LETTER I. 1 



To Thomas Pennant, Esq. 



HE parish of Selborne lies in the extreme eastern 

 corner of the county of Hampshire, bordering 

 on the county of Sussex, and not far from the 

 county of Surrey ; is about fifty miles south-west 

 of London, in latitude fifty-one, and near mid- 

 way between the towns of Alton and Petersfield. 

 Being very large and extensive it abuts on twelve 



1 This letter, with some of those that follow it, seems never to have been 

 written as such to the person to whom it was nominally addressed. It was 

 probably added to the series by White when publication was finally decided upon, 

 as explained in the Introduction. White evidently disliked the imputation of 

 deliberate authorship, and modestly covered his prefatory matter with the cloak of 

 correspondence. ED. 



