able to accommodate a friend with a day's sport." This is a refuge far ex- ceeding the hackneyed pretence of a jubilee, that father of many lies. Now, sir, this fashion of letting game would also have been reckoned a very shabby thing in my younger days. But it is quite unnecessary to multiply instan- ces of the reigning regard to what is vulgarly called the main chance. Those I have already referred to must be ob- vious, and familiar to every one ; and there is no person whose own expe- rience and reflection will not furnish forth many more. From this display of economy in such matters, one would almost con- clude that the same spirit pervaded the whole menage, and that our country gentlemen were wallowing in wealth, and proud in independence, at least that they were enabled to live with greater comfort at home, and to ap- pear with more splendour abroad, than it was in the power of their progeni- tors to enjoy and exhibit in my younger days.
am much afraid, however, that
any one venturing on such a conclu- sion, would find that he had reckoned without his host, and that there is neither so much real comfort within doors, nor so much dignity displayed without, as in the days that have gone by. Then, when one went to visit a friend in the country, although the courses at dinner were not so nume- rous, yet the fare was equally abund- ant, and to the full as savoury ; and although there was not the same end- less, and I must say teazing, variety of skilpit wines produced, a good many more bottles of substantial claret were put upon the table, fully atoning for the absence of their more feckless and fashionable brethren. Then, gentle- men of two thousand a-year drove four good cattle in their carriage, at- tended by a brace of outriders " arm- ed for war complete ;" but now very few commoners in Scotknd drive more than a pair of horses, and the poor animals are so loaded with dickies be- fore, and barouche-seats behind the vehicle, that it looks more like a first rate Newcastle waggon than a gentle- man's equipage. I actually saw a baronet of my acquaintance get under way at Cheltenham, for his seat in the north of Scotland, with a cargo of thirteen souls stowed away in, and on, his coach, viz. J In my Younger Days. [Aug.
on the dickie before.
Item, 3 in the barouche-seat behind. Item, 7 sitters, or rather squeezers, in the inside. Item, 1 young gentleman, 4 months old, pendant in slings from the top of the carriage.
grand total.
Yet, Mr Editor, these wonderful efforts of, or rather at, economy, seem to answer no proportionate end. In my younger days, country gentlemen, with few exceptions, made a shift to continue in the management of their own affairs during life ; but now the prevailing fashion, or rather passion, is to get TRUSTEED with all possible expedition ; a landlord, whose estate is not at nurse, is as great a show as a live author was in my younger days, previous to our being afflicted with the writing typhus ; and a country gentleman selects for the nonce a few of his friends, assisted by the disin- terested labours of a city and a coun- try-writer, who underlie all the trouble of managing his affairs at an expense not much exceeding that of a stud of running horses, and a crack pack of fox-hounds. From this arrangement, one evident advantage results, viz. that the trusteed, from employing these le- gal characters, these aucupii, secures all the pleasure, as well as the profit, arising from the sport, entirely to him- selfno mean consideration in this selfish age. In my humble opinion, six or seven years may be considered a reasonable allowance of time for a man of mid- dling fortune to " outrun the con- stable ;" but a man of very large es- tate will probably accomplish the ob- ject much sooner, especially if the lady of the mansion be a woman of business, who starts at six o'clock in the morning, and piques herself on being a notable. In that case I have known the object very decently achiev- ed in about half the time. It invariably happens, that the pro- gress of incumbrance, as observed a- bove, advances with increased rapidity in proportion to the largeness of the estate, a circumstance doubtless aris- ing from the proprietor being sensible of the necessity of using despatch, when so great a mass of business lies before him ; and if his pecuniary dif- ficulties happened to be great, previous
