After carefully reading Mr Pickwick's notes about the four towns of Stroud, Rochester, Chatham, and Brompton, we have found that his impressions of their appearance are very much the same as those of other travellers who have gone over the same ground. His general description is easily abridged.

'The principal products of these towns,' says Mr Pickwick, 'appear to be soldiers, sailors, chalk, shrimps, officers, and dockyard men. The commodities chiefly offered for sale in the public streets are ship's stores, apples, fish, and oysters. The streets are lively and active, mainly because of the cheerful behaviour of the military. It is truly delightful to a philanthropic mind to see these gallant men staggering along under the influence of too much partying and strong drink. Especially when we remember that following them about, and joking with them, is a cheap and innocent amusement for the boys of the town.

Nothing,' adds Mr Pickwick, 'can exceed their good humour. Just the day before my arrival one of these soldiers had been most terribly insulted in the pub. The barmaid had positively refused to pour him any more liquor. In return he had (merely in playfulness) drawn his bayonet, and wounded the girl in the shoulder. And yet this fine fellow was the very first to go down to the house next morning and express his readiness to overlook the matter, and forget what had occurred!

Vocabulary:

Impression: How something seems to be
Abridged: Made shorter
Principal: Most important
Shrimps: Edible animals from the sea
Dockyard: A place for repairing boats
Commodities: Things used in business or trade
Oysters: Edible shellfish
Philanthropic: A liking for people in general
Gallant: Brave and polite
Exceed: Be more than
Bayonet: The knife on the end of a rifle
Overlook: Take no notice of