296 GILBEKT WHITE OF SELBOEISTE 1775 



new-discovered world. Mrs. Etty's inoculation is in a most 

 prosperous state : only a few pustles to each party. Mr. 

 Etty and I live here by ourselves, and having no wives to 

 controU us, do as we please : only we are deterred from going 

 to London by the influenza. Pray return my best thanks to 

 my sister for her agreeable present ; and to your father and 

 sisters for their company and conversation at Selborne. I 

 acknowledge myself much in your debt and shall endeavour 

 to pay you in kind. Did you find rushes as much in use at 

 Lyndon as Mrs. Eashleigh* has done at Penquite? Many 

 gentlemen in Oxford had never heard of rushes ; perhaps 

 because they were gentlemen. Yours affect 



Gil. White. 



A few days previously, on November 1st, he had 

 written what became Letter XX VL to Barrington, on 

 the use of rushes instead of candles. 



* Formerly Miss Catharine Battie. 



