I shall, however, I doubt not, be accused of having misled my readers by not preparing them for events, which the tenor of my work gave them no immediate reason to expect.
It would be a poor justification to say, that I foresaw much, which it was not possible for me to predict: I rather choose to admit that I did mot foresee the excesses, which political animosity has since engendered; and, that although I was aware that there existed in Mexico a number of ambitious men, willing to hazard every thing in order to obtain political power, I did not foresee that, by a chain of untoward events, the better portion of the community would be so disunited, intimidated, and overawed, as to become passive spectators of the execution of their projects.
To investigate the causes of the late changes, would be a task as unpleasing, as it would be fruitless; — and, although sufficiently provided with materials, (from the communications which I have naturally kept up with many natives of a country, in which I passed not the least interesting period of my life,) I prefer confining myself to a plain narration of what has taken place, which will be found in the Additional Chapter annexed to the present edition.
With the exception of this Chapter, (which likewise contains whatever information I have been enabled to collect respecting the mines,) and a few unimportant verbal alterations, the work remains exactly as it was; for I have thought it better to lay the whole of my new matter before my readers in a compact shape,
