Page:Malay Annals.pdf/5



presenting this work to the Public, it may be proper to offer some explanation on the circumstances under which it was written, on the object of the Translator, and on the character and present condition of the people, whose early annals it records.

From the period at which Dr. Leyden first visited the Eastern Islands, in 1805, he may be said to have espoused the cause of the Malayan race with all the ardour and enthusiasm which so peculiarly distinguished his character. In the feudal notions and habits of this people, he found so much in accordance with his own feelings of honour and independence, that he was at once alive to their true character and interests; and, while his powerful and intelligent mind was engaged in deeper researches into their languages and literature, he neglected no opportunity of becoming acquainted with their more popular tales and traditions.