/ 
INTRODUCTION, 
THE AUTHOR. 
Many years have elapsed since I emitted Europe, to explore 
™ tw 11 ^ ° f + th i e N r W Contlneilt - Devoted from my earliest 
WntU f 1 ® Stud y of uatul \ e > feelin g with enthusiasm the wild 
‘ f f of a country guarded by mountains and shaded by 
* f °i re8tS ’ 1 ' jXpcneuced in la y travels, enjoyments which 
ave amply compensated for the privations inseparable from a 
laborious and often agitated life. These enjoyments, which I 
endeavoured to impart to my readers in my ‘Remarks upon the 
mW P th eS ’ a ‘i 111 U 5“, Essay ? n tlle Physiognomy of Plants,’ were 
not the only fruits I reaped from an undertaking formed with 
the design of contributing to the progress of natural philosophy 
i had long prepared myself for the observations which were the 
principal object of my journey to the ton-id zone. I was provided 
with instruments of easy and convenient use, constructed by the 
minf au £ 1 en j° yed the special protection of a govern- 
“ , n far fl '°' n Presenting obstacles to my investigations, 
constantly honoured me with every mark of regard and confi- 
dence. I was aided by a courageous and enlightened friend, and 
it was singularly propitious to the success of our participated 
I nid J-’ l! J r Z6al and , e 5 uanimit y of ^at friend never faiM 
exposed h SU6S aUd da “ gerS t0 which "' e were sometimes 
formic 1 ” i tlleSe favoal ' a h le circumstances, traversing regions which 
S EuroneT r “ d / lm ° St Uukaowu t0 of the natdons 
collected^ a \ m d eve \ to S F iu > M - Boupland and myself 
which ? considerable number of materials, the publication of 
, i ma y throw some hght on the history of nations and 
advance the study of nature y S ’ and 
l)u IEad vi , cw a two- 1 ' 01 * 1 purpose in the travels of which I now 
cmmfV th r narrative. I wished to make known the 
untries I had visited ; and to collect such facts as are fitted 
outline 1 ‘nnd VTT f wMch W ® as y et P oss ess scarcely the 
outlrne, and which has been vaguely denominated Natural His- 
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