Excerpt from The Illustrated History of the British Empire in India and the East, From the Earliest Times to the Suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1859, Vol. 1 of 2 The Introduction to this Work is so written as to render a long preface neither necessary nor desirable. Probably, a History of the British Empire in India and the East is one of the most laborious works Which couldbe undertaken, however popular the form Which may be given to it. This circumstance, so well known, furnishes the Author With a plea for the indulgence of his readers, Whose support has been so extensively given to his productions. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.