334 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



blind, & has gone thro' great Pains wth her Eyes : She is rather 

 better, tho' She will hardly save her Sight long. My Sister 

 desires to be kindly remembered to you. She talks of leaving 

 us this week. 



My poor unsuccessfuU Son William is now wth Us. He was 

 paid ofif out of the Janus, but Ld Howe will not confirm his 

 Lieutenancy. He is very well in Health & Spirits, & is im- 

 proved in his Person, which threatened to be preposterously 

 short; however, he is at present taller than Myself, about as 

 tall as my Brother Mulso, which is enough to make a Captain 

 of, as well as a Lieutenant, if Ld Howe did not wear the Aes 

 triplex about his breast. 



My Wife & all my Children desire their affte Eespects to you 

 & your's. I hope Charles Etty will come home rich, tho' he 

 comes home later than his good Mother expected. We think of 

 returning to Winter Quarters the first Thursday in Novr, which 

 is, I think, — yes ; ye 2d. 



Meantime I am. Dear Gil, Your's very afftely, 



J. Mulso. 



Letter 219. 

 Revd Mr White, Winchester, 



at Selborne near Alton, Hants. + at Alton. May 6, 1787. 



Dear Gil : 



Your Nephew John White did Us ye Favour to call here 

 a few Mornings ago, & take a Breakfast in his Way to Salisbury ; 

 he informed me that You purposed soon to take Wing for London 

 & S. Lambeth upon your Annual Visit. I wanted your Judge- 

 ment upon an affair relating to your College of Oriell. Had I 

 known of your being at Oxford, (which indeed I only suspected) 

 I might perhaps with more Propriety & Efficacy have addressed 

 You there. Some Time ago Dr Eveleigh wrote to me, & I have 

 been interrupted in writing both to him & You, by a Fit of the 

 Gout, a Cold, & Sore Throat, wth Hoarsenesses, & a Suite of 

 Complaints that kept me indisposed in Mind & Body. The 

 Provost's Letter was rather official than friendly, so there was 

 no Hurry in answering it. And before I did that, I determined 

 to call upon your opinion. He mentions a Library to be built 

 for the Reception of the Books &ca bequeathed to ye College by 

 Ld Leigh : and it seems necessary to ye Fund for this Purpose 

 to hint thfi opportunity of assisting the College to all it's Members 

 & Well-wishers. I confess I have no great Ability in Edification, 

 in this Sense of the word, & therefore have not made my ofi'er 

 for Fear of doing it in a little & pityfull Stile. My Intention was 

 to send a Draft on Child for £10.10.0. If You think I may do 

 this without blushing at the Minuteness of the offer, I will send 



