would perhaps allow me to do so. 2. The condition c[esjrecl also to penetrate to other new regions as
of Russo-English political affairs favoured opportunity offered. The Committee had on several
being attempted at once, for the Eastern Question 0giasions given me introductions to their agents, and
raised again might cause the Russians to o ject. 3, grants Qf books for my holiday tours, together with a
I f I did not go, I had no reason to suppose t at anyone |T money on one occasion towards the cost of
else wouia. carriage of the books, and they now hailed with thanks
The first of these reasons weighe wit me eavi y my new pr0p0sai> i n fack so hearty was the reception
all the more so perhaps because of a s ort extract accorcje(i me, that my courage rose to the occasion,
from Carlyle which had come under my notice a iev instead of asking for a grant of ^100, as I intended,
days previously. It was this . Modern majest; jMshed for ^200, which was given me, and as I left
consists in work. What a man can do is his greatest tke room a member of the Committee, to t^hom I was
ornament, and he always consults his dignity by doing» a perfect strangerj offered me ¿ 5 0 more. I then told
it,” and when I looked at the third consideration i f my stQry tQ thg Committee of the Religious Xract
the light of a higher teaching, T o him that know etj Society, whose generous grants have encouraged me
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin, et to distribute more than 100,000 of their publications,
that my disinclination thereto must give way if I .s a « ^ they gaye me ^ IQOj which> ^ £ iq ^ un_
anything like an outward call to the work. I f ,m J asked for by anQther friend) led me tQ dedine | g j |
thoughts were providential leadings, and not men thanks another proffered cheque> on the plea that j
cogitations, I thought I might reasonably expect tha» thought I had enough.
my outward surroundings would in some way b ^ f c ere> then> end the esQteric antecedents of
adapted to the work before me. Now I calculate! j ourney to Central Asia, which I have been telling the
that, if the journey could be accomplished in from fou» reader ;g my sanctum_ I f in SQ do{ng j seem tQ haye
to five months, it might cost at least ¿400, and, thougj obtruded what may be regarded as private affairs I
I did not see it to be my duty to bear the whole expens» wpuld urge that I have thought it right that the
of the undertaking, yet I resolved that if the cost 0; societies which gave me help should receive a public
travel were forthcoming, from whence I did not k n o f recognition thereof, whilst, as for my personal motives,
I was prepared to give my time and energy. And if I see no good reason to withhold them. One o f the
this direction my way was cleared in the next f e f critics of “ Through Siberia ” wrote : “ The utmost
days, for, having put my project on paper, I showed »commendation must be given to the reverend author,
to a friend, who urged me to go, and offered not only for his personal work, but for the good taste
towards the expenses. I then submitted my plans f that has impelled him to describe his religious labours
the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Societf in language understanded of the laity.” That this was
who had been wishing to extend their work into Siberl written by a kindly pen I am sure ; but, I suppose, a
(especially since my return from thence), and wfl perverse mind might misinterpret it to mean that I