial, but respectful
intercour&longs;e, cu&longs;tomary in the northern
&longs;tates, excited alarm. With my New England
ideas, I could not help viewing, in the
anxious efforts of their parents and relatives,
to repel every approach to innocent and

[figure description] Page 167.[end figure description]

even cha&longs;tened intercour&longs;e, a &longs;trong suspicion
of that virtue, they were &longs;olicitous to
protect.

Depre&longs;&longs;ed by the gloomy view of my
pro&longs;pects; and determined never to face
my parents again, under circum&longs;tances,
which would be burthen&longs;ome to them, I
attempted to obtain practice in the town
of F—, in Virginia, but in vain. The
very decorum, prudence, and economy,
which would have enhanced my character
at home, were here con&longs;trued into
poverty of &longs;pirit. To obtain medical
practice, it was expedient, to &longs;port, bet,
drink, &longs;wear, &c. with my patients. My
pur&longs;e forbad the former; my habits of
life the latter. My ca&longs;h wa&longs;ted, and I
was near &longs;uffering. I was obliged to dispose
of my books, for pre&longs;ent &longs;ub&longs;i&longs;tance;
and, in that country, books were not the
prime articles of commerce. To avoid
&longs;tarving, I again contemplated keeping a
&longs;chool. In that country, knowledge was

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viewed as a handicraft trade. The &longs;chool
ma&longs;ters, before the war, had been u&longs;ually
collected from unfortunate European
youth, of &longs;ome &longs;chool learning, &longs;old for
their pa&longs;&longs;age into America. So that to
purcha&longs;e a &longs;chool ma&longs;ter and a negro was
almo&longs;t &longs;ynonimous: Mr. J —n, and
&longs;ome other citizens of the world, who had
been ca&longs;t among them, had by their writings,
influence, and example, brought the
knowledge of letters into &longs;ome repute,
&longs;ince the revolution; but, I believe, tho&longs;e
excellent men have yet to lament the
general inefficacy of their liberal efforts.
This &longs;tatement, and my own prior experience
in &longs;chool keeping, would have determined
me rather to have prefered labouring,
with the &longs;laves on their plantations,
than &longs;u&longs;taining the &longs;lavery and contempt
of a &longs;chool.

When reduced to my la&longs;t dollar; and
beginning to &longs;uffer, from the embarrassments
of debt, I was invited, by a &longs;ea

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captain, who knew my friends, to accept
the birth of &longs;urgeon, in his &longs;hip. Every
new pur&longs;uit has its flattering pro&longs;pects.
I was encouraged by hand&longs;ome wages,
and a privilege in the &longs;hip, to carry an adventure;
for the purcha&longs;e of which, the
owners were to advance me, on account of
my pay. I was to be companion to the
captain, and have a fine chance of &longs;eeing
the world. To quit my home, for all
parts of the union I con&longs;idered as home;
to tempt the perilous ocean, and encounter
the &longs;everities of a &longs;ea faring life, the
di&longs;ea&longs;es of torrid climes, and perhaps a
total &longs;eparation from my friends and parents,
was melancholy; but the de&longs;ire to
&longs;ee the world, to acquire practical knowledge,
in my profe&longs;&longs;ion, to obtain property,
added to the nece&longs;&longs;ity of immediate
&longs;ub&longs;i&longs;tance, and the horrours of a jail, determined
me to accept his offer. I accordingly
entered &longs;urgeon, on board the
&longs;hip Freedom, Captain Sidney Ru&longs;&longs;ell

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commander, freighted with tobacco, bound
to London, and thence to the coa&longs;t
of Africa. I had little to do in my passage
to London. My de&longs;tination, as a
&longs;urgeon, being principally in the voyage
from that city to the African coa&longs;t, and
thence to the We&longs;t Indies; and, if I
had not &longs;uffered from a previous nausea
or &longs;ea &longs;ickne&longs;s, the novelty of the
&longs;cene would have rendered me tolerably
happy. In the perturbation of my
thoughts, I had omitted writing to my
parents of the places of my de&longs;tination.
This carele&longs;s omi&longs;&longs;ion afterwards, cau&longs;ed
them and me much trouble. We arrived
&longs;afely in the Downs.

p407-178

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