page vii

A Card.

Mr. Bowman presents his respectful compliments to the Public, and hopes they will not expect from one of his education and profession, purity of style, or correctness of composition. To these pleasing and elegant parts of writing, these high finishings, he makes no pretension; but in this Narrative, contents himself with a simple relation of facts; valuable only for an inviolable adherence to truth, without disguise and without ornament.

He slatters himself, some allowances will be made for the Plates, when it is observed, that they were drawn and etched by himself. Hispage viiitalents in Design (though useful to him in his Travels), he is conscious are below mediocrity; and that these specimens now published, require an apology for their appearance in this country at present, when it abounds with excellent Artists. What he begs leave to say in excuse is, that one of moderate abilities in the art, might possibly represent a scene, in which he had been interested, either as a spectator or actor, with more truth, than another of superior merit could be able to do, only from meer description.