Vlll 
PREFACE. 
man, were also placed in my possession, and shared the fate of my 
other specimens. But I should fatigue the patience of my readers 
without doing justice to my own feelings, if I attempted to state all 
that I. owe to the kindness and exertions of my friends and all that 
they have left me to regret. 
After these declarations respecting the loss of materials which 
would have given value and interest to these pages, what, it may fairly 
be asked, have I remaining of importance to the public ? In looking 
over my observations on the countries that I had visited, I was of 
opinion that they contained something to interest, and something 
to inform. It is not for me to judge how far I may have correctly 
estimated the value of my matter ; but I trust that the exclamation 
of the Poet, 
ibi omnis, 
“ Effusus labor.” 
will not entirely apply to my pages. I have endeavoured to describe 
things as I saw them ; and when subjects arose incidentally from my 
narrative, have tried to give them an extrinsic interest by noticing 
the opinions of others and comparing them with my own. In doing 
so, I have respected the freedom of my own mind, and have never 
hesitated to express my thoughts, even when they differed from 
high authority. I trust that my language has, on these occasions, 
expressed the deference of my feeling. If, however, it should not 
always be found exactly suited to my purpose, I beg that my readers 
will charitably attribute it to my little experience in the niceties of 
speech. Indeed, it is in what concerns the style of this work that 
I am especially anxious to bespeak their indulgence. Little prac- 
tised in composition, I have been desirous to give my own thoughts 
in my own words, and in doing so have not, I fear, benefited 
the language of these pages, and have delayed them longer than 
the merit of their contents may seem to have deserved. In 
what regards my facts and conclusions I cannot feel much appre- 
hension : the first are, to the best of my judgment, strictly stated, and 
