? I
never saw it.'"

"Yes, Frank! Nelson was said to be 'brave as a lion, and gentle as a
lamb.' Certainly both he and Lord Duncan were pre-eminently great; but
neither Lord Duncan, nor any other enlightened Christian, would have
said what Lord Nelson did, with his latent breath--'I have not been a
great sinner!' No mortal could lift up his eyes at the day of judgment,
and repeat those words again; for every man that breathes the breath of
life is a great sinner. We are living in God's own world without
remembering him, continually; and amidst thousands of blessings we
disobey him. The chief purpose for which men are created, is to glorify
God, and to prepare for entering his presence in a better world; but
instead of doing so, we live as if there were no other object to live
for, than our own pleasures and amusements on earth. How, then, can we
be otherwise than great sinners? I hope, Frank, that you will endeavour
to be, like Lord Duncan, not merely a good officer, but also a good
Christian; for, besides fighting the battles of your country, you must
gain a great victory over yourself, as all men must either conquer their
own evil dispositions, or perish for ever."

Lady Harriet was particularly earnest in entreating Frank to write
frequently home; observing, that she considered it a religious duty in
all children, to shew their parents this attention, as the Bible says
that "a wise son maketh a glad father," and that "the father of the
righteous shall greatly rejoice;" but on the contrary, too many young
persons leave their parents to mourn in suspense and anxiety, as to the
health and happiness of those whom they love more than they can ever
love any one else.

"Tell us of every thing that interests you, and even all about the
spouting whales, flying fish, and dying dolphins, which you will of
course see," said Laura. "Be sure to write us also, how many albatrosses
you shoot, and whether you are duly introduced to Neptune at the Cape."

"Yes, Laura! but Bishop Heber's Journal, or any other book describing a
voyage to the Cape, mentions exactly the same thing. It will quite bring
me home again when I speak to you all on paper; and I shall be able to
fancy what everybody will say when my letter is read. Mrs. Darwin sent
for me this morning on particular business; and it was to say that she
wished me, in all the strange countries where the Thunderbolt touched,
to employ my spare moments in chasing butterflies, that