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PREFACE. THE reader of this book will very naturally be dis posed to ask the question, why the geographies, histo ries, and other works of a similar character, have never made any mention of the regions and events that compose its subject. The answer is obvious enough, and ought to satisfy every mind, however " inquiring." The fact is, that the authors of the dif- fe^ent works to which there is any allusion, most pro bably never heard there were any such places as the Reef, Rancocus Island, Vulcan s Peak, the Crater, and the other islands of which so much is said in our pages. In other words, they knew nothing about them. We shall very freely admit that, under ordinary circumstances, it would be prima facie evidence against the existence of any spot on the face of this earth, that the geographies took no notice of it. It will rr * O^^C^^N m IVi lA>-<Co3 /
