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—A.—
COPY OF INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
Downing Street, April 18, 1816.
It is most desirable that any person travelling into the interior should keep a detailed Journal of his proceedings. In this Journal all observations and occurrences of every kind, with all their circumstances, however minute, and however familiar they may have been rendered by custom, should be carefully noted down; and it is also desirable that he should be as circumstantial as possible in describing the general appearance of the country, its surface, soil, animals, vegetables and minerals, every thing that relates to the population, the peculiar manners, customs, language, etc., of the individual natives, or the tribes of them that he may meet with.
The following however will be among the most important subjects, on which it will be more immediately the province of a traveller to endeavour to obtain information.
The general nature of the climate, as to the heat, cold, moisture, winds, rains, etc.; the temperature regularly registered from Fahrenheit's thermometer, as observed at two or three periods of the day.
The direction of the mountains; their general appearance as to shape, whether detached, or continuous in ranges.
The rivers, and their several branches, their direction, velocity, breadth and depth.
The animals, whether birds, beasts, or fishes, reptiles, insects, etc., distinguishing those animals, if any, which appear to have been domesticated by the natives.