MEMOIR OF GILBERT WHITE. 
Gilbert White — the Father of English Natural History — was 
born at Selborne. Hants, July 18th. 1720, in the seventh y.ear of 
the reign of King George I., and died June 26th, 1793, being 
seventy-two years au'.^ eleven months old. 
In order fully io appreciate his labours, I will endeavour to 
throw back the mind of the reader to the prominent events of 
which Gilbert White might have heen witness, or about which 
he must have heard people talking;. 
Queen Anne died in 1714, six years before White was born. 
The year of White's birth, 1720, was the year of the South Sea 
Bubble. When he was one year old, 1721, the great Duke of 
Marlborough died. When he was three years old, 1723, Atter- 
bury was Dean of Westminster. When he was seven years old, 
1727, Sir Isaac Newton died. When he was ten, 1730, tlie 
great John Hunter, the anatomist and physiologist, and founder 
of the Eoyal College of Surgeons, was born. When lie was 
twenty -five years old, 1745, Prince Charles Edward gained Edin- 
burgh after the victory of Prestonpans. When he was twenty- 
six, on October 22nd, 1746, he took his degree at Oxford, as I find 
from a book in my library entitled, "A CatGilogiie of all Graduates 
in Divinity, Laiv, and Physich, and of all Masters of Arts and 
Doctors of Musick, loho have regularly proceeded or been created 
in the University of Oxford, hctiveen Octoher 10th, 1659, and 
October 10th, 1770. Printed at the Clarendon Press, Oxford, 
1772." When he was thirty-two, 1752, the new style of comput- 
ing the almanac was introduced into England. When thirty- 
seven, 1757, the conquest of India began under Colonel, 
afterwards Lord, Clive. AVhen thirty-nine, 1759, General Wolfe 
was killed at Quebec. . When he was forty, 1760, George III. 
ascended the throne. When he was forty-four, 1764, Canada 
was annexed. When he was fifty -eight, 1778, the Earl of 
