lo THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



But though White remained a bachelor, he seems 

 to have been a man of unusually affectionate dispo- 

 sition. His relations with the members of his family 

 were of the most cordial nature ; and one or another 

 of his numerous nephews and nieces was generally on 

 a visit to Selborne. Indeed, he appears to have been 

 seldom alone. Nephews "Jack," or Sam Barker, to 

 whom he writes many letters on natural history, come 

 to stay with him, or " Niece Molly," for whom he has 

 a special affection. One winter " brother and sister 

 John" live with him; and after "brother John's" 

 death the widow came to Selborne and resided with 

 her brother-in-law during the rest of his life. When 

 "Nephew Jack" marries, he sets off with his bride for 

 Selborne immediately after the ceremony. Gilbert is 

 much pleased with his new relation : " she is a nice 

 needlewoman," he says, " and also a proficient in 

 music, and can shoulder a violin, and in her carriage 

 much of a gentlewoman." Other friends too occasion- 

 ally visit our naturalist. John Mulso and his wife, 

 "a very inactive lady," sometimes braved the journey 

 from Meonstoke, some sixteen miles distant, and would 

 stay a fortnight. Or Dr. Richard Chandler, the cele- 

 brated Greek traveller, would come, and the two lovers 

 of antiquity would examine together the ancient docu- 

 ments relative to Selborne Priory. Another intimate 

 friend was the Rev. Ralph Churton, a Fellow of Brase- 

 nose, who seems to have usually spent Christmas at 

 Selborne. White was also on terms of the closest 

 friendship with his clerical neighbours at the Vicarage 

 and at Newton Valence ; and great was his distress 

 when within eleven months both Mr. Etty and Mr. 

 Yalden died. 



Though College livings now and again fell to his 



