tion of Christianity is but little known, I apprehend, in this country; and yet it is a subject worthy the attention of the philosopher, the philanthropist, and the Christian. Few communities are wielding such an extended and efficient influence in our world at the present day as the Wesleyan Methodists. As one of the extraordinary features of the present age, therefore, this subject should be understood; and hence I have not hesitated to give it a prominent place in that part of the following journal that relates to England.
Many of the letters that are incorporated in the following work were written at different times during my tour to the persons to whom they are addressed; but these covered but a smaller portion of the topics which I wished to introduce. A question, therefore, came up, in preparing the materials for the press, whether these letters should be enlarged and multiplied so as to place all the matter in the same form; or whether, letting these stand essentially as they were, with the necessary revision and corrections, the additional matter should be thrown into the form of plain narrative. The latter method, as will be seen, has been adopted. This, I know, is rather out of the common course, and may be the cause of a noticeable difference in the style; but it has occurred to me that this may be no objection; nay, that perhaps the monotony of one unvaried form may be relieved by the change, and be, at least, no drawback upon the interest of the work. I had much more matter which I might have inserted; but I have made my book already too large, according to the fashion of the day; and fashion will have its influence in the size of a book as well as in everything else.
I commit the work to the public not without some solicitude; but, such as it is, as it has been promised, the public must have it. If it does little good, I trust, at least, it will do no harm; and that is more than can be said of all that falls from the press at the present day.
Wesleyan University, January, 1838.