beloved retreat. The swallows, his favourite object of notice among the 'winged people,' were at the moment careering in circles round the house, and twittering among its eaves. In looking over the garden-fence, I thought of its quondam tenant, and his old familiar friends, his tortoise, whose habits he has so quaintly described; and at last the form of the venerable naturalist himself almost rose up in fancy before me. In the churchyard is an ancient yew, which I do not remember that White has noticed, and measuring full sixteen feet in girth." And here we may set this tasteful traveller right. Although no mention is made of this tree in the Natural History, it occurs in the fifth letter of the "Antiquities of Selborne," where White says that in the churchyard of the village is a yew-tree whose aspect bespeaks it to be of a great age. It seems to have seen several centuries, and is probably coeval with the church, and therefore may be deemed an antiquity. The body is short, squat, and thick, and measures twenty-three feet in the girth, supporting a head of suitable extent to its bulk. This is a male tree, which in the spring sheds clouds of dust, and fills the atmosphere around with farina. We may mention, while speaking of the Selborne churchyard, that on the fifth grave from the north wall of the chancel, the following inscription may be seen on a head-stone: G. W. 26 JUNE, 1793. There is "a slight heave of the turf," and this marks the humble grave of the naturalist and philosopher. In the church there is the following inscription on a monument: IN THE FIFTH GRAVE FROM THIS WALL ARE BURIED THE REMAINS OF THE REV. GILBERT WHITE, M. A., FIFTY YEARS FELLOW OF ORIEL COLLEGE, IN OXFORD, AND HISTORIAN OF THIS HIS NATIVE PARISH. HE WAS ELDEST SON OF JOHN WHITE, ESQUIRE, BARRISTER-AT-LAW, AND ANNE, HIS WIFE, ONLY CHILD OF THOMAS HOLT, RECTOR OF STREATHAM, IN SURREY, WHICH SAID JOHN WHITE WAS THE ONLY SON OF GILBERT WHITE, FORMERLY VICAR OF THIS PARISH. HE WAS KIND AND BENEFICENT TO HIS RELATIONS, BENEVOLENT TO THE POOR, AND DESERVEDLY RESPECTED BY ALL HIS FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS. HE WAS BORN JULY 18TH, 1720, o. s., AND DIED JUNE 26TH, 1793. NEC BONO QUICQUAM MALI EVENIRE POTEST, NEC VIVO, NEC MORTUO. Few personal reminiscences of Gilbert White are now to be collected at Selborne. The writer we have quoted states, that "all an old dame, who had nursed several of the family, could tell him of a philosophical old bachelor, was that he was a still, quiet body," and that "there wasn't a bit of harm in him, I'll assure you, sir,—there wasn't, indeed." Alas! for all the dignity of science, and all the honour that befalleth a prophet in his own country." 66 Mr. White died, as we have already said, at the advanced age of seventy-three, having passed his life with scarcely other vicissitudes than those of the seasons. any The following letter, with which the editor has been favoured by one of Mr. White's family, will show his style of correspondence, it was addressed to his brother Thomas. DEAR BROTHER, As I have often heard Sir S. Stuart say, that if he had his timber to sell over again he could sell it for 500l. or 6007. more than he made of it: and as men seldom have much timber to sell a second time, you should, I think, retain Mr. Hounsom as your counsel, and make use of his superior judgment before you bargain. I hope you will find 4,000l. worth of trees that are ripe on your estate, and that sum will help much towards your younger children's fortunes. As the blotted will is in the testator's own handwriting, I fear that circumstance will go much against us. Our uncle, Francis White, of Baliol Coll., left three imperfect wills in his own handwriting, much interlined with a pencil, and in strange confusion and obscurity; but as the parties chiefly concerned were Alderman White and our Grandfather of the Vicarage, they were so wise and moderate as to let law alone, and to settle matters by reference: so the lawyers were bit. By all means, when you are more settled, begin laying in a fund of materials for the Nat. Hist. and Antiquities of this county. You are now at a time of life when judgment is mature, and when you have not lost that activity of body necessary for such pursuits. You must afford us good engravings to your work, and carry about an artist to the remarkable places. In many respects you will easily beat Plot: he is too credulous sometimes trifling, and sometimes superstitious; and at all times ready to make a needless display and ostentation of erudition. Your knowledge of physic, chemistry, anatomy, and botany, will greatly avail you. The sameness of soil in this county will prove to your disadvantage; while the variety of stuff is prodigious; coal, lead, copper, salt, marble, alabaster, fuller's earth, potters' clay, pipe-clay, iron, marl, &c. while we in general have nought but chalk. But then you must get Benj. to write abroad for the treatise De cretâ, and make the most of it, as it is so little known. Bp. Tanner will be of vast use for the religious houses. It is to be lamented that Plot was prevented by death from going on, for he improves vastly in his second Hist., which greatly exceeds his "Oxfordshir." We have you know, an actual Survey of Hants, which you must get reduced so as to fold into a folio. You should study heraldry, and give the coats of arms of our nobility and gentry: till lately I was not aware how necessary that study is to an antiquarian: it is soon learnt, I think. There are in this county 253 parishes, most of which you should see. The Isle of Wight must also come into your plan. Time has not yet permitted me to go through half Priestley's Electrical Hist. ; but in vol. i. p. 86, I remark that Dr. Desaguliers proposed the following conjecture concerning the rise of vapours :- "The air at the surface of water being electrical, particles of water, he thought, jumped to it; then becoming themselves electrical, they repelled both the air and one another, and consequently ascended into the higher regions of the atmosphere." If this be always the case, what becomes of our supposition, which is, that by contact and condensation, the water in vapour is drawn from the air to the water, and that thus upland ponds are mostly supplied? Yours, affect., GIL. WHITE. I never saw an electrometer. Our neighbourhood is all bad with colds; and among the rest myself also: some have eruptive fevers. It is hoped that this short sketch of an observant outdoor naturalist, and true lover of nature, will not be found uninteresting. There is something so pleasing in tracing Mr. White's pursuits, in contemplating his kind and amiable disposition, and in viewing his benevolent and christian character, that we cannot but turn to the perusal of his charming work with increased pleasure and delight when the writer of it is more clearly placed before us. The editing of it has been a labour of love and pleasure to the present writer. Although a very humble follower and disciple of Gilbert White, he attributes his own pursuits, as an out-door naturalist, entirely to his example; and with him can truly declare, that they have, under Providence, by keeping the body and mind employed, contributed to much health and cheerfulness of spirits; and, what still adds to his happiness, have led him to the knowledge of a circle of friends, whose intelligent communications will ever be considered a matter of singular satisfaction and improvement. I am indebted to one of my daughters for the following short poetical summary of the Rev. Gilbert White's amiable character: He lived in solitude-'midst trees and flowers, With whisper'd sweetness, soothed the good man's ear; The hum of insects and the song of birds Spoke to his heart in tones more sweet than words. Him in those quiet shades the poor might bless, In nature's works he worshipp'd nature's God! MATILDA HOUSTOUN. |