118 GILBEET WHITE OF SELBOENE 1734 



and Mr. Charles Etty, her brother ; the former of whom 



came last Friday, the latter last Sunday. Mr. Litchfield 



from Whitchurch is also here. Mrs. J. White joins in all 



due respects. ^^ , . 



Your loving uncle, 



Gil. White. 



Sheep and lambs have suffered greatly. Hay is £4 per 

 ton, mutton 5d. per pound : they talk of 6d. 



The poor have suffered greatly for want of work, and the 

 poor-tax is almost doubled. 



I have got a bad cold, but hope to get to Oxford next 

 week. Little Clement's feet are as bad as ever, both 

 wrapped in rags; and his eldest sister is come home just 

 in the same condition. Eichard Knight, malster at Faring- 

 don, I hear, has got his ague again. Mrs. Burbey is by no 

 means well, and cannot use one arm; the cause supposed 

 to be rheumatic. 



A few days after the date of this letter, on April 

 12th, Mr. Etty was buried at Selborne by Gilbert 

 White, who registers himself as " curate ^ro tempore.'' 

 The loss of this old and intimate friend and neigh- 

 bour must have been great indeed, especially in such 

 a retired neighbourhood as that of Selborne. More- 

 over, he was soon to lose the head of another of " the 

 three families," Mr. Eichard Yalden. 



To Miss White. Selborne, April 19, 1784. 



Dear Molly, — Pray present my respects to your father, 

 and tell him I return him many thanks for the £100 which 

 he has just paid into nephew Ben's hands : £80 of it was, 

 I suppose, on his own account, and £20 on Mrs. J. White's : 

 of this let me hear, to prevent mistakes. 



