300 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1776 



Your Bookseller must be consulted a little in the title 

 page and advertisements ; as he knows best how to throw in 

 little savoury and alluring circumstances to quicken the 

 appetite of your buyer. By no means should you print, 

 brother Thomas and I both think, 'til you have sold your 

 copy : booksellers know how to subscribe off an impression 

 to the trade, and to throw cold water on a work lying on 

 the author's hand. We do by no means like your " sequimur 

 patrem " &c. You should have mottos relative to each class. 

 Ovid, perhaps, somewhere among his monsters will furnish 

 for the Vermes. Pray correspond with Padre Eloroz, since 

 Linn, will no longer write. We can by no means see how 

 you can be off from bringing up your work yourself : for no 

 person will purchase what they have not seen : besides one 

 hour's conversation will do more business than an hundred 

 letters. Might not Benjamin print and publish for you on 

 the usual terms ? We wish to see your papers, and to 

 correct here and there, not out of vanity and a meddling 

 temper; but because little errors unavoidably befall and 

 escape every Author. Be sure procure a good perspective 

 western view of the harbor, town, and hill of Gibraltar to 

 fold in as a frontispiece with references : it will contribute 

 to explain many passages. You will have, I find, near a 

 1,000 pages, and 800 species. 



As an Electrician you should see Priestley's History of 

 electricity. He sets the whole in a pleasing light. 



Just as you wrote last my neighbours told me there were 

 troops from Gibraltar at Alton ; so I sent Thomas over with 

 a note and invitation to your friend Capt. Shaw. He 

 brought word that Mr. S. had passed through Alton, and 

 was quartered at Farnham. I then wrote by the post to 

 Farnham renewing my invitation; and received a letter 

 of thanks, and excuses that they expected daily to be 

 called for to march towards London, where the King would 

 review them. However, the deep snow came and stopped 



