'The pretensions of Princes with their Alliances, Relations and
Genealogies.

'The customs of Nations with regard to Trade, and receptions of strangers,
their domestic Customs, as Rites of Marriage and Burial. Their particular
Laws. Their habits, recreations and amusements.

'The religious Opinions of all Nations.

'These and many other heads of observation will be collected, not merely
from the Dictionaries now extant in many Languages, but from the best
Surveys, Local Histories, Voyages, and particular accounts[1], among
which care will be taken to select those of the best authority, as the
basis of the Work, and to extract from them such observations as may
best promote Knowledge and gratify Enquiry, so that it is to be hoped,
there will be few remarkable places in the known World, of which the
Politician, the Merchant, the Sailor, or the Man of Curiosity may not
find a useful and pleasing account, of the credit of which the Reader
may always judge, as the Authors from whom it is taken will be regularly
quoted, a caution which if some, who have attempted such general works,
had observed, their labours would have deserved, and found more favour
from the Publick.'

[Footnote 1: That this is done will appear from the authours' names
exactly quoted.]

This letter must have been written about the year 1753, for Bathurst
is described as a physician of about eight years' standing. He took
his degree as Bachelor of Medicine at Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1745,