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the wcftern arc apartments for fervants. In the library 

 were preferved a conliderable body of the MSS. on various 

 matters, philofophical and theological, of the illuftrious 

 Newton. They came into the pofTeflion of this family in 

 confequence of the marriage of John, vifcount Lymington, 

 (fon of the firil earl of Portfmouth, ) in 1740, with Catharme 

 Conduit, great niece and coheirefs of lir Ifaac. Thofe 

 papers were examined by the late learned bifhop (then 

 docftor) Horfley, while preparing his edition of Newton's 

 trorks. See Newton, Sir Ifaac. 



A little to the eaftward of Whitchurch, near the London 

 road, is Freefolk, noted for the paper-mills belonging to 

 John Portal Bridges, efq. where the paper for the notes of 

 the bank of England has been manufaftured ever fince the 

 reign of George I. At Laverllock is the feat of William 

 Portal, efq. ; and in the adjoining pariih of Overton is a 



handfome new houfe, the feat of Jarvis, efq. In the 



village a fdk-mill has been eftablifhed. In various fpots at 

 no great diftance from Whitchurch, are ftill vifible evidences 

 of Roman occupation. The great fofs-way, a Roman 

 road leading from Sorbiodunum, or Old Sarum, to Vindo- 

 num, or Silchefter, pafTes acrofs the downs two miles to the 

 northward of the town. Near the courfe of this way, at 

 ■Egbury, a Roman encampment, forming an irregular qua- 

 drangle, may be eafily traced, the rampart in moll parts is 

 ftill lofty ; the longeil fide meafures about 300 yards. On 

 feveral eminences within the extent of a fevr miles from 

 Whitchurch are circular or ring-polls, commonly called 

 beacons ; but evidently military ftations of the ancient in- 

 habitants of the country, to which they could refort, and on 

 which they could fecure their families and property, in the 

 event of hoftile alTault from domedic or foreign foes. — 

 Beauties of England and Wales, vol. vi. Hampihire ; by 

 J. Britton, F.S.A. and E. W. Brayley. 



WHITE, Gilbert, M.A. in Biography, an agreeable 

 writer of natural hiftory, was born at Selborne in Hamp- 

 (hire in 1720, and completed his education at Oriel college, 

 Oxford, of which he was elefted fellow in 1744. In 1746 

 he took the degree of M.A., and in 1752 became one of 

 the fenior proftors of the Univerfity. Unambitious in his 

 temper, and fond of rural fcenery, he fixed his refidence in 

 his native village, and devoted his time to literary purfuits, 

 and particularly to the inveftigation of thole fubjects of 

 natural hiftory, which furnilhed him with leffbns of piety 

 and benevolence. The refult of his obfervations was com- 

 municated to the public in his " Natural Hiftory and An- 

 tiquities of Selborne," 1789, 4to.; the iirft and principal 

 part of which confifted of letters addreffed to Mr. Pennant, 

 and affords a variety of remarks, chiefly in the zoological 

 departments, peculiarly amufing and no lefs inftruft'.ve : 

 and the fecond part treats of the antiquities of the place. 

 Highly elleemed by all who knew him, he died in 1793 ; 

 but after his deceafe, the natural hillory of his work was 

 publifhed feparately in 2 vols. 8vo. 1802, with the addition 

 of mifcellaneous obfervations, and a Naturalift's Calendar, 

 cxtrafted from his papers, and of parallel remarks com- 

 municated by W. Markwick, efq., an accurate obferver of 

 nature in the county of Suftiix. Gen. Biog. 



White, Joseph, Regius profeffor of Hebrew, and Lau- 

 dian profeffor of Arabic, in the univerfity of Oxford, was 

 born in Gloucefterlhire in 1746, and being of humble origin, 

 but devoted to reading whilft he was purfuing his father's 

 occupation as a weaver, attrafted the notice of a neighbour- 

 ing gentleman, who fent him to Wadham college, Oxford. 

 Having graduated M.A. in 1773, and chofen fellow of his 

 college, he direfted the main bent of his ftudies to the 

 oriental languages, uiidtr the advice of Dr. Moore, after- 



wards arclibidiop of Canterbury. Such was his proficiency 

 in this department of literature, that in 1 775 he was elefted 

 Laudian profeflbr of Arabic, on which occafion he 

 delivered and printed an oration on the utility of that lan- 

 guage in theological ftudies. By the recommendation of 

 bifliop Lowth, he was appointed editor of the Phi'loxenian 

 Syriac verfion of the four gofpels, which he publifhed in 

 1778. About this time he was nominated one of the kinor's 

 preachers at Whitehall ; and in a fcrmon preached before the 

 univerfity of Oxford, he recommended a revifalof the Eng- 

 lifh tranflation of the Old Tellament. In 1780 he publifhed a 

 " Specimen of the Civil and Military Inftitutesof Timour," 

 tranflated from a Perfian verfion of the Mogul original, 

 written by the conqueror himfelf. He alfo added a fpeci- 

 men of Perfian poetry, and recommended the ftudy of this 

 language. Thefe Inftitutes havir.g been tranflated entire by 

 major Davy, were publifhed from the Clarendon prefs in 

 1783, under the infpedlion of profeftbr White, who annexed 

 a preface, indexes, and geographical notes. 



As Bampton lefturer, to which ofBce he was appointed 

 in 1 78 1, he preached a courfe of fermons before the aniver- 

 fity, which were printed in 1784, and much admired for 

 their learning and eloquence. The general defign of thefe 

 fermons was to evince the excellence of the Chriftian reli- 

 gion, on a comparifon with that of Mahomet. (See Al- 

 coran.) It was difcovered, however, fomewhat to the dif- 

 grace of the profeffor, that he had derived very confider- 

 able affiftance in the compofition of thefe fermons from the 

 mafterly pen of Mr. Badcock, who had been a diffenting 

 minifter at South Molton, and afterwards conformed to the 

 church, and that feveral of them were aftually written by 

 him. It was alfo known, that Dr. Parr, from his ample 

 ftore of Greek literature, had furnilhed the materials that 

 had been wrought up into two of thefe fermons. Thefe 

 fafts were inveftigated and afcertained ; and the charge 

 againft the profeffor was fufficiently fubftantiated, and it 

 was founded, not fo much on his want of ability for fuch 

 productions, as on his indolence, and on certain habits un 

 favourable to ftudy. His reputation, however, as a de- 

 fender of Chriftianitv was acknowledged, and he was pre- 

 fented to a prebend of Gloucefter, and foon after was gra- 

 duated D.D. About the year 1790 he married, and ac- 

 cepted a college-living in Suffolk. In this fituation he pro- 

 fecuted his ftudies, and having fet up a prefs in his houfe, 

 and furnifhed himfelf with oriental types, he and his wife 

 performed the bufinefs of compofitors, and a man and maid- 

 fervant that of the prefs. Hence originated his " .(Egyp- 

 tiaca," relating to the antiquities of Egypt ; and an edition, 

 with a verfion, of an account of that country by an Ara- 

 bian writer named AbdoUatif. In 1799 Dr. White pub- 

 lifhed from the Clarendon prefs his " Diateffaron," or the 

 harmony of the four evangelifts, in Greek, a work ufeful to 

 biblical ftudents. He died in 18 14, at the age of 68. Gen. 

 Biog. 



White, one of the colours of natural bodies. 

 White is not fo properly faid to be any one colour, as a 

 compofition of all the colours ; it being demonftrated by 

 fir Ifaac Newton, that thofe bodies only appear white, which 

 refleA all the kinds of coloured rays alike, and that the 

 light of the fun is only white, becaufe it confifts of all 

 colours. 



From the multitude of rings of colours, which appear 

 upon compreffing two prifms, or objeft-glaffes of telefcopes 

 together, it is manife<S, that thefe do fo interfere and mingle 

 with one another at laft,as, after eight or nine refleftions, to 

 dilute one another wholly, and conftitute an even and uni- 

 form whitenefs : whence, as well as from other experiments, 

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