The Preface. 
contrary, the beft and moft emi- 
nent Authors are not afliamed to 
own the fame Thing, and look 
upon it as an Advantage. 
Laftly, I know there are fome 
who are apt to flight my Accounts 
and Defcriptions of Things, as if 
it was an eafie Matter and of little 
or no Difficulty to do all that I 
have done, to vifit little more t^lian 
the Coafts of unknown Countries*, 
and make fliort and imperfect Ob- 
fervations of Things only near the 
Shore. But whoever is experien- 
ced in thefe Matters, or confiders 
Things impartially, -will be of a 
very different Opinion. And any 
one who is fenflble, how back- 
ward and refractory the Seamen 
are apt to be in long Voyages 
when they know not whither they 
are going, how ignorant they are 
of the Nature of the Winds and 
the fliifting Seafons of the Mon- 
foons, and how little even the Of- 
ficers themfelves generally are 
skilled 
