166 CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 



The late election at Salisbury has done my nep. John 

 much honour ; but neither he nor his mother is elated on the 

 occasion, because he quits a little certain business in hopes of 

 greater. He certainly was getting ground at Alton. Should 

 he succeed at Sarum, there will be more field-room for getting 

 money than in our poor rough district; and so there had 

 need ; for the infirmary brings neither salary nor emolument, 

 but only credit, from the supposition that the surgeon is a 

 man of skill and merit in his profession. 



Bro. Tho. is here, and Bro. and sister Ben. and Mary at 

 Newton : they join in respects. I am glad to hear that Mr. 

 and Mrs. Brown have left Uppingham. I am, with all due 

 respects, 



Your affectionate uncle, 



GIL. WHITE. 



Our hop-planters returned from Weyhill fair with cheerful 

 faces, and full purses, having sold a large crop of hops for a 

 good pi-ice. The reason was because the Kentish hops, which 

 were a fortnight behind, were blown away by the tempests. 

 The parish of Selborne will be much benefitted by the hop 

 plantations, to the amount, some say, of near 2000. The 

 women had a fine picking, and earned 2s. 6d. pr day. Uncle 

 Harry has built him a hermitage at Fyfield, on which Sam 

 White has written a good copy of verses. Mr. Twopeny is 

 just married. 



LETTER XLVI. 



TO THOMAS BARKER, ESQ. 



Selborne, Jan. 10 ; 1787. 

 DEAR SIR, 



I HAVE herewith sent you the Selborne rain, an account of 

 which, I think, has been kept very exactly, but know nothing 

 of the Fyfield and S. Lambeth rain. There fell such a glut of 

 rain in the beginning of Oct. that men were in some pain about 



