1776 GIBBON AND GILBERT WHITE 305 



was ever any intimacy between the historian and 

 Gilbert White, or indeed that they ever met, though 

 very possibly thi^ may occasionally have happened 

 at the housbo he neighbourhood. 



To Mrs. Barker. 



Thames Street, Feb. 7, 1776. 



Dear Sister, — Mr. Etty and Charles and I came to town 

 on January the 22nd and 23rd, and found the public roads 

 better than we expected. Mr. Etty brought up his son, and 

 has placed him at St. Paul's school, hoping that by means 

 of good friends he may procure him some considerable 

 exhibitions, that may help to support him in an university 

 education. 



N. Woods returned a long while ago to her nurse's house : 

 she and all the numerous party had the small pox in the 

 most favorable manner. As to Mr. Woods you must not 

 wonder or resent because he does not write : for when his 

 daughter had a fever more than a year ago, Mrs. Etty wrote 

 to him every post for many weeks ; yet he never returned 

 one answer. However, when all was over he sent her a very 

 handsome set of tea-china. And now during inoculation he 

 never wrote once in the time or since : but is going to make 

 a very handsome present of plate. Thus you see some men 

 are of an ten-writing constitution, and yet neither want 

 gratitude nor generosity. Why Molly White does not write 

 to you I cannot tell, unless it be because she is niece to 

 H. Woods. She is still at Cambridge and pretty well. 



Brother Thomas talks of leaving off, and is letting down 

 his stock in trade by degrees. Brother Harry I found 

 here ; he was snowed in for a fortnight or more ; and when 

 he went away on Jan. 25th wrote word that it was with the 

 utmost difficulty that he got along; and that if he had 



VOL. I. — X 



