246 GILBEKT WHITE OF SELBOENE 1774 



I have not been at Hawkley yet; but the falling of the 

 fragments from the cliff is the least part of the story : for a 

 slipping below has disordered, and damaged near 100 acres 

 of land, and ruined two houses ! The ground is rumpled, 

 and forced up as it were into waves. 



I did not suppose your repairs would inform me about 

 new building. I only wished to know what expence would 

 put a good firm shell in comfortable condition. The vexation 

 of workmen, I fear, is great. 



I bought in town D"^ Campbell's 'Political Survey of 

 Great Britain,'* a work that has employed his thoughts 

 more than 20 years : 2 vol. 4to, £2 2s. Od. As far as I have 

 seen I think his stile is not so good as in his * Present State 

 of Europe.' The new work seems to comprize a variety of 

 knowledge. 



Some time ago I put Hume's * History of England' into 

 Jack's hands. The young man is much taken with the 

 work, and reads it with great earnestness, and in preference 

 to the 'Spectators' and 'Tatlers': and makes pertinent 

 remarks. 



With respects to my sister we remain 



¥«• afect. 



Gil. White. 



I found by a Gentleman from your parts that you had 

 none of the floods to the JST.W. 



The following letter from John White, junr. — a 

 decidedly good one for a boy aged fifteen — fully 1 

 describes the landslip at Hawkley Hanger, which his 

 uncle remarked upon in an undated letter (and there- 

 fore not actually written) to Pennant : — 



* The last and most elaborate work of John Campbell, ll.d. (1708-1775), 

 a miscellaneous author. 



