42 
THE STATE OF 
can bear witness ; whilst those who have been amongst its most 
valued contributors have all along most strongly testified their 
opinion by the support they have been pleased to confer upon it. 
From the first The Veterinarian has been identified with 
no other interest than those of the profession, and to the last the 
profession’s journal it must remain. When it ceases to be that, 
it must cease to exist. If the profession — by which is meant 
the general body of veterinary practitioners — have any fault to 
find with it, they have only to express their dissatisfaction, and 
point out the nature of it, for the grievance to be removed : not 
so when complaints come from parties. It has never truckled to 
party-interest. It never can. It must wave its banners, pro bono 
publico ; and manfully fight under that ensign, and under no 
other. 
P. 
Nine years have passed since the commencement of the last 
series, and, until the spring of 1840, they were pleasantly and 
profitably passed. All parties seemed to have amalgamated — all 
seemed to view with equal delight the onward progress of our 
profession. Then came that fatal Circular, the existence of which 
we give the author the credit of deeply lamenting — a document 
which has eventually contributed to diminish, to a fearful degree, 
the income of the practitioner — which has destroyed thousands 
of our cattle, not one of which needed to have perished, and 
which has produced a species of alienation between the breeder 
of the cattle, and the man to whom he used to repair with con- 
fidence when any of his beasts were afflicted with disease. 
Alarmed at the altered situation in which he w 7 as placed, 
the veterinary surgeon looked fearfully around in order to dis- 
cover the cause of the evil which he felt or dreaded ; and, as it 
regarded his neighbours, his professional brethren, and those 
whom he used to view with respect and confidence, many a kindly 
feeling between man and man was alarmingly and disgracefully 
diminished. Of too many of our professional brethren residing 
in the country this was too faithful a picture a few months ago. 
All this, however, will gradually pass away. The agriculturist, 
wearied by losses which he ought not to have experienced,will again 
