6 PREFACE, 
1898, The inconvenience of the delay in publication is obvious. The 
contributors see other writers secure the priority of their work, while 
the manuscript has continually to be re-written to incorporate what has 
been published while it is waiting for the printer. For all this I am in 
no way responsible. I prepare the work; but over printing and publi- 
cation I have not the slightest control. And as no less then five 
government departments have a say in the matter, the task of getting 
them into line is one of no small difficulty. <A fire which took place 
at the printer’s in December of last year was a further impediment. 
Fortunately, however, most of the manuscript was recovered eventually 
from the ruins. 
Three more volumes will complete the work as originally planned. 
Their preparation presents no inherent difficulty, but their fate lies on 
the lap of the gods, 
I must again record my acknowledgements of the assistance given 
me by Mr. C. H. Wright in preparing the manuscript for the press and 
in checking the proofs, and to Mr. N. E. Brown for working out the 
geographical distribution. 
W. T. T. Dz 
KeEw, November 1900. 
