PREFATORY NOTE. 



THERE is scarcely a class in society at 

 the present time that is not repre- 

 sented more or less directly in the ranks of 

 modern journalism. Setting aside that which 

 may be considered the creme de la crciiie of 

 professional periodical literature — namely, 

 that which relates to " Law, Physic, and 

 Divinity," we have the " Bookseller," repre- 

 senting the publishing interest ; the " Builder" 

 and its associates, keeping us an coitrant in all 

 matters appertaining to stone and lime ; " En- 

 gineering" and the " Engineer" require no 

 explanation to indicate their special line, any 

 more than the "Draper" or the "Grocer;" 

 the " Baker's Record," redolent of flour and 

 yeast, and eloquent on hot rolls ; "Licensed 

 Victuallers" under the protectionof their own 

 "Guardian;" while "Mine Uncle" drinketh 

 in knowledge from the columns of the "Pawn- 

 broker's Gazette." 



"When so much is done to represent " class 

 interests " through the medium of the press, 

 it is only natural to expect that such an im- 

 portant section of society as that which is 

 included under the designation of " Country 

 Gentlemen" would not be forgotten. Con- 

 sequently, we do find that by no means an 

 insignificant portion of the general as well as 

 the periodical literature of the day is addressed 

 to that class, and devoted to one or more of 

 those points in which Country Gentlemen feel 

 a special interest. 



Time was when a Country Gentleman's 

 literary researches seldom extended further 

 than a " Boke of Farriery," while his lady 



VOL. I. 



confined her attention to some treatise 

 which discussed " Housewifrie," and the pre- 

 paration of those wonderful concoctions with 

 which she treated the ailments of her humble 

 dependents ; but the Lady Bountifulsand Squire 

 Westerns of former days have long since passed 

 away; and although ladies are as prone as ever 

 to acts of kindness, and the exercise of a 

 warm sympathy when occasion demands, 

 they are now inclined, and very properly 

 so, to leave the actual treatment of bodily 

 ailments to the regular practitioner. There 

 are so many things now-a-days which press 

 upon the attention of the Country Gentleman 

 that he cannot very well devote himself to 

 any one special object. He may, indeed, 

 have his particular " hobby," but even in 

 that case he is still obliged to turn his at- 

 tention now and then to other matters. 

 He must know a little of Farming, and 

 even of Architecture and Landscape Garden- 

 ing — gardening proper being more imme- 

 diately the lady's care — his " tall ancestral 

 trees " demand that Arboriculture should 

 not, in his case, be one of the occult sciences ; 

 he is a Magistrate, and, therefore, some 

 familiarity with Legal matters is indispensable. 

 The Stable and the Kennel are too important 

 adjuncts of his establishment to be overlooked, 

 while they contribute, with other things, to 

 supply him with those healthful amusements 

 to which the gentlemen of this country are 

 universally attached. Some, indeed, manifest 

 stronger proclivities for certain departments 

 more than others. In some cases, for 



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