THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SELBORNE 



LETTER I 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQUIRE 



The 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 miliss south-west of London, in latitude 51, 

 and near midway between the towns of Alton and Peters- 

 field. Being very large and extensive it abut s on twelve 

 parishes, two of which are in Sussex, viz., Trotton and 

 Rogate. If you begin from the south and proceed 

 westward the adjacent parishes are Emshot, Newton 

 Valence, Faringdon, Harteley Mauduit, Great Ward le 

 ham, Kingsley, Hedleigh, Bramshot, Trotton, Rogate, 

 Lysse, and Greatham. The soils of this district are 

 almost as various and diversified as the views and aspects. 

 The high part to the south-west consists of a vast hill of 

 chalk, rising three hundred feet above the village ; and is 

 divided into a sheep down, the high wood, and a long 

 hanging wood called the Hanger. The covert of this 

 eminence is altogether beech, the most lovely of all forest 

 trees, whether we consider its smooth rind or bark, its 

 glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous boughs. The down, 

 or sheep-walk, is a pleasing park-like spot, of about one 

 mile by half that space, jutting out on the verge of the 

 hill-country, where it begins to break down into the plains, 

 and commanding a very engaging view, being an assem- 

 blage of hill, dale, wood-lands, heath, and water. The 

 prospect is bounded to the south-east and east by the 

 vast range^ofmounlaiiTs^-calle^ the Sussex Downs, by 

 Guild-down near Guildford, and by the Downs round 

 Dorking, and Ryegate in Surrey, to the north-east, which 

 altogether, with the country beyond Alton and Farnham, 

 form a noble and extensive outline. 



