xii PREFACE. 



He proposes that a collection of books on astronomy, ancient geo- 

 graphy, and natural history, together with a few instruments, should 

 be placed in each of the commercial settlements in the Levant ; and 

 that heads of enquiry under the form of queries should be adapted to 

 the respective stations. There can be little doubt that a well-arranged 

 plan of this nature would conduce materially to our knowledge of 

 parts of Greece and Asia. It would stimulate enquiry, and direct 

 usefully some portion of that time which might be spared by persons 

 engaged in commercial pursuits, or by those who are resident as 

 consuls in some of the cities of the East. 



If this plan, or one similar to it, cannot be easily carried into 

 effect, the Editor hopes, that at different intervals of time selections 

 will be made, partly from the papers of those travellers, who, although 

 they have been prevented by death from completing their labours, 

 may have left behind them remarks too valuable to be forgotten ; 

 partly from the observations of others, who may have directed their 

 enquiries to new subjects, or have examined less frequented districts 

 of the Turkish empire. If the journals of these travellers should be 

 judged by the authors of them too small to form separate publications, 

 still they may properly find their place in a volume, which shall in- 

 corporate and connect them with the remarks of others relating to the 

 same countries. 



The Editor now proceeds to acknowledge the obligations which he 

 has received from those gentlemen who have communicated to him 

 the different papers and remarks which are published for the first 

 time in the present volume. 



An Account of a Journey through the District of Maina, in the 

 Morea, p. 33. 



This extract, from the papers of Mr. Morritt, relates to a part of 

 Greece which has seldom been explored. Indeed an account so full 



