All, therefore, that a person who engages to draw up a catalogue can
do, is to exercise and apply as much research and judgment as possible, and
to request his readers, if they find general proofs of such research and
judgment, to attribute the omission of what they think ought to have been
inserted, or the insertion of what they think ought to have been omitted,
to difference of opinion, rather than to a deficiency in research or
judgment.
It may be proper to remark, with regard to the principle of selection
pursued, that many works are admitted which do not bear the title of
travels; this has been done, wherever, though not under that title, they
are the result of the actual travels and observations, or enquiries of the
authors. The form into which information respecting the agriculture,
manufactures, commerce, antiquities, natural history, manners, &c. of
foreign countries is cast, or the title under which it is communicated to
the world, is obviously of little consequence, provided the information is
not merely compiled by a stranger to the country, and is accurate and
valuable. Such works, however, as are avowedly written for scientific
purposes, and for the exclusive use of scientific men, and are consequently
confined to scientific researches and information conveyed in the peculiar
language of the science, are omitted.
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