52 GILBEKT WHITE OF SELBORNE 178O 



"We have had a great deal of visiting ever since our 

 arrival. . . . yesterday the family from Hartley drank tea 

 here. ... I must mention now my uncle's new room, which 

 is quite finished in every respect and looks very handsome 

 indeed. The paper, a sort of light brown, with a coloured 

 border is extremely elegant, and the glass and other furniture 

 are very neat and handsome; in short the tout en semhle 

 has a very pleasing effect, and it is I think one of the 

 pleasantest rooms I ever was in." 



Writing on August 16th, 1780, Mulso remarks 

 upon the excellent flavour of the snipes he had 

 recently eaten at the Bishop's at Farnham, and 

 continues — 



" I do not remember your ever shooting a snipe at Oxford 

 in summer, where there used to be plenty in winter ; at that 

 time you used to practise with your gun in summer to 

 steady your hand for winter, and inhospitably fetch down 

 our visitants, the birds of passage: what you was then is 

 my son John now ; I see him with his rod and line at the 

 Canal, and his gun lodged against a tree, a complicated 

 murderer." 



To the liev. R. Churton. 



Fyfield, near Andover, Hants. 



Aug. 31, 1780. 



Dear Sir, — Your favour of July 10th carry ed with it a 

 very obliging air, because it seemed to imply that you will 

 endeavour to pay me a visit. 



Now let me (as old men love to be didactic) enjoin you to 

 leave the North as soon as you conveniently can, and to get 

 to Selborne by the last week in September at farthest; 

 for it seems to me to be very unreasonable to desire you to 

 come so far only for a week or a fortnight. About the 



