1776 BURGOYNE'S LIGHT HOESE 323 



order : this day I begin to cut my meadow-grass, which will 

 prove a bigger crop by one third than that of last year. 

 Cucumbers do not succeed well in general this year. My 

 bank, which was lowered when you were here, is now very 

 gaudy, and full of flowers. I have much wall-fruit; and 

 a fine show for grapes: pears, plums, apples, and cherries 

 without number. As I was visiting last Tuesday at Bram- 

 shot I saw on the Portsmouth road Burgoyne's light horse 

 marching down to embark for N. America : the horses were 

 fine, and the men fine young fellows ; but they all looked 

 very grave, and did not seem much to admire their destina- 

 tion. The Atlantic is no small frith for cavalry to be 

 transported over. The expence will be enormous ! Brother 

 and Sister Harry have been in town, and at Mrs. Snooke's. 

 At Ringmer Ben. Woods caught the measles of John Mott, 

 and fell with it before he left town : but his father sent him 

 down to Fyfield after it came out. None of brother Harry's 

 children nor brother Thomas's have had this distemper: so 

 there will be a sick house, and much trouble: but the 

 children can never fall at a better season of the year, or 

 time of life. Now at midsummer Harry is to have a young 

 gentleman at the noble price of £150 per ann.* Harry and 

 his wife (no small personages) and seven children, two canary 

 birds, one aberdavine, 10 parcels, a dormouse, and a puppy- 

 dog, all went down in two post-chaises. Brother Thomas is 

 going to enlarge Harry's common parlor by building on 

 a large piece at the N.W. end next the street: the room 

 then will be odd but large and convenient : it now swarms 

 with people. H. Woods and Bessf make some progress on 



* A Mr. Amyand, apparently. An account of Henry White's family, 

 with extracts from his diaries containing much interesting information upon 

 country life in the eighteenth century, may be found in 'Notes on the 

 Parishes of Fyfield [etc.],' by the Rev. Robert Hawley Clutterbuck, f.s.a. 

 Bennett Brothers, Salisbury, 1898. 



+ Elizabeth, daughter of Henry White. 



