INTRODUCTION. li 



In thefe letters it was announced, that I was gone with 

 a Ruffian caravan through the Curdiftan, where I was to 

 obferve the tranfit of Venus in a place where it was not vi- 

 fible, and that I was to proceed to China, and return by the 

 way of the Eaft Indies : — a flory which fome of his correfpon- 

 dents, as profligate as himfelf, induftrioufly circulated at 

 the time, and which others, perhaps weaker than wicked, 

 though wicked enough, have affected to believe to this 

 day. 



I conceived a violent indignation at this, and finding 

 myfelf fo treated in return for fo complete a journey as I 

 had then actually terminated, thought it below me to fa- 

 crifice the bed years of my life to daily pain and danger, 

 when the impreffion it made in the breafts of my country- 

 men feemed to be fo weak, fo infinitely unworthy of them 

 or me. One thing only detained me from returning home ; 

 it was my defire of fulfilling my promife to my Sovereign, 

 and of adding the ruins of Palmyra to thofe of Africa, al- 

 ready fecured and out of danger. 



In my anger I renounced all thoughts of the attempt to 

 difcover the fources of the Nile, and I repeated my orders 

 no more for either quadrant, telefcope, or time-keeper. I 

 had pencils and paper ; and luckily my large camera obfcu- 

 ra, which had efcaped the cataftrophe of Ptolometa, was ar- 

 rived from Smyrna, and then Handing before me. I there- 

 fore began to caft about, with my ufual care and anxiety, 

 for the means of obtaining feafible and fafe methods of re- 

 peating the famous journey to Palmyra. I found it was 

 necefTary to advance nearer the fcene of action. Mr Abbot, 

 Britifh conful for Tripoli in Syria, kindly invited me, and 



g 2 after 



