210 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1772 



To Samuel Barker, 



(With an extract from a letter of Mr. Sheffield's as follows — ) 



Deer. 21, 1772. 



" My next Scene of Entertainment was in new Burlington 

 Street at Mr. Banks's. Indeed 'twas an invitation from this 

 gentleman that carried me to town. It would be absurd to 

 attempt a particular description of what I saw here, it would 

 be attempting to comprize within the Compass of a letter 

 what can only be done in several folio volumes. His house 

 is a perfect museum, every room contains an inestimable 

 treasure. I passed almost a whole day here in the utmost 

 astonishment, could scarce credit my senses, had I not been 

 an eye-witness of this immense magazine of curiosities, I 

 could not have thought it possible for him to have made 

 a twentieth part of the collection. I have excited your 

 curiosity, I wish to gratify it. But the field is so vast, and 

 my knowledge so superficial, that I dare not attempt par- 

 ticulars. I will endeavour to give you a general catalogue of 

 the furniture of three large rooms ; first the Armoury ; this 

 Room contains all the warlike instruments, mechanical 

 instruments, and utensils of every kind made use of by the 

 Indians in the south Seas, from Terra del Fuego to the 

 Indian Ocean. Such as bows and arrows, darts, spears of 

 various sorts and lengths, some pointed with fish, some with 

 human bones, polished very finely and very sharp, scull- 

 crackers of different forms and sizes, from 1 to 9 or 10 Feet 

 long, stone-hatchets, chisels made of human bones, canoes, 

 paddles, &c. It may be observed here that the Indians in 

 the south Seas were entire Strangers to the use of iron, before 

 our countrymen, and Monsieur Bougainville, arrived amongst 

 them ; of course these instruments of all sorts are made of 

 wood, stone, and some few of bone. They are equally 

 strangers to the other metals : nor did our adventurers find 

 the natives, of this part of the globe, possessed of any one 



