1761 BEGINS 'THE GAKDEN KALENDAR' 63 



for the whole of the rest of Gilbert White's lifetime. 

 Possibly a remarkable man, Dr. Steven Hales, cele- 

 brated as a writer of works on natural philosophy, 

 may have suggested the keeping of this journal. 

 In the correspondence which arose after the pub- 

 lication of * The History of Selborne ' between its 

 author and Eobert Marsham, the well-known Norfolk 

 naturalist, Gilbert White mentions his father's and 

 his own friendship with Dr. Hales, who was his 

 neighbour, he says, for part of the year, residing 

 at his rectory of Faringdon, and of whom he gives 

 some account. Marsham, in his first letter, mentions 

 that he had kept a journal for above fifty years, and 

 tliat it was undertaken "by the advice of my most 

 estimable friend, the late Dr. Hales." Very possibly, 

 though Dr. Hales' talents were chiefly directed to 

 branches of science other than the observation of 

 nature out of doors, Gilbert White's mind may 

 have been considerably influenced by his friend's 

 philosophical pursuits, of which he gives some ac- 

 count in his letter to Marsham of February 25th, 

 1791. Dr. Hales held the Rectory of Faringdon 

 from 1722 to his death, in 1761. 

 This journal, which is headed thus — 



'The Garden Kalendar for the Year 1751/ 

 was commenced and for many years written on leaves 

 of quarto letter-paper. It was begun as an almost 

 daily chronicle of the weather, the sowing of the 

 usual garden seeds, of work in the garden, and of 



