78 CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 



LETTER V. 



FKOM THE REV. JOHN WHITE TO LINNAEUS. 



November 26, 1773. 

 SIR, 



ON the first day of this present year I had the honour to write 

 to you a very long letter, in answer to your kind favour dated 

 August 7, 1772, and also to inform you that I had left 

 Gibraltar, and was come to reside in England, as well as to 

 beg your farther sentiments concerning those birds which you 

 had not thoroughly examined when you wrote. 



As almost ten months have now elapsed, without my 



having any farther intelligence from you, I begin to fear that 



either my letter was not duly conveyed to you, or that you 



have not enjoyed that share of health which every lover of 



science must wish may be continued to you, by the goodness 



of providence, for many years. My letter was sent to the post 



in London, a few days after the date thereof, and should 



properly have reached your hands in the month of January 



last. Therefore to avoid, if possible the imputation of the 



least neglect of the honour conferred on me of being admitted 



among the number of your correspondents, I beg leave to 



communicate the above particulars, that you may be satisfied 



no neglect has happened, on my side. I venture, also, as 



before, to write in my own native language, supposing it 



equally obvious to you, and being in want of practice to 



express myself with equal readiness in the Latin tongue. 



However, if it happens to occasion to you any inconvenience 



in explaining an English letter, I will prevent it hereafter by 



making use of the Latin. The affairs of my new preferment 



engaged my attention the last summer, and prevented me 



from executing my intended ' Fauna Calpensis.' But I still 



hope to finish it, having a quantity of materials, and more 



specimens frequently sent by my friends at Gibraltar. 



