1772 JOHN WHITE AT SELBORNE 213 



three several times; but he was at that time almost too 

 young to relish so masterly a work. 



Give my respects to your father, and tell him I owe him 

 a letter, which I intend to pay him soon ; and inform him 

 that hitherto our winter has been remarkably mild ; within 

 a fortnight I have cut grass for my horses ; and nasturtiums 

 abroad are still in bloom ! Our mornings and evenings are 

 full as mild now as they usually are at this season at 

 Gibraltar : though at noon the thermometer is much raised 

 by the sun at that place. My thermometer yesterday morn- 

 ing stood at 52 ! As I have some suspicions about the 

 regularity of my barometer, pray send me a journal of 

 your barometer for any month past ; and let me know if the 

 surface of the quicksilver in the receiver of your barometer 

 be exactly 28 inches beneath the lowest mark on the plate. 



My Brother and Sister John (who have been with me 

 about a fortnight) are much favoured by this delicate 

 weather, and will, I hope, be tolerably seasoned before severe 

 frosts set in. Brother John is frequently incommoded by 

 hoarseness, an infirmity that is very troublesome to a clergy- 

 man. 



Jack White is here, and is my amanuensis. The whoop- 

 ing cough is crept in among nurse Butler's children; but 

 Nanny Woods has not yet got that troublesome complaint. 



You will, I hope, write soon, and let me hear how you 

 succeed in your studies; and how much you and your sisters 

 improve in drawing, and particularly in designing. Your 

 sentiments on any subject will be very agreeable to me. 

 All friends join in respects. 



I am y"" affectionate friend, 



Gil. White. 



Mr. and Mrs. John White spent the winter of 

 1772-3 at Selborne, during which time the former 



