The P R E F A C E. 



&c« anA that of Brafil are not to be faffed By^ roith* 

 out a little Notice. Jt muSt be obferwdj that our ffe^ 

 tuUtive Mathematician and Geographers ^ who are^ no 

 ^ioubty Men of the gteateSi Learnings feldom traruel far^ 

 ther than their Clofets for their Knowledge^ &c. m 

 therefore unqualified to give m a good Defcripion of 

 Countries t It is for this Reafon that all our Maps and 

 j4tlaffesarefo monjlroufly faulty y for the fe Gentlemen are 

 ^liged to take their Accounts from the Reports of illite'^ 

 rate Men. 



It muTtr be noted alfo^ that when the Mafiers of Ships 

 make Difcoveries this Way^ they are not fond of commu-- 

 nicating them j a Man^s knowing this or that Coafiy bet" 

 ter than others^ recommends him in his Bufmefs^ and 

 $»akes him more ufeful^ and he'll no more dif cover it than a 

 *!radefman will the My fiery of his Trade. 



The Gentleman who has taken the Tains to make thefe 

 ObfervationSy is Mr. Atkins^ a Surgeon^ an ingenious 

 Man in his own Profejfwny and one i^ho is not ty d down 

 by any narrow Confiderations from doing a Service to the 

 Publicky and has been plea fed generoujly to communicate 

 them for the good of others. I don^t doubt y but his Ob-- 

 fervations will be found curious and very ferv ice able to 

 fuch as Trade to thofe PartSy befides a Method of Trade is 

 here laid down with the Portuguele, which may prove 

 of great Profit to fome of our Countrymen y if followed ac-' 

 cording to his Plan, 



It is hoped thefe Things will fatisfy the Publicky that 

 the Author of the following Sheets confidered nothing fo 

 much as making the Book ufeful ^— — tho'^ he has been in^ 

 formed J that fome Gentlemen have raisd an ObjeBion a^ 

 galnfl the Truth of its Contents^ viz. that it feems calcu^ 

 lated to entertain and divert. — ^If the Fa5ls are related 

 with fome jigreeablenefs and Life y we hope it will not be 

 imputed, as a Fault *, but as to its Credit y we can affure them 

 that the Sea-^faring Meny that is all that know the Na^ 

 ture of thefe ThingSy have not been able to make the leafi 

 ObjeE^ion tg its Credit ,; ^^^^ And wiH be bold to affirmy 



that 



