XXXVl INTRODUCTION. 



Dreyfous.' M. Muller has kindly permitted the 

 Editor of the following reprint to make full use of 

 his notes, many of which have been thus utilised to 

 the great advantage of the members of the Society. 



By far the most valuable contribution, however, 

 to the literary and bibliographical history of 

 Leguat's work is the lately published hrochure,^ 

 by M. Th. Sauzier of the Paris Geographical 

 Society, including the reprint of what is perhaps an 

 ahrege of Marquis du Quesne's remarkable pamphlet, 

 till lately only known by the extracts quoted in 

 Leguat's narrative. M. Sauzier's arguments, which 

 are not indisputable, have already been quoted above 

 as proving the authorship and veracity of the 

 philosophic and pious refugee. A translation of du 

 Quesne's original scheme for colonising Reunion was 

 to have been included at the end of this present 

 reprint, but want of space prevents its appearance. 



The interest attaching to Leguat's narrative, as 

 before observed, centres (apart from its simple and 

 picturesque originality and charming style in which 

 the touching story of adventure is told) in the 

 important details of the natural history of Rodri- 



1 Ave7iti(res de Franqois Leguat et de ses compagnons en Deux 

 lies Desertes des Indes Orieidales (1650-1698). Publiees et anno- 

 tees par Eugene Muller. Paris. Bibliotheque d'Aventures et de 

 Voyages. (Maurice Dreyfous.) 



2 Un Frojet de Fe'publique a Vile d'Eden {J' tie Brmrhon) en 

 1689, par Le Marquis Henri du Quesne. Reimpression d'un 

 ouvrage disparu, public eu 1689, intitule Recueil de quelques 

 memoires servans d'instruction pour I'etablissement de I'isle d'Eden. 

 Precede d'une notice par Th. Sauzier. (Paris, Libi-airie Ancieniie 

 et Moderne de E. Dufusse.) 



