XU A SHOBT BIOGEAPHT Or 



'"'Tour uncle," the "Warden said, "has sent into the world 

 a publication with nothing to caU attention to it but an 

 advertisement or two in the newspapers ; but depend upon it 

 the time wUl come when very few who buy books wiU be 

 without it." 



It was to Miss Mulso that Mr. White addressed the 

 following fappositious letter from Timothy, his old tortoise, 

 which may amuse some of his admirers : — 



Most respected Ladt, 



Your letter gave me great satisfaction, being the first that 

 I was ever honoured with. It is my wish to answer you ia your 

 own way ; but I could never make a verse in my life, so you must 

 be content with plain prose. 



Having seen but little of this great world, conversed but little, 

 read less, I feel myself much at a loss how to entertain so intelli- 

 gent a correspondent. Unless you will let me wiite about myself, 

 my answer will be very short. Know, then, that I am an 

 American, and was bom in the year 1734, in the province of 

 Yirginia, in the midst of a savannah that lay between a large 

 tobacco plantation and a creek of the sea. Here I spent my 

 youthful days among my relations, with much satisfaction, and 

 saw around me many venerable kinsmen, who attained to great 

 ages without any interruption from distempers. Longevity is so 

 general among our species, that a funeral is quite a rare occur- 

 rence. I can just remember the death of my great great 

 grandfather, who departed this Ufe in the 160th year of his age. 

 Happy should I have been in the enjoyment of my native climate, 

 and the society of my fiiends, had not a sea-boy, who was 

 wandering about to see what he could pick tip, surprised me as 

 I was smming myself under a bank, and whipping me into 

 his wallet, carried me aboard his ship. The circumstances of 

 our voyage were not worthy of recital. I only remember the 

 rippling of the water against the sides of the vessel as we sailed 

 along, was a very lulhng and composing sound, which served to 

 sooth my slumbers as I lay in the hold. We had a short 



