( I )
since elapsed, illness during the voyage to Europe and subsequently,
added to the demands on my time arising out of my late office, and
the duties of private friendship after an absence of many years, have
made great encroachments; but engaged as I am in public life, and
about to proceed to a distant quarter of the globe, I have been induced,
by the interest which the subject of these volumes has excited, and the
precarious state of my health, rather to rely on the indulgence o f
the public than the attainment of leisure, for which I must wait
certainly long, and possibly in vain.
- "'Most sincerely and deeply do I regret, that this task didmot fall'
into hands more able to do it justice. There was one,* dear _to;me,
in private friendship and Esteem, who, had. he lived, was.of all men
best calculated'to have supplied-those* deficiencies which , will be
apparent in the very imperfect work, now presented to the Public.
From his profound acquaintance with'eastern languages and Indian
history, from the -unceasing activity of his. great talents, bis other,
prodigious acquirements, 'his’extensive.-views, and hisjconfident hope,
of illustrating national migrations froih thpuSCenesnwhich be was
approaching, much might have been expected; but just;as he reached
those shores on which' he hoped to slake his ardent thirstffor knowledge,
he'fell* a victim to excessive exertion* deeply deplored ‘by
all, and by none more truly than myself •
The plateswhich accompany this, workj not otherwise-distinguished,;
are from the graver, and many :of the designs' from the pencil of! Mr.
William B aniell,. who has devoted his Undivided attention: in
forming a proper conception of'liis subject, and spared neither time
nor exertion in the execution. Some irregularity may possibly exist
in
» Dr. Jy C. Letden, the-bard pf,T ® ^ ^ ^ e , !^ o faceoirepanie4tlie .esqseditjontp.Batftvia in
1811, and expired in my arms a few days after the landing of the troops.
( x« >
in the arrangement of them : this has arisen from an. uncertainty
with respect .to, the, number, which could*■ be completed in time for the
,present publication, and that which it would be necessary to postpone
fbf1 à future*work, intended^ to exhibit, with greater minuteness,
many ipf the more striking architectural and other remains of anti-
.quity ,in. the island of Java.
My,[acknowledgments are due, to,the Right Honourable Sir J oseph
Banks, Bart., the venerable President .of the Royal Society, for his
kindness and encouragement ; and particularly so.- tq Mrj Chaklbs
Wilkins,,. .Librarian tp-Jhe East-India'Company, as well as to Mr.
William Maksuen, for many suggestions,. of which I regret!that
I have not been enabled to avail myself,'so much as11 could wish, in
consequence, of the ftaste with . which the* work has been got up. I
pin alfo ; indebted to Mr. T homas M urdoch, not- only; for access' to
bis yaluablejibrary, but for illustrations from Portuguese authors,
which the reader will find in the Introduction and Appendix.
For all tbajj relates to .the; Natural History, ’of Java, l am indebted
to .tH^ iP.ömmunications o f Hr. T h o m a s I I o r s e ie l d . Though sufficient
for my purpose, it forms but a scanty portion of the result of
his long and diligent researches on this subject. Of this, however,
I am happy to say, that the public will shortly be able to judge for
themselves.
In sketching. the state of the Hutch East-India Company, and
•the measures adopted by the Hutch government.respecting Java,
subsequently to the year 1780, I have availed myself of much very
yaluable information communicated, to me by Mr. H. W. Muntin
ghe, President of the Supreme Court o f Justice at Batavia ;
and as, in the course of this work, I have often been obliged to
condemn the principles and conduct of the Hutch colonists, I am
b 2 anxious