vi 



PEEFACE. 



State of society, domestic and political, in 

 regions so little known, might be favour- 

 ably received ; as tending to give more cor- 

 rect ideas respecting them than have hi- 

 therto prevailed. 



From various nautical and scientific re- 

 searches, which have already appeared in 

 the Philosophical Transactions, or formed 

 the subject of official reports to the Admi- 

 ralty, a short Memoir on the Navigation 

 of those seas has been selected, and added 

 in an Appendix ; together with a Chart of 

 his Majesty's ship Conway's tracks during 

 the voyage. These may be found amusing 

 by some readers, and useful to professional 

 men. 



