THE Gentleman's AND Magazine HISTORICAL REVIEW. By SYLVANUS URBAN, GENT. M DCCC LXII. JULY TO DECEMBER INCLUSIVE. BEING VOLUME XIII. OF A NEW SERIES, THE RESIDENCE OF CAVE, THE FOUNDER OF THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, 1731. London: JOHN HENRY AND JAMES PARKER. PREFACE. THE close of another year again gives SYLVANUS URBAN the opportunity of communicating with his kind friends and patrons. It will, no doubt, be remembered by them, that a year ago he explained the reason why the price of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE remained unaltered, and promised, instead of a needless reduction, that a larger amount of interesting matter should be given. This has been done, and each Volume since published will be found to contain about a hundred pages more than formerly, whilst very considerable expense has been incurred by the Proprietor in providing suitable Illustrations, wherever the subject treated demanded them. The promise that was made, that any advantages arising from the repeal of the paper duty should be given to his readers, has been, he ventures to affirm, kept in a liberal spirit. But since this promise was made, and whilst it was being fully carried out, it appeared desirable to bring the claims of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, as the special organ of Archæology and Family History, to the notice of the educated classes. This was a proceeding which, it might be thought, could hardly be misunderstood; probably it was not, but it certainly was misrepresented, and was commented on in some unfriendly quarters as an indication that the oldest Periodical in the world was about to disappear. The old friends of SYLVANUS URBAN well knew that such was not the case; they corrected the misrepresentation, and so effectually urged the cause of their ancient friend that he has now, instead of making his final bow, to return his thanks to many additional Subscribers, and to assure them that his every effort shall be devoted to shew with each succeeding year additional claims on their patronage. Of the subjects treated in the present Volume SYLVANUS URBAN points to several on the recent International Exhibition, its Picture Galleries, and the treasures collected in the Loan Museum at South Kensington, as proofs that he bestows an intelligent regard on matters of the present day as |