i 82 
NATURE NOTES 
last five years has been spent in the investigation of every possible source ot 
information which could throw any light on White’s life. His acceptance of a 
Proctorship while out of residence has been mentioned as ‘ not likely to be 
popular with his College’ (Mr. W. Fowler, ibid.). Here again we have a mere 
supposition, of which it may be said that: (l) the course was by no means 
unprecedented ; and (2) if this rendered White unpopular at Oriel it is very 
strange that his College should have at this time appointed him to the Deanship, 
the most important office of the College next to the Provostship, and in the next 
year (i 754 ) should have elected his youngest brother Henry to an exhibition 
(Bishop Robinson’s). Moreover, in the following year (1755) Mulso, on a false 
report of the Provost’s death, wrote that he had heard that While was to be 
the new Provost, an office to which he actually aspired in 1757. That the 
College was not always a happy family is certainly true, since we find Mulso 
writing in 1755 ‘ the perverse party at Oriel,’ and in 1773 ‘the probable 
disputes at College,’ but there is nothing to show that White’s relations with 
his College were otherwise than pleasant. On the contrary, we find him visit- 
ing his College at least once, and generally twice or oftener, every year, and 
we have Jesse’s statement (cf. his edition of the ‘ Selborne,’ p. xi.) made 
upon the authority of a nephew of the naturalist’s, of the latter’s popularity 
in the Oriel common-room. Moreover in 1787 White’s nephew (Samson, son 
of Henry White) was elected to an Exhibition and Fellowship at Oriel. At the 
death of Gilbert White the then Provost wrote expressing the regret of the 
College in what seem to be more than merely formal terms. All this does not 
connote strained relations or unpopularity at Oriel 1 
“ In default of some definite evidence, then, the statement referred to may be 
relegated to the category of those assertions which, once they have a good start, 
are proverbially hard to overtake.” 
Richmond Hill and its Famous View. — Mr. E. A. Martin 
writes : — 
“ Our readers will have noticed the progress reported from time to time of 
the efforts which are being made to preserve intact the beautiful view from 
Richmond Hill. County Councils and District Councils in different parts of 
Surrey and Middlesex are actively engaged in the work of preservation of the 
view, as well as other bodies whose sympathies and aims are coincident with 
theirs in this portion of their work. 
“ The movement has been inaugurated in the first place by the threatened 
development of an estate on the Middlesex shore known as the Marble Hill 
Estate, which has recently been laid out in part for building purposes. Portions 
of this estate are in the direct line of sight as one looks up the river from Rich- 
mond Hill, and if the building operations threatened be carried into effect, there 
can be little doubt that the view will be greatly interfered with. Some eight or 
nine years ago the Selborne Society in Richmond did a good work in rousing 
public attention to the fact that the view was then threatened in a similar manner, 
but in connection with lands which lay more immediately beneath the hill, and 
on the Surrey side. The efforts then made were for the time successful, and now 
that the view is threatened still further afield, the desirable end which the Society 
then fought for, namely, to regard the preservation of the view as a national 
duty, seems to have been fairly achieved, seeing the magnanimous manner in 
which the question has been taken up by many public bodies, as well as by 
private individuals. 
“ It must almost be an unique thing, I imagine, that the preservation of a 
‘ view ’ should be the one subject of our influential committee. For to preserve 
the view, the expenditure of many thousands of pounds will be necessary. 
£']o,ooo is the sum asked for the Marble Hill Estate, but some of this may be 
recouped by the sale of portions unnecessary to the preservation of the view. But 
it will have to be carefully borne in mind that the view does not depend solely 
upon the one estate, and bearing in mind past experience, the purchase of one 
estate only may result in others being thrown into the market, and perhaps an 
enhancement of values will follow. It seems absolutely necessary that, once and 
for all, the matter shall now be settled, and before any purchase be decided 
