Preface. An ingenious countryman of ours, a few years ago, made no difficulty of filling two handsome volumes in octavo with a journey from Portsmouth to Kingston-upon-Thames, performed in no less than eight days---and I have never heard but that the work met with full as much encouragement as it deserved; for it went through two impressions, and had, doubtless, a proportionable number of readers; and is at this time in such a degree of estimation, as to be actually a stock-book in most of the circulating libraries of England. Within these four years, that reverend joker, the facetious Mr. SÑhath obliged the world with somewhat of a sort of an itinerary; which though a little deficient according  to the vulgar method, yet I could wish from my soul that the generality of travellers were but half as entertaining. And lately we have been further obliged with the travels of Dr. SÑand of Surgeon SÑneither of which works have I any intention of criticising for two reasons---the first flowing from gratitude, as I confess they gave me pleasure in the reading; the second from modesty, as I do not apprehend that any thing I have to offer can merit such favorable reception with the public. ÔBut whatÕs all this to the purpose?Õ says some impatient criticÑI will tell you how far it is to my purpose---it is to shew the reader that travelling is the mode, and that it is no less the mode to print travelers---that short travels may be printed as well as long voyages; and whether at home, or at abroad, it matters not---and that as I donÕt remember any apology was made by the Portsmouth traveller for stuffing two large volumes in octavo, sometimes with trite remarks, and most commonly with no remarks at all, during eight days upon three of the neighbouring counties of England; so I shall not offer any for obtruding a couple of Shandean duodecimos with such as I have been able to make during two months, in five of the finest provinces of the Netherlands. Coriat.