94 GILBEKT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1757 



statement of this presentation, and continues, '*by 

 which Moreton Pinkney will become vacant ; agreed 

 to give it to the Senior Fellow, who will serve it 

 in Person." With regard to the latter part of this 

 entry it should be especially noticed that residence 

 had not previously been required of any Fellow who 

 accepted this preferment, which was so small as not 

 to vacate a Fellowship. The next entry referring to 

 this subject is — 



"Dec. 15. Moreton Pinkney given to Mr. White as Senior 

 Petitioner, tho' without his intentions of serving it, not 

 choosing to waive his claim, tho' Mr. Land would have 

 accepted it upon the other more agreeable terms to the 

 society; I agreed to this to avoid any possibility of a 

 misconception of partiality, as I am convinced the major 

 part of those present did also; but agreed for the future 

 that in any of the Tenable preferments Preference shall 

 be given to any Fellow who will undertake to serve the 

 cure, before a Senior who would put in a Deputy." 



It is noticeable that the sudden access of virtue 

 which inspired the resolution to insist upon the 

 residence of the new incumbent was coincident with 

 the appointment of a Provost, who had not only 

 recently been in rivalry with Gilbert White, but, 

 as plainly appears from a former letter of Mulso's, 

 had also for some time been regarded by him with 

 some amount of dislike, which was probably, and 

 not unnaturally, reciprocated. 



On his part, Gilbert White no doubt urged, as 

 was the fact, that in the case of this very small 



