William Henry Giles Kingston

In New Granada William Henry Giles Kingston

Publisher Marketing: The circumstances which led my father, Dr Andrew Sinclair, to settle in New Granada-the land of my birth-are of so romantic a character, that I cannot better preface an account of my own adventures in that country than by narrating them. My grandfather, Duncan Sinclair, after whom I was named, was a member of an old Covenanter family in Dumfriesshire, and was the parent of six sons, -all of whom, with the exception of the eldest, who inherited the estate, had to seek their fortune in the world. My father was his fourth son. Having gone through a medical course at the University of Edinburgh, where he gained not only a knowledge of his profession, but of science generally, he entered the Royal Navy as an assistant-surgeon, and was ultimately promoted to the rank of surgeon. Among his many other talents, he possessed that of acquiring foreign languages, and he spoke French and Spanish remarkably well; though at the time he learned the latter-from a wounded Spanish prisoner, whose life was saved by his skill-he little thought how useful it would prove to him. After visiting many parts of the world, adding greatly to his store of information, he was appointed to the Zebra sloop-of-war of eighteen guns, which soon after sailed for the Pacific