Memoir　of　Fleeming　Jenkin
  by　Robert　Louis　Stevenson
  PREFACE　TO　THE　AMERICAN　EDITION。
  ON　the　death　of　Fleeming　Jenkin；　his　family　and　friends　determined
  to　publish　a　selection　of　his　various　papers；　by　way　of
  introduction；　the　following　pages　were　drawn　up；　and　the　whole；
  forming　two　considerable　volumes；　has　been　issued　in　England。　　In
  the　States；　it　has　not　been　thought　advisable　to　reproduce　the
  whole；　and　the　memoir　appearing　alone；　shorn　of　that　other　matter
  which　was　at　once　its　occasion　and　its　justification；　so　large　an
  account　of　a　man　so　little　known　may　seem　to　a　stranger　out　of　all
  proportion。　　But　Jenkin　was　a　man　much　more　remarkable　than　the
  mere　bulk　or　merit　of　his　work　approves　him。　　It　was　in　the　world；
  in　the　commerce　of　friendship；　by　his　brave　attitude　towards　life；
  by　his　high　moral　value　and　unwearied　intellectual　effort；　that　he
  struck　the　minds　of　his　contemporaries。　　His　was　an　individual
  figure；　such　as　authors　delight　to　draw；　and　all　men　to　read　of；　in
  the　pages　of　a　novel。　　His　was　a　face　worth　painting　for　its　own
  sake。　　If　the　sitter　shall　not　seem　to　have　justified　the　portrait；
  if　Jenkin；　after　his　death；　shall　not　continue　to　make　new　friends；
  the　fault　will　be　altogether　mine。
  R。　L　S。
  SARANAC；　OCT。；　1887。
  CHAPTER　I。
  The　Jenkins　of　Stowting　…　Fleeming's　grandfather　…　Mrs。　Buckner's
  fortune　…　Fleeming's　father；　goes　to　sea；　at　St。　Helena；　meets　King
  Tom；　service　in　the　West　Indies；　end　of　his　career　…　The　Campbell…
  Jacksons　…　Fleeming's　mother　…　Fleeming's　uncle　John。
  IN　the　reign　of　Henry　VIII。；　a　family　of　the　name　of　Jenkin；
  claiming　to　come　from　York；　and　bearing　the　arms　of　Jenkin　ap
  Philip　of　St。　Melans；　are　found　reputably　settled　in　the　county　of
  Kent。　　Persons　of　strong　genealogical　pinion　pass　from　William
  Jenkin；　Mayor　of　Folkestone　in　1555；　to　his　contemporary　'John
  Jenkin；　of　the　Citie　of　York；　Receiver　General　of　the　County；'　and
  thence；　by　way　of　Jenkin　ap　Philip；　to　the　proper　summit　of　any
  Cambrian　pedigree　…　a　prince；　'Guaith　Voeth；　Lord　of　Cardigan；'　the
  name　and　style　of　him。　　It　may　suffice；　however；　for　the　present；
  that　these　Kentish　Jenkins　must　have　undoubtedly　derived　from
  Wales；　and　being　a　stock　of　some　efficiency；　they　struck　root　and
  grew　to　wealth　and　consequence　in　their　new　home。
  Of　their　consequence　we　have　proof　enough　in　the　fact　that　not　only
  was　William　Jenkin　（as　already　mentioned）　Mayor　of　Folkestone　in
  1555；　but　no　less　than　twenty…three　times　in　the　succeeding　century
  and　a　half；　a　Jenkin　（William；　Thomas；　Henry；　or　Robert）　sat　in　the
  same　place　of　humble　honour。　　Of　their　wealth　we　know　that　in　the
  reign　of　Charles　I。；　Thomas　Jenkin　of　Eythorne　was　more　than　once
  in　the　market　buying　land；　and　notably；　in　1633；　acquired　the　manor
  of　Stowting　Court。　　This　was　an　estate　of　some　320　acres；　six　miles
  from　Hythe；　in　the　Bailiwick　and　Hundred　of　Stowting；　and　the　Lathe
  of　Shipway；　held　of　the　Crown　IN　CAPITE　by　the　service　of　six　men
  and　a　constable　to　defend　the　passage　of　the　sea　at　Sandgate。　　It
  had　a　chequered　history　before　it　fell　into　the　hands　of　Thomas　of
  Eythorne；　having　been　sold　and　given　from　one　to　another　…　to　the
  Archbishop；　to　Heringods；　to　the　Burghershes；　to　Pavelys；　Trivets；
  Cliffords；　Wenlocks；　Beauchamps；　Nevilles；　Kempes；　and　Clarkes：　　a
  piece　of　Kentish　ground　condemned　to　see　new　faces　and　to　be　no
  man's　home。　　But　from　1633　onward　it　became　the　anchor　of　the
  Jenkin　family　in　Kent；　and　though　passed　on　from　brother　to
  brother；　held　in　shares　between　uncle　and　nephew；　burthened　by
  debts　and　jointures；　and　at　least　once　sold　and　bought　in　again；　it
  remains　to　this　day　in　the　hands　of　the　direct　line。　　It　is　not　my
  design；　nor　have　I　the　necessary　knowledge；　to　give　a　history　of
  this　obscure　family。　　But　this　is　an　age　when　genealogy　has　taken　a
  new　lease　of　life；　and　become　for　the　first　time　a　human　science；
  so　that　we　no　longer　study　it　in　quest　of　the　Guaith　Voeths；　but　to
  trace　out　some　of　the　secrets　of　descent　and　destiny；　and　as　we
  study；　we　think　less　of　Sir　Bernard　Burke　and　more　of　Mr。　Galton。
  Not　only　do　our　character　and　talents　lie　upon　the　anvil　and
  receive　their　temper　during　generations；　but　the　very　plot　of　our
  life's　story　unfolds　itself　on　a　scale　of　centuries；　and　the
  biography　of　the　man　is　only　an　episode　in　the　epic　of　the　family。
  From　this　point　of　view　I　ask　the　reader's　leave　to　begin　this
  notice　of　a　remarkable　man　who　was　my　friend；　with　the　accession　of
  his　great…grandfather；　John　Jenkin。
  This　John　Jenkin；　a　grandson　of　Damaris　Kingsley；　of　the　family　of
  'Westward　Ho！'　was　born　in　1727；　and　married　Elizabeth；　daughter　of
  Thomas　Frewen；　of　Church　House；　Northiam。　　The　Jenkins　had　now　been
  long　enough　intermarrying　with　their　Kentish　neighbours　to　be
  Kentish　folk　themselves　in　all　but　name；　and　with　the　Frewens　in
  particular　their　connection　is　singularly　involved。　　John　and　his
  wife　were　each　descended　in　the　third　degree　from　another　Thomas
  Frewen；　Vicar　of　Northiam；　and　brother　to　Accepted　Frewen；
  Archbishop　of　York。　　John's　mother　had　married　a　Frewen　for　a
  second　husband。　　And　the　last　complication　was　to　be　added　by　the
  Bishop　of　Chichester's　brother；　Charles　Buckner；　Vice…Admiral　of
  the　White；　who　was　twice　married；　first　to　a　paternal　cousin　of
  Squire　John；　and　second　to　Anne；　only　sister　of　the　Squire's　wife；
  and　already　the　widow　of　another　Frewen。　　The　reader　must　bear　Mrs。
  Buckner　in　mind；　it　was　by　means　of　that　lady　that　Fleeming　Jenkin
  began　life　as　a　poor　man。　　Meanwhile；　the　relationship　of　any
  Frewen　to　any　Jenkin　at　the　end　of　these　evolutions　presents　a
  problem　almost　insoluble；　and　we　need　not　wonder　if　Mrs。　John；　thus
  exercised　in　her　immediate　circle；　was　in　her　old　age　'a　great
  genealogist　of　all　Sussex　families；　and　much　consulted。'　　The　names
  Frewen　and　Jenkin　may　almost　seem　to　have　been　interchangeable　at
  will；　and　yet　Fate　proceeds　with　such　particularity　that　it　was
  perhaps　on　the　point　of　name　that　the　family　was　ruined。
  The　John　Jenkins　had　a　family　of　one　daughter　and　five　extravagant
  and　unpractical　sons。　　The　eldest；　Stephen；　entered　the　Church　and
  held　the　living　of　Salehurst；　where　he　offered；　we　may　hope；　an
  extreme　example　of　the　clergy　of　the　age。　　He　was　a　handsome　figure
  of　a　man；　jovial　and　jocular；　fond　of　his　garden；　which　produced
  under　his　care　the　finest　fruits　of　the　neighbourhood；　and　like　all
  the　family；　very　choice　in　horses。　　He　drove　tandem；　like　Jehu；
  furiously。　　His　saddle　horse；　Captain　（for　the　names　of　horses　are
  piously　preserved　in　the　family　chronicle　which　I　follow）；　was
  trained　to　break　into　a　gallop　as　soon　as　the　vicar's　foot　was
  thrown　across　its　back；　nor　would　the　rein　be　drawn　in　the　nine
  miles　between　Northiam　and　the　Vicarage　door。　　Debt　was　the　man's
  proper　element；　he　used　to　skulk　from　arrest　in　the　chancel　of　his
  church；　and　the　speed　of　Captain　may　have　come　sometimes　handy。　　At
  an　early　age　this　unconventional　parson　married　his　cook；　and　by
  her　he　had　two　daughters　and　one　son。　　One　of　the　daughters　died
  unmarried；　the　other　imitated　her　father；　and　married
  'imprudently。'　　The　son；　still　more　gallantly　continuing　the
  tradition；　entered　the　army；　loaded　himself　with　debt；　was　forced
  to　sell　out；　took　refuge　in　the　Marines；　and　was　lost　on　the　Dogger
  Bank　in　the　war…ship　MINOTAUR。　　If　he　did　not　marry　below　him；　like
  his　father；　his　sister；　and　a　certain　great…uncle　William；　it　was
  perhaps　because　he　never　married　at　all。
  The　second　brother；　Thomas；　who　was　employed　in　the　General　Post…
  Office；　followed　in　all　material　points　the　example　of　Stephen；
  married　'not　very　creditably；'　and　spent　all　the　money　he　could　lay
  his　hands　on。　　He　died　without　issue；　as　did　the　fourth　brother；
  John；　who　was　of　weak　intellect　and　feeble　health；　and　the　fifth
  brother；　William；　whose　brief　career　as　one　of　Mrs。　Buckner's
  satellites　will　fall　to　be　considered　later　on。　　So　soon；　then；　as
  the　MINOTAUR　had　struck　upon　the　Dogger　Bank；　Stowting　and　the　line
  of　the　Jenkin　family　fell　on　the　shoulders　of　the　third　brother；
  Charles。
  Facility　and　self…indulgence　are　the　family　marks；　facility　（to
  judge　by　these　imprudent　marriages）　being　at　once　their　quality　and
  their　defect；　but　in　the　case　of　Charles；　a　man　of　exceptional
  beauty　and　sweetness　both　of　face　and　disposition；　the　family　fault
  had　quite　grown　to　be　a　virtue；　and　we　find　him　in　consequence　the
  drudge　and　milk…cow　of　his　relatives。　　Born　in　1766；　Charles　served
  at　sea　in　his　youth；　and　smelt　both　salt　water　and　powder。　　The
  Jenkins　had　inclined　hitherto；　as　far　as　I　can　make　out；　to　the
  land　service。　　Stephen's　son　had　been　a　soldier；　William　（fourth　of
  Stowting）　had　been　an　officer　of