78 CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 



LETTER V. 



FROM THE REV. JOHN WHITE TO LINSLEUS. 



November 26, 1773. 



Sir, 

 On the first day of this present year I had the honour to write 

 to you a very long letter, in answer to your kind favour dated 

 August 7, 1772, and also to inform you that I had left 

 Gibraltar, and was come to reside in England, as well as to 

 beg your farther sentiments concerning those birds which you 

 had not thoroughly examined when you wrote. 



As almost ten months have now elapsed, without my 

 having any farther intelligence from you, I begin to fear that 

 either my letter was not duly conveyed to you, or that you 

 have not enjoyed that share of health which every lover of 

 science must wish may be continued to you, by the goodness 

 of providence, for many years. My letter was sent to the post 

 in London, a few days after the date thereof, and should 

 properly have reached your hands in the month of January 

 last. Therefore to avoid, if possible the imputation of the 

 least neglect of the honour conferred on me of being admitted 

 among the number of your correspondents, I beg leave to 

 communicate the above particulars, that you may be satisfied 

 no neglect has happened, on my side. I venture, also, as 

 before, to write in my own native language, supposing it 

 equally obvious to you, and being in want of practice to 

 express myself with equal readiness in the Latin tongue. 

 However, if it happens to occasion to you any inconvenience 

 in explaining an English letter, I will prevent it hereafter by 

 making use of the Latin. The affairs of my new preferment 

 engaged my attention the last summer, and prevented me 

 from executing my intended f Fauna Calpensis.' But I still 

 hope to finish it, having a quantity of materials, and more 

 specimens frequently ^ent by my friends at Gibraltar. 



