168 GILBEET WHITE OF SELBORNE 1769 



others conversation, and be soon as well acquainted in 

 person as by letter. Besides your part of the world would 

 not be without its charms from novelty ; as I am not 

 acquainted with the N.W. part of this island any farther 

 up than Shrewsbury. Your improvements, your mines, 

 your fossils, your botany, your shores, your birds, would 

 all be matter of the highest entertainment to me. But 

 then how am I to get at all these pleasures and amuse- 

 ments? I have neither time nor bodily abilities adequate 

 to so long a journey. And if I had time I am subject 

 to such horrible coach-sickness, that I should be near dead 

 long before I got to Chester. These difficulties, I know, 

 will be matter of great mirth to you, who have travelled 

 all over Europe ; but they are formidable to me. As there- 

 fore the man cannot come to the mountain, I hope the 

 mountain (since friendship will effect strange things) will 

 come to the man : I hope you will have it in your power 

 to meet me in London, and that you will gratify me with an 

 opportunity of waiting on you to Selborne." 



In April a visit was paid to London, where amuse- 

 ment was found for several days in observing and 

 noting all the different fish in the market. 



A letter to Pennant of May 29th, 1769, which 

 became Letter XXIV., commenced as follows : — 



"Dear Sir, — When your agreable but tardy letter of 

 April 22nd arrived at this place, I was in London: but it 

 was sent up after me. It gave me concern to hear you had 

 been a good while indisposed ; and satisfaction to find that 

 you are recovered. 



"The great honors that have befallen you at Drontheim 

 call for my congratulations.* You must heartily believe now 



* Writing of 1769 Pennant says ('Literary Life,' p. 11): "In the same 

 year I received a very polite letter from the reverend Jo. Ernest Gunner^ 

 bishop of Drontheim in Norway, informing me that I had been elected 

 member of the Royal Academy of Sciences on March the 9th past ; of whicli 



