Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest

“ That immense Empire is so little known; the prejudices of its inhabitants, or rather the wisdom of its government, has thrown so many obstacles in the way of those Europeans who might feel a desire to penetrate into the country in order to satisfy their curiosity and to examine what imperfect and hasty sketches have given them a faint idea of, that if it is easy to give imaginary details for certain facts, it is at the same time difficult to secure a true relation, from the existing distrust, which puts the Reader upon his guard against the Narrator. ”

“ Finally, as if it were M. Van-Braam's destiny to signalize his abode in China by the most striking circumstances, he has brought over with him several Chinese, who seem to be come purposely to attest the truth of what he has related concerning their country, or has represented in his collection of drawings: a collection which he exposed for several months at Philadelphia to the view of all amateurs of the sciences. ”

“ The Editor will conclude this Advertisement by a reflection which will no doubt strike the Reader as it does him: it is, that M. Van Braam's journal, not being a work undertaken with a view to reason upon China in a systematic manner, but to give an account of what he has met with and perceived, it cannot be supposed or expected that he should reduce facts to an agreement with any particular opinions. It is simple facts that he relates; he commits them to paper in the order in which they present themselves ”

“ With this desire was combined that rational curiosity which seeks to penetrate into mysteries under which it imagines useful truths to lie concealed; and, lastly, that sentiment so natural to a European, of wishing to acquire further knowledge of a nation of which the little already known furnishes matter of so much well-founded astonishment.
As soon as this project was conceived, M. Van-Braam made it one of his principal concerns. Industrious both by habit and disposition; led by his very duties to make observations; having opportunities more or less frequent of questioning Chinese ”

“ It is to shew the well-informed reader what degree of confidence he may place in the Travels now submitted to his inspection, that the Editor has thought it adviseable to give him some idea of the character of the person who presents them to the public. ”