1770 



A BAD TRAVELLER NOW 173 



almost indefatigable Companion, and an assiduous scholar in 

 your botanic searches : you have already taught her to be 

 peering at the bottoms of old walls, tho' a S-r R-v-rence 

 lies close to her Foot. I am glad to hear that your brother 

 John has made so handsome a contribution to your Feet 

 Measure of nephews and nieces, and that you all approve 

 of the mother of the boy. I wish him success, and do not 

 wonder that he is tired of the Rock, but yet I think that 

 he is more like to lay up there, than in any place that he 

 can change for in England. However, he is an Emeritus 

 and has deserved indulgence. If he proceeds as a southern 

 naturalist, he ought to be under the pay of his brother Ben ; 

 for he has had fine pickings out of your naturals — I mean 

 your naturalists — of late years." 



The original of Letter XXVIL to Pennant, written 

 from Selborne on February 22nd, 1770, commenced 

 as follows : — 



" Dear Sir, — In the first place I am to acknowledge your 

 favour of Decem"^ 23 : which I had no proper leisure nor 

 opportunity of answering before the time at which you 

 proposed to leave Flintshire. I am also to express my 

 thanks for your friendly letter of last week from London, in 

 which you press me to give you a meeting in town. If 

 nothing was wanting but inclination I should with pleasure 

 have set out before now : but this is not a convenient season 

 for me to be from home ; and I am now become a very bad 

 traveller: however, I will endeavour to give you a meeting 

 if possible. . . ." 



The letter, as printed by its author, concluded 



with the sentence — 



" In general, foreign animals fall seldom in my way ; my 

 little intelligence is confined to the narrow sphere of my 

 own observations at home." 



