280 Biographical shetch of Col. Mackenzie. [July 



the Dutch dependencies in the eastern islands. In the 

 journals, memoirs, and drawings of Colonel Mackenzie 

 (entirely exclusive of the materials furnished by the 

 committee of tenures, of which he was president in Ja- 

 va), several native MSS. have been, or are now translat- 

 ing, from the Javanese and Malay languages, by natives 

 and others employed for that purpose, and considerable 

 extracts and translations from Dutch and French 

 books and MSS. Notices of some of these are subjoin- 

 ed (see letter A. annexed). From the matter contained 

 in these documents much light is thrown on the early 

 colonization of these islands, and perhaps of the long 

 doubtful subject of the peopling of America, at least of 

 the intercourse and communication of the Continent of 

 Asia with the numerous islands of the Oriental and 

 South Seas, and of the laws, institutions, manners, and 

 customs of the more eastern parts of iVsia, so widely 

 different from those of the western Peninsula of India. 



6. A great object has been, under these inquiries, de- 

 rived from the latter occupation (but chiefly at Colonel 

 Mackenzie's private expense, excepting the single arti- 

 cle of postage*), to collect and to obtain translations of 

 materials of various descriptions illustrative of the his- 

 tory, antiquities, and institutions, &c. of India. This 

 was originally directed to those of the Karnatik or Bi- 

 janagar and its dependencies exclusively, and afterwards 

 extended, as circumstances admitted, to that of the seve- 

 ral dynasties that were successively brought to light; 

 to materials illustrative of the history and antiquities of 

 Hindustan and of all parts of India, but more particularly 

 to that of the south or Peninsula ; and, ultimately, by 

 the sudden direction of his services in 1811, (arising from 



* This correspondence on literary subjects has been exempted from post- 

 age in India, by order of Governmeut^ and approved of by the Court of 

 Diicctors, since 1808. 



