History of the Palma Dactylifera, growing in Persia, its differing species, male and female, its culture, growth, preparation and uses, far beyond whatever was known of this singular Tree: With many other observations, equally curious and useful, which may perhaps one time or other be communicated to the publick.

He did not leave Gamron till the latter end of June 1688. The Fleet, on board which he went, having orders to touch at most Dutch settlements in Arabia the Happy, the Great Mogul's Country, upon the Coasts of Malabar, in the island Ceylon, in the Gulph of Bengale, and the island of Sumatra, he had an opportunity of seeing all these several Countries, every where with the same spirit of industry, and the same thirst of knowledge. Had his stay there been greater, his observations also would have been more numerous.

He arrived at Batavia in September 1689, and staid there some months. This wealthy and populous town, the chief seat of the Dutch power in the Indies, was then already so well known, and had been so particularly described by preceding writers, that Dr. Kempfer thought it altogether needless to make any enquiries concerning its rise and flourishing condition, its commodious and agreeable situation, its trade and riches, its power and government, and the like, any farther than it was requisite to satisfy his own curiosity. For this reason he turned his thoughts chiefly to the Natural History_of_that Country, a far nobler subject, and more suitable to his taste and capacity. The rich and curious garden of Cornelius van Outhoorn, who was then Director General of the Dutch East India Company, the garden of M. Moller, and the Island Eidam, which lies but a few leagues off Batavia, offer'd to his observation great numbers of rare and singular plants, native and foreign, many of them not known before, the description and figures whereof he intended to publish, together with many others observ'd by him in the course of his Travels, particularly in Persia, in the Island Ceylon, the Kingdom

of Siam, and the Empire of Japan, all which are now in the hands of Sir Hans Sloane. He had most certainly many qualifications necessary to make a good Botanist, a competent knowledge of that science, so far as it was improved in his time, a body enured to hardships, a great stock of industry and application, and which in my opinion is no less material, an excellent hand at drawing. With all these advantages he did not barely confine himself to the curious part of this science, an accurate description of the Plants and their parts, which though never so necessary, is yet thought too dry a subject by most readers. He endeavour'd to make his observations useful to mankind, and took a great deal of pains to enquire into the manifold uses of the Plants he describes, whether relating to Physick, Agriculture, Manufactures, and the like, as also into the way of cultivating and preparing them to make them serve for these several purposes. How happily he succeeded therein, the description of the Tea and PaperTree, which I have inserted into the Appendix to this History, to instance in no more, will sufficiently evince.

He set out from Batavia, on his voyage to Japan, in May 1690, in quality of Physician to the Embassy, which the Dutch East-India Company sends, once a year, to the Japanese Emperor's Court: And in order to make all possible advantages of this voyage, he obtain'd leave to go on board that Ship, which was order'd to touch at Siam, that thereby he might have an opportunity of seeing also that Kingdom. The observations he made in the course of this voyage, in the Kingdom of Siam, and afterwards during two years abode in the Empire of Japan, being the subject of this present work, it is needless here to enlarge on the same. Japan was not only the last Eastern Country he intended to visit, but also that which he had been long desirous to see, and always looked upon as a deserving subject for a laborious enquiry. The scarce superable difficulties, enough to deter even the most industrious, spurr'd him on to more painful searches, and he willingly sacrificed his time, art and money, to procure,

for himself and others, a thorough information of a Country, of which, till then, no satisfactory account had been given: With what success he hath done it, is left to the publick to determine.

He quitted Japan, in order to his return into Europe, in November 1692, and Batavia in February 1693. He staid near a month at the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Amsterdam in the month of October following. In April 1694, he took his degree of Doctor in Physick at the University of Leyden, and on this occasion, as it is customary in foreign Universities, for Gentlemen aspiring to the like promotions, to give a publick proof of their ability, by what they call Inaugural Theses, he communicated to the learned world ten very singular and curious observations, he had made in foreign Countries, on the celebrated Agnus Scythica, or Borometz, a pretended Plant-Animal, which he shews to be a mere figment, occasioned, perhaps, by some affinity of the name Borometz, with Borannetz in the Russian, and Borannek in the Polish Language, whereby is denoted a particular kind of sheep about the Caspian Sea, in the Bulgarian Tartary and Chorasmia: On the bitter taste of the waters in the Caspian Sea: On the true Persian Native Mummy, called Muminahi: On the Torpedo, a singular fish, which benumbs the fingers of those who touch it: On the Sanguis Draconis made out of the fruit of a Coniferous Palm On the Dracunculus, or Vena Medeni of Arabian writers: On the Andrum, a sort of Hydrocele, or watry rupture, and the Perical, an Ulcer in the Legs, two endemial distempers, among the Malabarians: On the Japanese way of curing the Colick by the Acupunctura, and on the Moxa, a Caustick in frequent use among the Chinese and Japanese.

Upon his return to his native Country, he intended forthwith to digest his Papers and written Memoirs into proper order, and to communicate to the publick what he had observed in his travels, and certainly, it would have been then the best time for it, when every thing

was as yet fresh in his mind: But his reputation and experience, and the honour which the Count de Lippe, his Sovereign Prince, did him, by appointing him Physician to himself and his family, quickly involved him into so extensive a practice, as with a multiplicity of other business, prevented his pursuing this laudable design with that vigour he himself desired, and its own nature and importance deserved. For these reasons it was chiefly, that the Amoenitates Exoticæ did not appear in print till the year 1712. That work, which was only intended as a Specimen and Prodromus of others, met (as indeed for the number and singularity of new and curious observations it well deserved) with a general applause, and begot, in all lovers of learning, an earnest solicitation for his other works promised in the Preface, to wit, his History of Japan, which is hereby offer'd to the publick, his Herbarium Ultra-Gangeticum, or the description and figures of the Plants observed by him in several Eastern Countries beyond the Ganges, and lastly, a compleat account of all his Travels.

He was married in 1700, to Maria Sophia Wilstach, only daughter of Wolfrath Wilstach, an eminent Merchant at Stolzenau, and had by her issue one son and two daughters, who all died in their infancy.

The long course of his Travels, the fatigues of his profession, and some private misfortunes in his family, had very much impair'd his constitution, and in the latter part of his life he was often troubled with the Colick, of which he had two very severe attacks, one in November 1715, and another at the beginning of 1716. This last fit laid him up for three weeks, however he recover'd it so far, that he was able to attend the Count de Lippe and his Family, as their Physician, at Pyrmont, and return'd, in July, to his Country Seat at Steinhof near Lemgow in pretty good health. On the 5th of September following he was suddenly seized with fainting fits, and a vomiting of blood, which continued upon him all night, reduced him very low. From that time he continued

in a lingring condition, though not altogether without hopes of recovery, having gather'd strength so far, as to be able to walk about his room: But on the 24th of October, having been ever since this last attack troubled with a nausea and loss of appetite, his vomiting of blood return'd upon him with great violence, and a fever, which lasted till the second of November, on which day he died, at five in the evening, 65 years and six weeks old. He was buried in the Cathedral Church of S. Nicolas at Lemgow.

Thus far my account of the Author's Life and remarkable Travels, which I have traced chiefly from his own manuscript memoirs, journals, letters to his friends, and the like, though I am indebted for some circumstances to a sermon, which was pronounced on his funeral by Bertholdus Haccius, a Minister at Lemgow, and printed at that place.