THE PREFACE OF $J LEW.HE-CHJ?<G.« 



From of oidj emineni uoeii aud rcUfed scholars, wherever 

 ih«y have occaaioaally flojourocd, hav** been hi the habil of 

 ^oquiriag after antiquities, and aeaichiag into curiosiiied ; 

 vhereupon they u^iuaUy record wbat they bavfi seeii^ not 

 merely that they may glance th^ir eyee, or run tlieir liioughy 

 over su&h thmg^, but aldo to communicate thein to ibck cotern- 

 poraries aod transmit tUem to poBterity, That which is 

 contained in utaiisticsal works is vary generally taken from 

 such accounts: and (lius we have g^oeral de^criptiouB of 

 wboW at&tija, and miuuter elucidationt^ <>f r&mobi parts of ihs 

 country ; while rcfftreneee to uitraiiiorioe and bretgn king- 

 ^iQiSiiS are altogether deficient. For ib^m is a diHiculiy with 

 regard to foi^igit parts, from ckcunietaactt of their aoi 

 |ia.yiB£ Lsihulo, or .^AVing QO iikkircourde with oar caniral 

 kji^gtiom ; i»tiViQ ibtm «f our oounu-yinea who do bold con)' 

 muDjc&Uons, aud trade CO LboK rcgvoas, merely iliink dhoiii 

 bBniJDg after ^to^ «nc^ havd kiiowied|rti of boob» ; bo 

 that thflf ha v« neither incliaatioQ b> obtittrve, nor ability to 

 record. Tliit coastitutes a dltUculty. 



•O^f ffieod 3E ^ Ong-tafe-lia^ i« iny wife's nephaw , 

 i man dutifu) to hia paremtj aad faithrul to h'm friendi ; in 

 bi^ youth he sLudied for litciafy hDnourt, and laboured at 

 odes and eisaays ; in the year 1783, when epeculating on the 

 means of suhsisienoe, he crossed tlie seaa, and availed him- 

 «elf of what leif^ure he had from school eogagements^ to ea- 

 quire into the maiinera of the age ; hinting at wbataoever was 

 curious and exiraordioary, he recorded them all in order - 

 after ten years he returned, and the dittie* which he flang, 

 with hia accounts of the Archipelago, were all collected to- 

 gether into a boob. On reading hia versea, the filial thoughts 

 B©cni 10 Ije warmer than words could express i and on perusing 



• Lew.he-cbing was ibe author's uncle by (liarrjage, hwmfi 

 lOWTied hit father's aister. 



