PREFACE. vii

Jiueppel and the Conseillier des Mifies, Russegger,

have visited the country before me, their sojourn

there was of such short duration, and they travelled

in so much company, that many things must have

escaped their observation, and remained hidden

from them, which were revealed to me, who, defy-

ing every species of danger, wandered through the

province alone, under a variety of circumstances,

sometimes accompanied by one solitary servant, and

sometimes even without thus much protection.

Thus I have often shared the humble fare of a

camel-driver in the desert, or conversed with the

natives in their damp and obscure Tukkoli ; whilst

at other times I have enjoyed the opportunity of

gaining information from the governor and higher

officials, to whose feasts I was frequently invited.

My readers must excuse me if, in the perusal of

this small work, they meet with a deficiency of

much infonnation generally expected from a tra-

veller, for I repeat again that I did not undertake

this journey with the view of writing, but that I

wrote merely at the request of my friends, and be-

cause I thought that by lifting the veil of obscurity

from certain relations, I might in some measure

become useful to futurity, and in this respect 1