xl MEMOIR. 



examples in the present collection of his works. Besides 

 his book and a large number of his original letters, I 

 have ventured to publish one of his sermons and a por- 

 tion of his ' Garden Kalendar/ for the latter of which I 

 am indebted to the late James Field, Esq., and for the 

 former to the Rev. M. G. Watkins. 



Having two brothers residing in London, his visits to 

 the metropolis were not infrequent his opportunities of 

 becoming acquainted with persons of distinction in in- 

 tellectual acquirements were constantly cultivated ; and. 

 his fellowship at Oxford enabled him to keep up his 

 personal intimacy with his old college friends. 



Among the men of note in the literary and scientific 

 world with whom Gilbert White maintained a more or 

 less intimate acquaintance were Sir Joseph Banks, the 

 Hon. Daines Barrington, Pennant, Dr. Nash (the histo- 

 rian of Worcestershire), Lightfoot (the author of the 

 c Flora Scotica'), Mr. Churton, Dr. Chandler, of Magdalen 

 College (the distinguished antiquary and traveller), and 

 many others. Of these, Pennant, Daines Barrington, 

 and Chandler are the most interesting, with reference to 

 their connexion with Gilbert White the former two 

 as the persons to whom are addressed the letters which 

 constitute the whole of the natural history of his book, 

 and the last as having been his principal help in sup- 

 plying the information on which the antiquarian portion 

 is founded. 



The time and circumstances of his first introduction 

 to Pennant are uncertain; but, as his brother Benjamin 

 was Pennant's publisher, it is very probable that it was 

 through his means that the connexion, which afterwards 

 became so intimate and so mutually influential, had its 

 commencement. 



