London to John O 1 Groat's. 265 



population constitute the three great divisions of the 

 people and include them all in his mind. He is 

 apt to leave out of count the Grentry, the great un- 

 titled MISTERS, who come in between the nobility 

 and middle-men, and constitute the connecting link 

 between them. " The fine old English gentleman, all 

 of the olden time," is supposed to belong to this class. 

 They make up most of "the old county families," of 

 which you hear more than you read. They are gene- 

 rally large landholders, owning from twenty to one 

 hundred farms. They live in grand old mansions, 

 surrounded with liveried servants, and inspire a mild 

 awe and respectful admiration, not only in the common 

 country people, but in the minds of persons in whom 

 an American would not look for such homage to 

 untitled rank. They hunt with horses and dogs over 

 the grounds of their tenant farmers, and the latter often 

 act as game-beaters for them at their "shootings." 

 When one of them owns a whole village, church and 

 all, he is generally called " the Squire," but most 

 of them are squired without the definite article. They 

 still boast of as good specimens of " the fine old English 

 gentleman " as the country can show ; and I am in- 

 clined to think it is not an unfounded pretension, although 

 I have not yet come in contact with many of the class. 

 One of this country squirocracy I know personally 



