I could read, write, and cipher, and had begun the study of algebra and of Latin.

A letter written to my Uncle Lauder during the voyage, and since returned, shows that I was then a better penman than now.

I had wrestled with English grammar, and knew as little of what it was designed to teach as children usually do.

I had read little except about Wallace, Bruce, and Burns; but knew many familiar pieces of poetry by heart.

I should add to this the fairy tales of childhood, and especially the "Arabian Nights," by which I was carried into a new world.