4 PREFACE. 



But those who merely dislike the general change of system in our Maga- 

 zine, we hope to do better with ; and to assure them that, along with 

 some matters of literary amusement, and perhaps instruction, which they 

 had not before, we shall continue to give them at least as " much mat- 

 ter-of-fact" as they possessed under the reign of our predecessors. 

 For the truth is "all is not gold," our matter-of-fact friends will 

 be aware of this, " that glisters ;" and a very great deal of the 

 " fact " which used to delight them in this Magazine, we are very 

 much afraid was apochryphal. There never could have been, we 

 suspect, all that great number of extraordinary oysters, and hens 

 with one leg, and gooseberries as big as pumpkins with which 

 they used to be delighted, month after month, in the way of " fact j" 

 and the discussions of " A." and " B." about curing smoky chimnies, 

 and managing household servants, the world may be assured had abso- 

 lutely no truth in them : for here is the proof chimnies continue to 

 smoke, and housemaids to be slatternly, to this day. 



We do, therefore, intreat these, our good friends many, for instance, 

 who have personally written to us to look at us again. We do think that 

 they will find, in the way of serious discussion, more, a great deal, in the 

 Magazine now than they even used to find before. And for the Wonders 

 why they ought to be noticed ; and we have engaged a gentleman every 

 month, to write a " Letter to a Friend in the Country " upon that parti- 

 cular subject, which we publish for the comfort of our provincial corres- 

 pondents. And, besides as we wish to hit all tastes as well as we may 

 we hereby give notice, that we will do something, now and then, about 

 curing the tooth-ache, and pickling onions, in the small-letter paragraphs 

 at the end. 



For the rest having detained our readers long enough we have 

 only to assure them, in sober earnest, that no branch of information or 

 amusement shall be neglected in the Magazine. An addition has 

 recently been made to our foreign correspondence, which will enable us 

 to give increased novelty and interest to our article of " Varieties ;" and 

 the various matters of domestic information, for which our work has long 

 been esteemed the Medical, Agricultural, Meteorological, and Com- 

 mercial Reports the Biographical Memoirs Proceedings of Learned 

 Societies Lists of Promotions, Patents, &c. &c., will continue to be 

 derived from such sources as form the most perfect guarantee for their 

 correctness and authenticity. With which assurance we take our leave, 

 with every respect, of the Public for this time; wishing them all, according 

 to the phraseology of the season, " a Happy new year." And to our 

 SUBSCRIBERS especially towards whom a little partiality may be excu- 

 sable very sincerely adding, " a great many happy returns " (pro- 

 vided they continue to subscribe) of the same salutation. 



1st January 1827. 



