CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 137 



plars, by their statutes, were enjoined constantly to sleep in 

 their breeches, and to have candles constantly burning in their 

 dormitory. Should I ever be able to finish .my work respect- 

 ing this my native place, the old deeds and charters &c. will 

 furnish a large appendix. 



Your affectionate friend, 



GIL. WHITE. 



LETTER XXX. 



TO MISS WHITE. 



Selborne, Sept. 30, 1780. 

 Dear Molly, 

 Your letters are always agreeable to me ; but your last was 

 particularly so, because it brought so good an account of the 

 state of y r father's health. 



Finding that Larby alone would never finish his job, I hired 

 a whole band of myrmidons, and set them to work on the 

 Bostal, where they have made great dispatch, and have but 

 half a day's work to come, which has been delayed by the 

 rains. They ran through the upper part a day sooner than I 

 expected, because as we advanced the soil grew shallower ; but 

 then we have been obliged to widen and raise all Larby's first 

 attempt, because his path was so narrow, hollow, and clayey 

 that it soon grew dirty and would have been impassable. By 

 and with the advice of our privy council, we took a higher 

 direction than was at first marked out, because it much 

 shortened the path, and brings us out straight at the top of 

 the slidder before you come to shop didder at the corner of 

 the Wadden. In our progress we found many pyrites in the 

 clay as round as a ball, and some large Covnua ammonis in 

 the chalk. All people agree, where party does not interpose, 

 that it is a noble work ; but there is a junto against it called 

 Zigzaggians, of which Mrs. Etty is the head : but Mr. E. and 

 Mr. Y. would be Bostalians, if they dared. The tall trees in 

 the Hanger are very fine when you are among them, and the 



