If he'd a up and askt me right off the reel, like a man, he'd a found me up to the notch; but he thort to play me off.

Now I'll sarve him out his own way; so here goes.
"'Your long acquaintance with the provinces, and familiar intercourse with the people,' sais he, 'must have made you quite at home on all colonial topics.' "'I thought so once,' sais I; 'but I don't think so now no more, Sir.' "'Why how is that ?' sais he.
"'Why, Sir,' sais I, 'you can hold a book so near your eyes as not to be able to read a word of it; hold it off further, and get the right focus, and you can read beautiful.

Now the right distance to see a colony, and know all about it, is England.

Three thousand miles is the right focus for a political spy-glass.

A man livin' here, and who never was out of England, knows twice as much about the provinces as I do.' "'Oh, you are joking,' sais he.
"Not a bit,' sais I.'I find folks here that not only know every thing about them countries, but have no doubts upon any matter, and ask no questions; in fact, they not only know more than me, but more than the people themselves do, what they want.