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THE

LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF AUDI BON.

LONDON : I'UWTKU BY WILLIAM CLOWKfi AND SONS, STAMtOKD SIRKRl
AND CHARING CROS.

JOHN J AUDUUON.

THE

LIFE AND ADVENTURES

OF

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON,

Tin: \AIU1;AI.[ST

KDI'l'KI), FROM M.Vn.KIAl.S SL'I'I'I.IKl" BY Ills \V1H>\\,

BY ROBERT BUCHANAN

Audubon at Ukkkn Bank, Li\ Kitmou (/'/«»« a drawing by himself.) Sept, !>J6

LOM>OX
SAMPSON LOW, SOX, & MAJJSTON,

CKOWX MIUUXCJS. lss, FLKKT STKl 1 T
lsr.s

[7*<e Lijhtnf rramlafirti <^ iojmiW]

vi EDITOR'S PREFACE.

composed than the diary, but fuller of those associations on
which Audubon rests his fame.

In a letter recently received from Mrs. Audubon, and written
after looking over a few of the first sheets, I am called to
account for some remarks of my own. It is the excellent lady s
belief that because I am '• a Scotchman/' I underrate her
husband and overrate Wilson. I am credited with an " inimical
feeling towards Mr Audubon, whose sentiments of gratitude and
his expressions of them are beautiful towards all his friends ,"
and while quite agreeing in that opinion, I cannot help retaining
my doubt whether the publication of these k ' expressions" would
gratify the public. Then, again, I have called Audubon vain,
and perhaps a little selfish, and I can perfectly understand how
hard these words may seem to the gentle heart of a loving wife
Yet thev are nevertheless true, and are quite consistent with
the fact that I admire Audubon hugely, think him a grand and
large-hearted man, and have the greatest possible desire to see
him understood by the public.

But in order to get him understood one must put aside all
domestic partiality Call Audubon vain, call him in some
things selfish, call him flighty and inconsequential in his
worldly conduct, — all these qualities are palpable in every page
of the diary. He was handsome, and he knew it : he wa>
elegant, and he prided himself upon it. He was generous in
most tilings, but he did not love his rivals. He prattled about
himself like an infant, gloried in his long hair, admired the tine
curve of his nose, thought " blood " a great thing, and reverenced
the great. Well, happy is the man who has no greater errors
than these.

Audubon was a man of genius, with the courage of a lion and
the simplicity of a child. One scarcely knows which to admire
most — the mighty determination which enabled him to carry .

EDITOR'S PREFACE. vii

out his great work in the face of difficulties so huge, or the
gentle and guileless sweetness with which he throughout shared
his thoughts and aspirations with his wife and children. He was
more like a child at the mother's knee, than a husband at the
hearth — so free was the prattle, so thorough the confidence.
Mrs. Audubon appears to have been a wife in every respect
worthy of such a man , willing to sacrifice her personal comfort
at any moment for the furtherance of his great schemes , over
ready with kiss and counsel when such were most needed , never
failing for a moment in her faith that Audubon was destined to
be one of the great workers of the earth.

The man's heart was restless , otherwise he would never have
achieved so much. He must wander, he must vagabondize, he
must acquire , he was never quite easv at the hearth. His love
for nature was passionate indeed, pursuing him in all regions,
burning in him to the last. Among the most touching things in
the diary, are the brief exclamations <>f joy when something in
the strange city — a flock of wild ducks overhead in London, a
gathering of pigeons on the trees of Paris — reminds him of the
wild life of wood and plain. He was hoy-like to the last,
glorying most when out of doors. His very vanitv and selfish-
ness, such as they were, were innocent and boyish — they were
without malice, and savoured more of pique than gall.

Of the work Audubon has done, nothing need he said in praise
here. Even were I competent to discuss his merits as an
ornithologist and ornithological painter, I should be silent, for
the world has already settled those merits in full. I may trust
myself, however, to say one word in praise of Audubon as a
descriptive writer. Some of his reminiseenees of adventure,
some of which are published in this book, seem to me to be
quite as good, in vividness of presentment and careful colouring,
as anything I have ever read.

vii EDITOR'S PREFACE.

With these few words of explanation and preface, I may
safely leave this volume to the public. The initiated will find
much quite novel matter, and general readers will discover
plenty of amusing incidents and exciting adventures.

RB.

London, October 14, 1868.

The portrait on the title-page is taken from a pen-and-ink drawing kindly
lent by Win. Reynolds, Esq., of Liverpool. The sketch was made by Audubon
himself whilst residing in the house of Mr. Rathbone, shortly alter his first
arrival in England in 1826. It bears the inscription, "Almost happy!"

THE

LIFE AND LABOURS OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER I.

Introduction — The Audubon' Oexealogy *

The name of Audubon is of French origin , it is extremely
rare, and while confined in America to the family of the
naturalist, has in France been traced only among his ancestry
Audubon has told us all that he knew of his relations. He writes :
"John Audubon my grandfather was burn at the small village
of Sable d'Olonne, in La Vendee, with a small harbour, forty-
five miles south from Nantes. He was a poor fisherman with a
numerous family, twenty-one of whom grew t<> maturity There
was but one boy besides my lather, he being the twentieth born,
and the only one of the numerous family who lived to a con-
siderable age. In subsequent years, when I visited Sable
d'Olonne, the old inhabitants told me that they had seen the
whole of this family, including both parents, at church several
times on Sunday."

The father of the naturalist appears to have caught at an
early age the restless spirit of his times, and his father, who
saw in it the only hope the youth had of obtaining distinction,
encouraged his love of adventure. He himself says of his start
in life , " When I was twelve years of age my father provided

* The first five or six chapters are merely the preliminary to the series of
episodes which follow, and are marked by none of the restless motion and
bright colour of the naturalist's life. Still, they will he actvj.table to those
whom Audubon interests personally. — R. B.

B

2 LIFE OF AUDUBON

me with a shirt, a dress of warm clothing, his blessing, and a
cane, and sent me out to seek my fortune."

The youth went to Xantes, and falling in with the captain of
a vessel bound on a fishing voyage to the coast of America, he
shipped on board as a boy before the mast. He continued at
sea, and by the age of seventeen was rated as an able-bodied
seaman. At twenty-one he commanded a vessel, and at twenty-
five he was owner and captain of a small craft. Purchasing
other vessels, the enterprising adventurer sailed with his little
fleet to the West Indies. He reached St. Domingo, and there
fortune dawned upon him. After a few more voyages he
purchased a small estate. The prosperity of St. Domingo,
already French, so influenced the mariner's fortunes, that in
ten years he realised a considerable fortune. Obtaining an
appointment from the governor of St. Domingo, he returned
to France, and in his official capacity became intimate with
influential men connected with the government of the First
Empire. Through their good offices he obtained an appoint-
ment in the Imperial navy and the command of a small vessel
of war. A warm sympathy with the changes wrought by the
revolution, and an idolatrous worship of Napoleon, must have
contributed greatly to his success.

While resident in France he purchased a beautiful estate on
the Loire, nine miles from Nantes , — there, * after a life of
remarkable vicissitude, the old sailor died, in 1818, at the great
age of ninety-five, regretted, as he deserved to be, on account
of his simplicity of manners and perfect sense of honesty.
Our Audubon has described his father as a man of good
proportions, measuring five feet ten inches in height, having
a hardy constitution and the agility of a wild cat. His
manners, it is asserted, were most polished, and his natural
gifts improved by self-education. He had a warm and even
violent temper, described as rising at times into u the blast of a
hurricane," but readilv appeased. While residing in the West
Indies, he frequently visited North America, and with some fore-
sight made purchases of land in the French colony of Louisiana,
in Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In one of his American visits he
met and married in Louisiana a lady of Spanish extraction,

PURCHASE OF MILLGROVE. 3

whose beauty and wealth may have made her equally attractive.
A family of three sons and one daughter blessed this union, and
the subject of this biographical sketch was the youngest of the
sons. Soon after his birth Madame Audubon accompanied her
husband to the estate of Aux Cayes in the island of St. Domingo,
and there miserably perished during the memorable rising of the
negro population.

The black revolt so endangered the property of the foreigners
resident in St. Domingo, that the plate and money belonging to
the Audubon family had to be carried away to New Orleans by
the more faithful of their servants. Keturning to France with
his family, the elder Audubon again married, left his young son,
the future naturalist, under charge of his second wife, and re-
turned to the United States, in the employment of the French
government, as an officer in the Imperial navy While there he
became attached to the army under Lafayette. Moving hither
and thither under various changes, he seldom or never communi-
cated with his boy , but meanwhile the property which remained
to him in St. Domingo was greatly augmenting in value. During
a visit paid to Pennsylvania, the restless Frenchman purchased
the farm of Millgrove on the Perkiominy Creek, near the
Schuylkil Falls. Finally, after a life of restless adventure, he
returned to France and filled a post in the Marine , and after
spending some portion of his years at Rochefort, retired to his
estate on the Loire. This estate was left by Commodore Audubon
to his son John James, who conveyed it to his sister without even
visiting the domain he so generously willed away.

LIFE OF AUDCBON.

CHAPTER II.

The Xatural^t's Childhood — His First Visit to America.

The naturalist was born in Louisiana, and his earliest recollec-
tions are associated with lying among the flowers of that fertile
land, sheltered by the orange trees, and watching the move-
ments of the mocking-bird, " the king of song." dear to him in
after life from many associations. He has remarked that his
earliest impressions of nature were exceedingly vivid , the
beauties of natural scenery stirred " a frenzy " in his blood, and at
the earliest age the bent of his future studies was indicated by
many characteristic traits. He appears to have left Louisiana
while but a child, and gone to St. Domingo, where he resided
for a short period, previous to his departure for France, where
his education was to be commenced.

His earliest recollections of his life in France extend to
his home in the central district of the city of Nantes, and a
fact he remembered well was being attended by two negro
servants sent home from India by his father He speaks
of his life in Xantes as joyous in the extreme. His step-
mother, being without any children of her own, humoured the
child in every whim, and indulged him in every luxury. The
future naturalist, who in the recesses of American forests
was to live on roots and fruits, and even scantier fare, was
indulged with a "carte blanche" on all the confectionery
nhops in the village where his summer months were passed,
and he speaks of the kindnesses of his stepmother as over-
whelming His father had leas weakness, ordered the bov

SCHOOL DAYS.

to attend to his education, to be sent to school, to be tutored
at home. The elder Audubon had known too many changes
of fortune to believe in the fickle goddess; and notwithstand-
ing his wife's tears and entreaties, determining to educate his son
thoroughly, as the safest inheritance he could leave him, he sent
the young gentleman straightway to school. Audubon laments
that education in France was but miserably attended to during
the years that succeeded the great political convulsions. Military
education had usurped all the care of the First Empire, and the
wants of the civil population were but sparingly heeded. His
father, from natural predilections, was desirous that the boy
should become a sailor, a cadet in the French navy, or an
engineer, and with these views before him, he decided on the
course of study his son should follow Mathematics, drawing,
geography, fencing, and music, were among the branches
of education prescribed , it being evident that a complex
course of instruction was not among the misapprehensions the
old sailor's professional prejudices had nurtured. Audubon
had, for music-master, an adept who taught him to play adroitly
upon the violin, flute, flageolet, and guitar For drawing-
master, he had David, the chief inventor and worshipper of the
abominations which smothered the aspirations of French artists
during the revolutionary generation. Nevertheless it was to
David that Audubon owed his earliest lessons in tracing
objects of natural history, and the mannerism of the great
French artist may still be traced in certain pedantries dis-
cernible in Audubon's style of drawing. Audubon was, more-
over, a proficient in dancing, — an accomplishment which in after
years he had more opportunities of practising among bears than
among men.

Influenced by the military fever of his time, be dreamed in
his school days of being a soldier ; but happily for natural
science his adventurous spirit found another outlet. Fortunately
his instruction was under the practical guidance of his mother,
and large scope was allowed him for indulging in nest-hunting
propensities. Supplied with a haversack of provisions, Ik* made
frequent excursions into the country, and usually returned loaded
with objects of natural history, birds' nests, birds' eggs, specimens
of moss, curious stones, and other objects attractive to his eve

G LIFE OF AUDUBON.

When the old sailor returned from sea he was astonished at
the large collection his boy had made, paid him some compli-
ments on his good taste, and asked what progress he had made
in his other studies. No satisfactory reply being given, he
retired without reproach, but, evidently mortified at the idleness
of the young naturalist, seemed to turn his attention towards
his daughter, whose musical attainments had been successfully
cultivated. On the day following the disclosure father and son
started for Koehefort, where the elder held some appointment.
The journey occupied four days, and the pair did not exchange
one unnecessary word during the journey. Reaching his official
residence, the father explained that he himself would super-
intend his son's education ; gave the boy liberty for one day to
survey the ships of war and the fortifications, and warned him
that on the morrow a severe course of study should be com-
menced. And commence it did accordingly.

More than a year was spent in the close study of mathematics ;
though whenever opportunity occurred the severer study was
neglected for rambles after objects of natural history, and the
collection of more specimens. At Nantes, Audubon actually
began to draw sketches of French birds, — a work he continued
with such assiduity that he completed two hundred specimens.

His father was desirous that he should join the armies
of Napoleon, and win fame by following the French eagles.
Warfare, however, had ceased to be a passion of the youth, and
he was sent out to America to superintend his father's pro-
perties. He has recorded in affecting language his regret at
leaving behind him the country where he had spent his boy-
hood, the friends upon whose affections he relied, the associations
that had been endeared to him. <* While the breeze wafted alonsr
the great ship, hours were spent in deep sorrow or melancholy
musings."

"On landing at New York I caught the yellow fever, by
walking to the bank in Greenwich Street to cash my letters
of credit." Captain John Smith, whose name is gratefully
recorded, took compassion on the young emigrant, removed
him to Morristown, and placed him under the care of two
Quaker ladies at a boarding-house, and to the kindness of
these ladies he doubtless owed his life. His father's agent,

INTRODUCTION TO HIS WIFE. 7

Mr. Fisher, of Philadelphia, knowing his condition, went with
his carriage to his lodging, and drove the invalid to his villa,
situated at some distance from the city on the road to Trenton.
Mr. Fisher was a Quaker, and a strict formalist in religious
matters ; did not approve of hunting, and even objected to music.
To the adventurous and romantic youth this home was little
livelier than a prison, and he gladly escaped from it. Mr.
Fisher, at his request, put him in possession of his father's
property of Mill Grove, on the Perkiominy Creek , and from
the rental paid by the tenant, a Quaker named William Thomas,
the youth found himself supplied with all the funds he needed.

At Mill Grove young Audubon found k 'a blessed spot." In
the regularity of the fences, the straight and military exactness
of the avenues, Audubon saw his father's taste, nay, his very
handiwork. The mill attached to the property was to him a
daily source of enjoyment, and he was delighted with the
repose of the quiet milldam where the pewees were accustomed
to build. " Hunting, fishing, and drawing occupied my every
moment," he writes , adding, " cares I knew not, and cared
nothing for them."

In simple and unaffected language he relates hits introduc-
tion to his wife, the daughter of Mr. Bakewell, an English
gentleman who had purchased the adjoining property. Mr
Bakewell lived at Fatland Ford, within sight of Mill Grove,
but Audubon had avoided the family, as English, and objection-
able to one who had been nurtured with a hatred to %% per-
fidious Albion." Tlie very name of Englishman was odious to
him, he tells us; and even alter his neighbour had called upon
him, he was uncivil enough to postpone his advances in return.
Mrs. Thomas, tin tenant's wife at 3Ii]l Grove, with a woman's
desire to see what the issue might be, urged her young master
to visit the Bakewell family, but the more he was urged his
heart appeared to be the more hardened against the stranger.

The winter's frosts had set in. Audubon was following some
grouse down the creek, when suddenly he came upon Mr Bake-
well, who at once dissipated the Frenchman s prejudices by the
discovery of kindred tastes. Audubon writes " I was struck
with the kind politeness of his manners, and found him a most
expert marksman, and entered into conversation. I admired

8 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the beauty of his well-trained dogs, and finally promised to call
upon him and his family. Well do I recollect the morning,
and may it please God that I may never forget it, when, for the
first time, I entered the Bakewell household. It happened that
Mr. Bakewell was from home. I was shown into a parlour, where
only one young lady was snugly seated at work, with her back
turned towards the fire. She rose on my entrance, offered me a
seat, and assured me of the gratification her father would feel
on his return, which, she added with a smile, would be in a few
minutes, as she would send a servant after him. Other ruddy
cheeks made their appearance, but like spirits gay, vanished from
my sight. Talking and working, the voung lady who remained
made the time pass pleasantly enough, and to me especially
so. It was she, my dear Lucy Bakewell, who afterwards became
my wife and the mother of my children."

Mr Bakewell speedily returned, and Lucy attended to the
luneh provided before leaving on a shoot 'ng expedition.
''Lucy rose from her seat a second time, and her form, to
whirh I had before paid little attention, seemed radiant with
beauty and my heart and eves followed her every step. The
repast being over, guns and dogs were provided, and as we left
I was pleased to believe that Lucy looked upon me as a not
very strange animal. Bowing to her, I felt, I knew not why,
that I was at hast not indifferent to her"

The, acquaintance so pleasantly begun rapidly matured.
Audubon and Bakewell were often companions in their shoot-
ing excursions, and finally the whole Bakewell family were
invited to Mill Grove

The property of Audubon was separated from Bakewell's
plantation by a road leading from Morristown to Pawling s
Landing, now Pawling s Bridge, or about a quarter of a mile
apart, and the result of the friendly relationship established
between the two households gave rise to a series of mutual
signals, chalked on a board and hung out of the window.
The friendship deepened. Lucy Bakewell taught English to
Audubon, and received drawing lessons in return. Of course
no one failed to predict the result ; but as a love affair is chiefly
interesting to those immediately concerned, we pass on to other
matter*.

CHAPTER III.

Aspirations — Youthful Recollections — A Marvellous Escape — Gleams

of Baron Munchausen

At Mill Grove Audubon pored over his idea of a great work on
American Ornithology, until the thought took some shape in his
fervid mind. The work he had prepared for himself to do was an
'Ornithological Biography,' including an account of the habits
and a description of the birds of America , that work which in
its completed form Cuvier pronounced to be k% The most gigantic
biblical enterprise ever undertaken by the enterprise of a single
individual." However, it was only after his drawings and his
descriptions accumulated upon him that Audubon decided to
give the collection the form of a scientific work.

Audubon speaks of his life at Mill Grove as being in every
way agreeable. He had ample means for all his wants, was
gay, extravagant, and fond of dress. He rather naively writes
in his journal, U I had no vices, but was thoughtless, pensive,
loving, fond of shooting, fishing, and riding, and had a passion
for raising all sorts of fowls, and which sources of interest
and amusement fully occupied mv time It was one of my
fancies to be ridiculously fond of dress, to hunt in black
satin breeches, wear pumps when shooting, and dress in the
finest ruffled shirts I could obtain from France " He was also
fond of dancing, and music, and skating, and attended all the
balls and skating parties in his neighbourhood. Regarding his
mode of life, Audubon gives some hints useful to those who
desire to strengthen their constitution by an abstemious diet.

10 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

He says : — " I ate no butcher's meat, lived chiefly on fruits,
vegetables, and fish, and never drank a glass of spirits or wine
until my wedding day. To this I attribute my continual good
health, endurance, and an iron constitution. So strong was
the habit, that I disliked going to dinner parties, where people
were expected to indulge in eating and drinking, and where
often there was not a single dish to mv taste. I cared nothing
for sumptuous entertainments. Pies, puddings, eggs, and milk
or cream was the food J liked best , and many a time was the
dairy of Mrs. Thomas, the tenant's wife of Mill Grove, robbed of
the cream intended to make butter for the Philadelphia ruarkei
All this while I was fair and rosy as a girl, strong as any one of
my age and sex could be, and as active and agile as a buck.
And why, have I often thought, should I not have kept to this
delicious mode of living ?"

Note here a curious incident in connection with his love of
skating and his proficiency as a marksman. Having been
skating down the Perkiominy Creek, he met Miss Bakewell's
young brother William, and wagered that he would put a
shot through his cap when tossed into the air, while Audubon
was passing full speed. The experiment was made, and the
cap riddled. A still more striking incident is thus related.
"Having engaged in a duck-shooting expedition up the
Perkiominy Creek with young Bakewell and some vounc:
friends, it was found that the ice was full of dangerous air-holes.
On our upward journey it was easy to avoid accident, but the
return trip was attended with an accident which had nearly
closed my career Indeed, mv escape was one of the inconceiv-
able miracles that occasionally rescues a doomed man from his
fate. The trip was extended too far, and night and darkness
had set in long before we reached home. I led the partv
through the dusk with a white handkerchief made fast to a stick,
and we proceeded like a flock of geese going to their feeding
ground. Watching for air-holes, I generally avoided them , but
increasing our speed, I suddenly plunged into one, was carried
for some distance l»v the stream under the ice, aud stunned and
choking I was forced up through another air-hole farther down
the stream. I clutched hold of the ice and arrested my downward
progress, until my companions arrived to help me. Mv wet

INTERFERENCE OF HIS PARTNER. 11

clothes had to be changed. One lent me a shirt, another a
coat, and so apparelled I resumed my homeward journey.
Unable to reach Mill Grove, I was taken to Mr BakewelTs
house chilled and bruised. It was three months before I
recovered, notwithstanding the advice of able physicians called
in from Philadelphia." *

The quiet life young Audubon led at Mill Grove was inter-
rupted by an incident in his life which might have proved
serious to one owning less energy and hardihood than he pos-
sessed. A "partner, tutor, and monitor," one Da Casta, sent
from France by the elder Audubon to prosecute the lead mine
enterprise at Mill Grove, began to assume an authority over
young Audubon which the latter considered unwarranted. An
attempt was made to limit his finances, and Da Casta, unfortu-
nately for himself, went further, and objected to the proposed
union with Lucy Bakewell, as being an unequal match.
Audubon resented such interference, and demanded money
from Da Casta to carrv him to France. The French adventurer
suggested a voyage to India, but finally agreed to give Audubon
a letter of credit upon an agent named Kanman, in New York.
With characteristic earnestness Audubon walked straight off to
New York, where he arrived in three davs, notwithstanding the
severity of a midwinter journey The day following his arrival
he called upon Mr. Kanman, who frankly told him he had no
money to give him, and further disclosed Da Casta's treachery
by hinting that Audubon should be seized and shipped for
China. Furious at this treatment, Audubon procured money
from a friend, and engaged a passage on board the brig Hope,
of New Bedford, bound for Nantes. He left New York, and
after considerable delays, surprised his parents in their quiet
country home.

12 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER IV.

Result of Audubon's Voyage to France— His Father's consent to
his Marriage — Renewal of Bird-hunting Pursuits — Examination
for the Fresch Marine, and Appointment to the Post of Mid-
shipman — Return to America — Chased by a Privateer — Narrow
Escape from Losing his Gold.

Explaining to his father the scandalous conduct of Da Casta,
young Audubon prevailed so far that the traitor was removed
from the position which he had been placed in with such
hasty confidence. He had also to request his father's approval
of his marriage with Miss Lucy Bakewell, and the father promised
to decide as soon as he had an answer to a letter he had written
to Mr. Bakewell in Pennsylvania. Settled in the paternal house
for a year, the naturalist gratified in every fashion his wander-
ing instincts. He roamed everywhere in the neighbourhood of
the home, shooting, fishing, and collecting specimens of natural
history. He also continued his careful drawings of natural
history specimens, and stuffed and prepared many birds and
animals — an art which he had carefully acquired in America.
In one year two hundred drawings of European birds had been
completed — a fact which displays marvellous industry, if it does
not necessarily imply a sound artistic representation of the
birds drawn. At this period the tremendous convulsions of
the French empire had culminated in colossal preparations
for a conflict with Russia. The conscription threatened every
man capable of bearing arms, and Audubon appeared to believe
that he stood in some danger of being enrolled in the general

CHASED BY THE RATTLESNAKE. 13

levy. His two brothers were already serving in the armies of
Napoleon as officers, and it was decided that their junior should
voluntarily join the navy After passing what he called "a
superficial examination " for an appointment as midshipman, he
was ordered to report at Rochefort, Entering upon his duties in
the French marine, he was destined to make at least one short
cruise in the service of France Before entering the service he
had made the acquaintance of a young man named Ferdinand
Rosier, with whom he had made some proposal of going to
America. On the return of the vessel in which he acted,
it was proposed that he and Rosier should leave for America as
partners, under a nine years' engagement. The elder Au lubon
obtained leave of absence for Ins son ; and after passports were
provided, the two emigrants left France at a period when
thousands would have been glad of liberty to follow their foot-
steps.

About two weeks after leaving France, a vessel pave chase
to the French vessel, passed her by to windward, fired a shot
across her bows, and continue 1 the chase until the captain
of the outward bound was forced to heave his ship to, and
submit to be boarded by a boat. The enemy proved to be the
English privateer, Rattlesnake, the captain of which was sadly
vexed to find that his prev was an American vessel, carrviner
proper papers, and flying the stars and stripes. Unable to
detain the vessel, the privateers crew determined at least to
rob the passengers. " Thev took pigs ami sheep/' writes
Audubon, "and carried away two of our best sailors, in spito of
the remonstrances of the captain, and of a member of the
Cnited States Congress, who was a passenger on board, and
was accompanied by an amiable daughter The Rattlesnake
kept us under her lee, and almost within pistol-shot for a day
and a night, ransacking the ship for money, of which we had a
great deal in the run under the ballast, which though partially
removed, they did not go deep enough to reach the treasure.
The gold belonging to Rosier and myself I put away in a
woollen stocking under the ship's cable in the bows of the
ship, where it remained safe until the privateers had departed.
Reaching within thirty miles of Sandy Hook, a fishing-smack
was spoken, which reported that two British frigates lay off

14 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the entrance, and had fired on an American ship ; that they
were impressing American seamen, and that, in fact, they
were even more dangerous to meet than the pirates who sailed
under " a letter of marque." The captain, warned of one danger,
ran into another. He took his vessel through Long Island
Sound, and ran it upon a spit in a gale. Floated off the
Adventurous; finally reached New York in safety."

CHAPTER V.

The Instincts of the Naturalist — Difficulties to be Overcome in
Depicting Birds — Artistic Anxieties — Knowledge of Botany — Goes
to New York to acquire a Knowledge of I usiness — Loses Money
and does not Succeed in his Purpose — Portrait of Himself —
Returns to Mill Grove— Expedition to the West.

From, the introductory address in the first volume of Audubon's
i Ornithological Biography/ published at Edinburgh, in 1S34,
many passages may be cited as an exposition of the high
aspirations which stimulated the young naturalist to his task.
These passages may be divided into scientific and artistic. Belong-
ing to the first category are constant references to that thirst for
accurate and complete knowledge regarding wild animals, and
especially birds, their habits, forms, nests, eggs, progeny, places
of breeding, and all that concerned them. But, after all,
Audubon was not at heart a man of science. He gathered
much, and speculated little, and was more a backwoodsman
than a philosopher. In his rough great way he did good
service, but his great physical energy, not his mental resources,
was the secret of his success.

His crude artistic instincts inspired him witfi the desire to
represent, by the aid of pencil, crayon, or paint, the form,
plumage, attitude, and characteristic marks of his feathered
favourites. In working towards this end, he laboured to pro-
duce life-like pictures, and frequently with wonderful success.
Strongly impressed with the difficulties of representing in any
perfect degree the living image of the birds he drew, he laboured

16 LIFE OF AUDUBON

arduously at what we may call forcible photographs in colours,
his first aim being fidelity, and his next, artistic beauty. How
much chagrin his failures cost him may J e gleaned from the
lamentations he makes over his unsuccessful efforts in the
introductory address referred to above. Regarding the means
he adopted to secure a faultless representation of the animals
he desired to transcribe, he writes . — " Patiently and with in-
dustry did I apply myself to studv, for although I felt the
impossibility of giving life to my productions, I did not abandon
the idea of representing nature. Many plans were successively
adopted, many masters guided my hand. At the age of seven-
teen, when I returned from France, whither I had gone to
receive the rudiments of mv education, my drawings had assumed
a form. David had guided my hand in tracing objects of large
size . eves and noses belonging to giants and heads of horses,
represented in ancient sculpture, were my models. These,
although fit subjects for men intent on pursuing the higher
branches of art, were immediately laid aside by me. I returned
to the woods of the new world with fresh ardour, and com-
menced a collection of drawings, which I henceforth continued,
and which is now publishing under the title of k The Birds of
America.' "

To resume the narrative of Audubon's journey back to Mill
Grove Da Casta was dismissed from his situation, and Audubon
remained his own master Mr William Bakewell, the brother
of Lucy, has recorded some interesting particulars of a visit to
Mill Grove at this period. He says — " Audubon took me to
his house, where he and his companion Kosier resided, with
Mrs. Thomas for an attendant. On entering his room, I was
astonished and delighted to find that it was turned into a
museum. The walls were festooned with all sorts of birds'
eggs, earefullv blown out and strung on a thread. The chimney-
pieee was covered with stuffed squirrels, racoons, and opossums:
and the shelves around were likewise crowded with specimens,
among which were fishes, frogs, snakes, lizards, and other
reptiles. Besides these stuffed varieties, many paintings were
arrayed upon the walls, chiefly of birds. He had great skill in
stuffing and preserving animals of all sorts. He had also a
trick of training dogs with great perfection, of which art his

LIFE IN NEW YORK. 17

famous dog Zephyr was a wonderful example. He was an
admirable marksman, an expert swimmer, a clever rider, pos-
sessed great activity, prodigious strength, and was notable for
the elegance of his figure and the beauty of his features, and he
aided nature by a careful attendance to his dress. Besides
other accomplishments, he was musical, a good fencer, danced
well, had some acquaintance of legerdemain tricks, worked in
hair, and could plait willow-baskets." He adds further, that
Audubon once swam across the Schuylkil river with him on his
back, no contemptible feat for a young athlete.

The naturalist was evidently a nonpareil in the eyes of his
neighbours, and of those who were intimate enough to know his
manifold tastes. But Love began to interfere a little with the
gratification of these Bohemian instincts. On expressing his
desire of uniting himself to Miss Bakewell, Audubon was advised
by Mr. Bakewell to obtain some knowledge of commercial
pursuits before getting married. With tliis intention, Audubon
started for New York, entered the counting-house of Mr. Benjamin
Bakewell, and made rapid progress in his education by losing
some hundreds of pounds by a bad speculation in indigo.

The leading work done by the imprisoned naturalist was, as
usual, wandering in search of birds and natural curiosities. While
so engaged he made the acquaintance of Dr. Samuel Mitchel,
one of the leading medical men in Xew York city, and dis-
tinguished as an ethnologist. Dr. Mitchel was one of the
founders of the Lyceum of Natural Hist or \\ and of the * Medical
Repository/ which was the first scientific journal started in the
United States. Audubon prepared many specimens for this
gentleman, which be believed were finally deposited in the Xew
York Museum. After a season of probation, during which
Mr. Bakewell became convinced of the impossibility of tutoring
Audubon into mercantile habits, the naturalist gladly returned
to Mill Grove. Rosier, who had likewise been recommended
to attempt commerce, lost a considerable sum in an unfortunate
speculation, and eventually returned to Mill Grove with his
friend.

Audubon remarks that at this period it took him but a few
minutes, walking smartly, to pass from one end of New York to
another, so sparse was the population at the date of his residence.

18 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

He adds, in reference to his absent habits and unsuitability for
business, that he at one time posted without sealing it a letter
containing 8000 dollars. His natural history pursuits in New
York occasioned a disagreeable flavour from his rooms, occasioned
by drying birds' skins, and was productive of so much annoyance
to his neighbours, that they forwarded a message to him through
a constable, insisting on his abating the nuisance. An excellent
pen and ink sketch of his own appearance at this time has been
left by Audubon. He says " I measured five feet ten and a
half inches, was of a fair mien, and quite a handsome figure ;
large, dark, and rather sunken eyes, light-coloured eyebrows,
aquiline nose, and a fine set of teeth ; hair, fine texture and
luxuriant, divided and passing down behind each ear in luxuriant
ringlets as for as the shoulders." There appears excellent
reason to believe that Audubon quite appreciated his youthful
graces, and, with the naivete of a simple nature, was not ashamed
to record them.

After returning to Mill Grove, Audubon and his friend Eosier
planned an expedition towards the west, at that time a wild
region thinly populated by a very strange people.

CHAPTER VI.

Audubon's Marriage and Journey to Louisville — His Settlement

THERE AND PLEASANT LlFE — CONTINUANCE OF HIS PURSUITS — WEST-
ERN Hospitality — Business Prospects — Removal of Business to
Hendersonville — Meeting with Alexander Wilson, the American
Ornithologist and Paisley Poet

The journey of Audubon and Rosier to Kentucky had for its
purpose the discovery of some outlet for the naturalist's energies,
in the shape of a settled investment, which would permit
of his marriage to Miss Bakewell. In Louisville Audubon de-
termined to remain, and with this purpose in view he sold his
plantation of Mill Grove, invested his capital in goods, and pre-
pared to start for the west. His arrangements being complete,
he was married to Miss Bakewell on the 8th of April, 1S0S, in
her father's residence at Fat land Ford. Jouraeving by Pittsburg
the wedded pair reached Louisville with their goods in safety.
From Pittsburg they sailed down the Ohio m a Hat-bottomed
float named an ark, and which proved to be an exceedingly
tedious and primitive mode of travelling. This river voyage
occupied twelve days, and must have given the naturalist
wonderful opportunities of making observations. At Louisville
he commenced trade under favourable auspices, but the hunting
of birds continued to be the ruling passion. His life at this
period, in the company of his young wife, appears to have been
extremely happy, and he writes that he had really reason " to
care for nothing." The country around Louisville was settled
by planters who were fond of hunting, and among whom he

c 2

20 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

found a ready welcome. The shooting and drawing of birds was
continued. His friend Rosier, less fond of rural sports, stuck to
the counter, and, as Audubon phrases it, " grew rich, and that
was all he cared for." Audubon's pursuits appear to have severed
him from the business, which was left to Hosier's management.
Finally, the war of 1812 imperillel the prosperity of the part-
ners, and what goods remained on hand were shipped to Hender-
sonville, Kentucky, where Rosier remained for some years longer,
before going further westward in searcli of the fortune he coveted.
Writing of the kindness shown him by his friends at Louisville,
Audubon relates that when he was absent on business, or '• away
on expeditions," his wife was carried off to some neighbour's
house, and taken care of till he returned.

It was at Louisville that Audubon made the acquaintance of
Wilson, the American ornithologist. Wilson, a poor Scottish
rhyme-making weaver, had been driven from Paisley through
his sympathies with the political agitators of that notable
Scottish town ; and finding a refuge in the United States, had
turned his attention to ornithology. From the pages of Audu-
bon's % Ornithological Biography ' it may be interesting to re-
produce an account of the meeting between the two naturalists.
" One fair morning/' writes Audubon, " I was surprised by the
sudden entrance into our counting-room at Louisville of 3Ir.
Alexander W ilson, the celebrated author of the i American
Ornithologv/ of whose existence I had never until that moment
been apprized. This happened in March. 1810. How well do I
remember him, as he then walked up to me ! His long, rather
hooked nose, the keenness of his eyes, and his prominent cheek-
bones, stamped his countenance with a peculiar character His
dress, too, was of a kind not usually seen in that part of the
country , a short coat, trousers, and a waistcoat of grey cloth.
His stature was not above the middle size. He had two volumes
under his arm, and as he approached the table at which I was
working, I thought I discovered something like astonishment in
his countenance. He, however, immediately proceeded to dis-
close the object of his visit, which was to procure subscriptions
for his work. He opened his books, explained the nature of his
occupations, and requested my patronage. I felt surprised and
gratified at the sight of his volumes, turned over a few of the

VISIT OF ALEXANDER WILSON. 21

plates, and had already taken a pen to write my name in bis
favour, when my partner rather abruptly said to me, in French,
i My dear Audubon, what induces you to subscribe to this work ?
Your drawings are certainly far better , and airam, you must know
as much of the habits of American birds as this gentleman/
Whether Mr. Wilson understood French or not, or if the
suddenness with which I paused, disappointed him, I cannot
tell ; but I clearly perceived that he was not pleased. Vanity
and the encomiums of my friend prevented me from subscribing.
Mr. Wilson asked me if I had many drawings of birds. I rose,
took down a large portfolio, laid it on the table, and showed
him — as I would show you, kind reader, or any other person fond
of such subjects — the whole of the contents, with the same patience
with which he had shown me his own engravings. His surprise
appeared great, as he told me be never had the most distant
idea that any other individual than himself had been engaged
in forming such a collection. He asked me if it was my intention
to publish, and when I answered in the negative, his surprise
seemed to increase. And, truly, such was not my intention ;
for, until long after, when I met the Prince of Musignano in
Philadelphia, I had not the least idea of presenting the fruits of
my labours to the world. Mr. Wilson now examined my drawings
with care, asked if I should have any objections to lending him
a few during his stay, to which I replied that I had none. He
then bade me good-morning, not, however, until I had made an
arrangement to explore the woods in the vicinity along with
him, and had promised to procure for him some birds, of which
I had drawings in my collection, but which he had never seen.
It happened that he lodged in the same house with us, but his
retired habits, I thought, exhibited either a strong feeling of
discontent or a decided melancholy The Scotch airs which he
played sweetly on his flute made me melancholy too, and I felt
for him. I presented him to my wife and friends, and seeing
that he was all enthusiasm, exerted myself as much as was in
my power to procure for him the specimens which he wanted.
We hunted together, and obtained birds which he had never
before seen ; but, reader, I did not subscribe to his work, for,
even at that time, my collection was greater than his. Thinking
that perhaps he might be pleased to publish the results of my

22 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

researches, I offered them to him, merely on condition that what
I had drawn, or might afterwards draw and send to him, should
be mentioned in his work as coming from my pencil. I at the
same time offered to open a correspondence with him, which I
thought might prove beneficial to us both. He made no reply
to either proposal, and before many days had elapsed left
Louisville, on his way to Xew Orleans, little knowing how much
his talents were appreciated in our little town, at least by myself
and mv friends.

" Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, or
of his work. At length, having occasion to go to Philadelphia,
I, immediately after my arrival there, inquired for him, and
paid him a visit. He was then drawing a white-headed eagle.
He received me with civilitv, and took me to the exhibition
rooms of Rembrandt Peale, the artist, who had then portrayed
Xapoleon crossing the Alps. Mr Wilson spoke not of birds or
drawings. Feeling, as I was forced to do, that my company
was not agreeable, I parted from Inin , and after that I never
saw hinr again. But judge of my astonishment some time after,
when on reading the thirty-ninth page of the ninth volume of
' American Ornithology,' I found in it the following para-
graph —

"'March 23, 1810. — I bade adieu to Louisville, to which
place I had four letters of recommendation, and was taught to
expect much of everything there ; but neither received one act
of civility from those to whom I was recommended, one sub-
scriber, nor one new bird ; though I delivered my letters,
ransacked the woods repeatedly, and visited all the characters
likely to subscribe. Science or literature has not one friend in
this place ' "

The contrast between the chivalric conduct of Audubon and
Wilson's narrow spirit are here very marked , but it has to be
born** in mind that, while Audubon was a polished and well-
educated French gentleman, Wilson was a poor weaver, educated
bv the aid of his own industry, and suffering from the many
blights that had fallen upon his class in a land where the
ameniti* s of civilization had not done much to soften the
manners of the working classes. Further, this and many other
incidents related by Audubon himself must be taken cum grano

VANITY OF AUDUBON 23

salts. If Audubon had one marked fault, it was vanity ; he was
a queer compound of Actaeon and Narcissus — holding a gun in
one hand and flourishing a looking-glass in the other. It was
little not to subscribe to Wilson's book, and it naturally awakened
suspicion. Like all vain men, the Frenchman was not unsel-
fish, as the reader will doubtless discover for himself in the
sequel.

24 LIFE OF AUDUBON

CHAPTER VII.

Retubn of Mrs. Audubon to her Father's House — Audubon and Bosieb
move to Hendersonville — Business Unremunerative — Determine
to try St Genevieve on the Mississippi — Sail down the Ohio and
delay at Cash Creek — Camp of Shawnee Indians — Wild Swan
Shooting with Indians — A Bear Hunt, and Valiant Indian —
Towing up the Mississippi — Boat Frozen in — Meeting with Osage
Indian* — Desperate Effort to Rescue the Boat from Ice — Arrival
at St Genevieve.

At Louisville it was discovered that business was suffering
from over competition, and no further time was to be lost in
transferring the stock to Hendersonville. Before leaving
Louisville to take up his residence at Hendersonville, farther
down the Ohio river, Audubon took his wife and young son
back to her fathers house at Fatland Ford, where they re-
sided for a year

Audubon and his partner Rosier arranged their migration
with the remaining stock, and entered upon their vovage of
one hundred and twenty miles down the Ohio to Henderson-
ville. Arriving at this place, they found the neighbourhood
thinly inhabited, and the demand for goods almost limited to
the coarsest materials. The merchants were driven to live
upon the produce of their guns and fishing-rods.

The clerk employed for the firm had even to assist in supplv-
ing the table, and while he did so Rosier attended to the
business. The profits on any business done was enormous, but
the sales were so trifling that another change was determined
on. It was proposed that the stock in hand, should be removed

VOYAGE TO ST. GENEVlfiVE. 25

to St. Genevieve, a settlement on the Mississippi river, and
until it was ascertained how the enterprise would prosper,
Mrs. Audubon should be left at Henderson ville, with the family
of Dr. Parkin, who resided in the immediate neighbourhood. Of
the adventurous voyage to St Genevieve, Audubon gives this
graphic account : —

" Putting our goods, which consisted of three hundred barrels
of whisky, sundry dry goods, and powder, on board a keel-
boat, my partner, my clerk, and self departed in a severe
snow-storm. The boat was new, staunch, and well trimmed, and
had a cabin in her bow. A long steering oar, made of the
trunk of a slender tree, about sixty feet in length, and shaped
at its outer extremity like the fin of a dolphin, helped to
steer the boat, while the four oars from the bow impelled her
along, when going with the current, about five miles an hour.

(C The storm we set out in continued, and soon covered the
ground with a wintry sheet. Our first night on board was
dismal indeed, but the dawn brought us opposite the mouth of
the Cumberland River. It was evident that the severe cold
had frozen all the neighbouring lakes and lagoons, because
thousands of wild water-fowl were flying to the river, and
settling themselves on its borders. We permitted our boat to
drift past, and amused ourselves by firing into flocks of birds.

" The third day we entered Cash Creek, a very small stream,
but having deep water and a good harbour. Here I met Count
Demun, who was also in a boat like ours, and bound also for
St. Genevieve. Here we learned that the Mississippi was
covered with floating ice of a thickness dangerous to the safety
of our craft, and indeed that it was impossible to ascend the
river against it.

" The creek was full of water, was crowded with wild birds,
and was plentifully supplied with fish. The large sycamores,
and the bare branches of the trees that fringed the creek, were
favourite resorts of paroquets, which came at night to roost
in their hollow trunks. An agreeable circumstance was an
encampment of about fifty families of Shawnee Indians,
attracted to the spot by the mast of the forest, which brought
together herds of deer, and many bears and racoons.

" Mr. Rosier, whose only desire was to reach the destination

26 LIFE OP AUDUBON

and resume trade, was seized with melancholy at the prospect
occasioned by the delay. He brooded in silence over a mishap
which had given me great occasion for rejoicing."

A narrative of Audubon's stay at Cash Creek, and perilous
journey up the Mississippi, is picturesquely given in his journal,
and from which the following is extracted : —

" The second morning after our arrival at Cash Creek, while
I was straining my eyes to discover whether it was fairly day
dawn or no, I heard a movement in the Indian camp, and
discovered that a canoe, with half a dozen squaws and as many
hunters, was about leaving for Tennessee. I had heard that
there was a large lake opposite to us, where immense flocks of
swans resorted every morning, and asking permission to join
them, I seated myself on my haunches in the canoe, well pro-
vided with ammunition and a bottle of whisky, and in a few
minutes the paddles were at work, swiftly propelling us to the
opposite shore. I was not much surprised to see the boat
paddled by the squaws, but I was quite so to see the hunters
stretch themselves out and go to sleep. On landing, the squaws
took charge of the canoe, secured it, and went in search of nuts,
while we gentlemen hunters made the best of our way through
thick and thin to the lake. Its muddy shores were overgrown
with a close growth of cotton trees, too large to be pushed
aside, and too thick to pass through except by squeezing your-
self at every few steps , and to add to the difficulty, every few
rods we came to small nasty lagoons, which one must jump,
leap, or swim, and this not without peril of broken limbs or
drowning.

" But when the lake burst on our view there were the swans
by hundreds, and white as rich cream, either dipping their
black bills? in the water, or stretching out one leg on its surface,
or gently floating along. According to the Indian mode of
hunting, we had divided, and approached the lagoon from
different sides. The moment our vidette was seen, it seemed as
if thousands of large, fat, and heavy swans were startled, and as
they made away from him they drew towards the ambush of
death , lor the trees had hunters behind them, whose touch of the
trigger would carry destruction among them. As the first party
fired, the game rose and flew within easy distance of the party

CAMPING AT CASH CREEK. 27

on the opposite side, when they again fired, and I saw the water
covered with birds floating with their backs downwards, and
their heads sunk in the water, and their legs kicking in the
air. When the sport was over we counted more than fifty of
these beautiful birds, whose skins were intended for the ladies
in Europe. There were plenty of geese and ducks, but no one
condescended to give thern a shot. A conch was sounded, and
after a while the squaws came dragging the canoe, and collect-
ing the dead game, which was taken to the river s edge, fastened
to the canoe, and before dusk we were again landed at our
camping ground. I had heard of sportsmen in England who
walked a whole day, and after firing a pound of powder returned
in great glee, bringing one partridge ; and I could not help
wondering what they would think of the spoil we were bearing
from Swan Lake ?

" The fires were soon lighted, and a soup of pecan nuts and
bear fat made and eaten. The hunters stretched themselves with
their feet close to the camp-fires, intended to burn all night.
The squaws then began to skin the birds, and I retired, very
well satisfied with my Christmas sport.

" When I awoke in the morning and made my rounds through
the camp, I found a squaw had been delivered of beautif al twins
during the night, and I saw the same squaw at work tanning
deer-skins. She had cut two vines at the roots of opposite trees,
and made a cradle of bark, in which the new-born ones were
wafted to and fro with a push of her hand, while from time to
time she gave them the breast, and was apparently as uncon-
cerned as if the event had not taken place.

" An Indian camp on a hunting expedition is by no means a
place of idleness, and although the men do little more than
hunt, they perform their task with an industry which borders
on enthusiasm. I was invited by three hunters to a bear hunt.
A tall, robust, well-shaped fellow, assured me that we should
have some sport that day, for he had discovered the haunt of
one of large size, and he wanted to meet him face to face ; and
we four started to see how he would fulfil his boast. About half
a mile from the camp he said he perceived his tracks, though I
could see nothing ; and we rambled on through the cane brake
until we came to an immense decayed log, in which he swore

28 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the bear was. I saw his eye sparkle with joy, his rusty blanket
was thrown off his shoulders, his brawny arms swelled with
blood, as he drew his scalping-knife from his belt with a flourish
which showed that fighting was his delight. He told me to
mount a small sapling, because a bear cannot climb one, while
it can go up a large tree with the nimbleness of a squirrel. The
two other Indians seated themselves at the entrance, and the
hero went in boldly All was silent for a few moments, when
he came out and said the bear was dead, and I might come
down. The Indians cut a long vine, went into the hollow tree,
fastened it to the animal, and with their united force dragged it
out. I really thought that this was an exploit.

" Since then I have seen many Indian exploits, which proved
to me their heroism. In Europe or America the white hunter
would have taken his game home and talked about it for weeks,
but these simple people only took off the animal's skin, hung
the flesh in quarters on the trees, and continued their hunt.
Unable to follow them, I returned to the camp, accompanied by
one Indian, who broke the twigs of the bushes we passed, and
sent back two squaws on the track, who brought the flesh and
skin of the bear to the camp.

" At length the nuts were nearly all gathered, and the game
grew scarce, and the hunters remained most of the day in camp ;
and they soon made up their packs, broke up their abodes, put
all on board their canoes, and paddled off down the Mississippi
for the little prairie on the Arkansas.

" Their example made a stir among the whites, and mv impa-
tient partner begged me to cross the bend and see if the ice was
yet too s< >lid for us to ascend the river. Accordingly, accompanied
by two of the crew, I made mv way to the Mississippi. The
weather was milder, and the ice so sunk as to be scarcely per-
ceptible, and I pushed up the shore to a point opposite Cape
Girardeau. We hailed the people on the opposite bank, and a
robust yellow man came across, named Loume. He stated that
he was a son of the Spanish governor of Louisiana, and a good
pilot on the river, and would take our boat up provided we had
four good hands, as he had six. A bargain was soon struck ,
their canoe hauled into the woods, some blazes struck on the
trees, and all started for Cash Creek.

VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 29

" The night was spent in making tugs of hides and shaving oars,
and at daylight we left the Creek, glad to be afloat once more
in broader water Going^down the stream to the month of the
Ohio was fine sport ; indeed, ray partner considered the worst
of the journey over ; but, alas ! when we turned the point, and
met the mighty rush of the Mississippi, running three miles an
hour, and bringing shoals of ice to further impede our progress,
he looked on despairingly. The patrom ordered the lines
ashore, and it became the duty of every man 'to haul the
cordella,' which was a rope fastened to the bow of the boat ;
and one man being left on board to steer, the others, laving the
rope over their shoulders, slowly warped the heavy boat and
cargo against the current. We made seven miles that day up
the famous river But while I was tugging with my back at
the cordella, I kept my eyes fixed on the forests or the ground,
looking for birds and curious shells. At night we camped on the
shores. Here we made fires, cooked supper, and setting one
sentinel, the rest went to bed and slept like men who had done
one good day's work, I slept myself as unconcerned as if I had
been in my own father's house.

" The next day I was up early, and roused my partner two
hours before sunrise, and we began to move the boat at about
one mile an hour against the current. We had a sail on board,
but the wind was ahead, and we made ten miles that day. We
made our fires, and I lay down to sleep again in my buffalo
robes. Two more days of similar toil followed, when the weather
became severe, and our patrom ordered us to go into winter
quarters, in the great bend of the Tawapatee Bottom.

"The sorrows of my partner at this dismal event were too
great to be described. Wrapped in his blanket, like a squirrel
in winter quarters with his tail about his nose, he slept and
dreamed away his time, being seldom seen except at meals.

"There was not a white man's cabin within twentv miles, and
that over a river we could not cross. We cut down trees and
made a winter camp. But a new field was opened to me, and I
rambled through the deep forests, and soon became acquainted
with the Indian trails and the lakes in the neighbourhood.

The Indians have the instinct or sagacity to discover an en-
campment of white men almost as quickly as vultures sight the

30 LIFE OF AUDUBON

carcass of a dead animal ; and I was not long in meeting strol-
ling natives in the \*ood& They gradually accumulated, and
before a week had passed great numbers of these unfortunate
beings were around us, chiefly Osages and Shawnees. The
former were well-formed, athletic, and robust men, of a noble
aspect, and kept aloof from the others. They hunted nothing
but large game, and the few elks and buffaloes that remained in
the country. The latter had been more in contact with the
whites, were much inferior, and killed opossum and wild tur-
keys for a subsistence. The Osages being a new race to me, I
went often to their camp, to study their character and habits ;
but found much difficulty in becoming acquainted with them.
They spoke no French, and only a few words of English, and
their general demeanour proved them to be a nobler race. Yet
thev were delighted to see me draw, and when I made a tolerable
likeness of one of them with red chalk, they cried out with
astonishment, and laughed excessively. They stood the cold
much better than the Shawnees, and were much more expert
with bows and arrows.

" The bones we threw around our camp attracted many
wolves, and afforded us much sport in hunting them. Here I
passed six weeks pleasantly, investigating the habits of wild
deer, bears, cougars, racoons, and turkeys, and many other
animals, and I drew more or less by the side of our great camp-
fire every day ; and no one can have an idea of what a
good fire is who has never seen a camp-fire in the woods of
America. Imagine four or five ash-trees, three feet in diameter
and sixty feet long, cut and piled up, with all their limbs and
branches, ten feet high, and then a fire kindled on the top with
brush and dry leaves , and then under the smoke the party lies
down and goes to sleep.

" Here our bread gave out ; and after using the breast of wild
turkeys for bread, and bears grease for butter, and eating
opossum and bear's meat until our stomachs revolted, it was
decided that a Kentuckian named Pope, our clerk, and a good
woodsman, should go with me to the nearest settlement and trv
and bring some Indian meal. On the way we saw a herd of
deer, and turned aside to shoot one ; and having done so, and
marked the place, we continued our journey. We walked

LIFE IN THE WOODS. 31

until dusk, and no river appeared. Just then I noticed
an Indian trail, which we supposed led to the river, and
after following it a short distance, entered the camp we had
left in the morning. My partner, finding that we had no
wheaten loaves in our hands, and no bags of meal on our backs,
said we were boobies , the boatmen laughed, the Indians joined
the chorus, and we ate some cold racoon, and stumbled into our
buffalo robes, and were soon enjoying our sleep.

'• The next day we tried it again, going directly across the bend,
suffering neither the flocks of turkeys nor the droves of deer we
saw to turn us aside until we had Cape Girardeau in full sight
an hour before the setting of the sun. The ice w r as running
swiftly in the river, and we hailed in vain, for no small boat
dare put out. An old abandoned log-house stood on our bank,
and we took lodgings there for the night , we made a little fire,
ate a little dried bear's meat we had brought, and slept com-
fortably.

" What a different life from the one I am leading now ; and that
night I wrote in my journal exactly as I do now ; and I recollect
well that I gathered more information that evening respecting
the roasting of prairie-hens than I had ever done before or
since. Daylight returned fair and frosty, the trees covered with
snow and icicles, shining like jewels as the sun rose on them ;
and the wild turkeys seemed so dazzled by their brilliancy, that
they allowed us to pass under them without flying.

" After a time we saw a canoe picking its way through the
running ice. Through the messenger who came in the boat we
obtained, after waiting nearly all day, a barrel of flour, several
bags of Indian meal, and a few loaves of bread. Having rolled
the flour to a safe place, slung the meal in a tree, and thrust
our gun barrels through the loaves of bread, we started for our
camp, and reached it not long after midnight. Four men were
sent the next morning with axes to make a sledge, and drag the
provisions over the snow to the camp.

" The river, which had been constantly slowly rising, now
began to fall, and prepared new troubles for us , for as the water
fell the ice clung to the shore, and we were forced to keep the
boat afloat to unload the cargo. This, with the help of all the
Indian men and women, took two days. We then cut large

32 LIFE OF AUDUBON

trees, and fastened them to the shore above the boat, so as to
secure it from the ice which was accumulating, and to save the
boat from being cut by it. We were now indeed in winter
quarters, and we made the best of it. The Indians made
baskets of cane, Mr. Pope played on the violin, I accompanied
with the flute, the men danced to the tunes, and the squaws
looked on and laughed, and the hunters smoked their pipes with
such serenity as only Indians can, and I never regretted
one day spent there.

" While our time went pleasantly enough, a sudden and
startling catastrophe threatened us without warning. The ice
began to break, and our boat was in instant danger of being cut
to pieces by the ice-floes, or swamped by their pressure. Roused
from our sleep, we rushed down pell-mell to the bank, as if
attacked by savages, and discovered the ice was breaking up
rapidly. It split with reports like those of heavy artillery , and
as the water had suddenly risen from an overflow of the Ohio,
the two streams seemed to rush against each other with violence,
in consequence of which the congealed mass was broken into
large fragments, some of which rose nearly erect here and
there, and again fell with thundering crash, as the wounded
whale, when in the agonies of death, springs up with furious
force, and again plunges into the foaming waters. To our
surprise, the weather, which in the evening had been calm and
frosty, had become wet and blowy The water gushed from
the fissures formed in the ice, and the prospect was extremely
dismal. When day dawned, a spectacle strange and fearful
presented itself . the whole mass of water was violently agitated ;
its covering was broken into small fragments, and although not
a foot of space was without ice, not a step could the most daring
have ventured to make upon it. Our. boat was in imminent
danger, for the trees which had been placed to guard it from
the ice were cut or broken into pieces, and were thrust against
her. It was impossible to move her; but our pilot ordered
every man to bring down great bunches of cane, which were
lashed along her sides ; and before these were destroyed by the
ice, she was afloat, and riding above it. While we were gazing
on the scene, a tremendous crash was heard, which seemed to
have taken place about a mile below, when suddenly the great

ARRIVAL AT ST. GENEVIEVE. 33

dam of ice gave way. The current of the Mississippi had forced
its way against that of the Ohio , and in less than four hours
we witnessed the complete breaking up of the ice.

" During that winter the ice was so thick, the patrom said we
might venture to start. The cargo was soon on board, and the
camp given up to the Indians, after bidding mutual adieus, as
when brothers part. The navigation was now of the most
dangerous kind ; the boat was pushed by long poles on the ice,
and against the bottom when it could be touched, and we moved
extremely slowly The ice was higher than our heads, and I
frequently thought, that if a sudden thaw should take place we
should be in great peril ; but fortunately all this was escaped,
and we reached safely the famous cape.

"But the village was small, and no market for us, and w r e
determined to push up to St. Genevieve, and once more were in
motion between the ice. We arrived in a few days at the
grand tower, where an immense rock in the- stream makes the
navigation dangerous. Here we used our Cordelias, and with
great difficulty and peril passed it safely It was near this
famous tower of granite that I first saw the great eagle that I
have named after our good and great General Washington. The
weather continued favourable, and we arrived in safety at
St. Genevieve, and found a* favourable market. Our whisky
was especially welcome, and what we had paid twenty-five cents
a gallon for, brought us two dollars. St. Gem -view was then an
old French town, twenty miles below St. Louis, not so large as
dirty, and I was not half so pleased with the time spent there
as with that spent in the Tawapatee Bottom. Here I met with
the Frenchman who accompanied Lewis and Clark to the
Rocky Mountains. They had just returned, and I was delighted
to learn from them many particulars of their interesting
journey "

V)

34 LIFE OF AUDUBON

CHAPTER VIII.

Audubon finds Genevieve Unsuitable — Return Journey to Hendebson-
ville — Terrible Adventure on the Prairie — Narrow Escape from
Assassination — Regulator Law in the West — The Shooting of
Mason — Lynching a Rogue — Earthquakes in Kentucky — A Terri-
fied Horse — A Marriage Party in a Plight — A Frantic Doctor.

Audubon soon discovered that Genevieve was no pleasant
place to live in. Its population were mostly low-bred French
Canadians, for whose company, notwithstanding certain national
sympathies, he had no liking. He wearied to be back at
Hendersonville beside his young wife. Hosier got married at
Genevieve, and to him Audubon soW his interest in the business.
The naturalist purchased a horse, bade adieu to his partner,
to the society of Genevieve, and started homeward across the
country. During this journey Audubon met with a terrible ad-
venture, and made a miraculous escape from impending death.
This episode in Audubon's life is related by him in the following
words : —

" On my return from the upper Mississippi, I found myself
obliged to cross one of the wide prairies, which, in that portion
of the United States, vary the appearance of the country. The
weather was fine, all around me was as fresh and blooming as if
it had just issued from the bosom of nature. My knapsack, my
gun, and my dog, were all I had for baggage and company.
But, although well moccassined, I moved slowly along, attracted
by the brilliancy of the flowers, and the gambols of the fawns
around their dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger
as I felt myself.

TERRIBLE ADVENTURE. 35

" My march was of long duration. I saw the sun sinking
beneath the horizon long before I could perceive any appear-
ance of woodlands, and nothing in the shape of man had I met
with that day. The track which I followed was only an old
Indian trail, and as darkness overshadowed the prairie, I felt
some desire to reach at least a copse, in which I might lie down
to rest. The night-hawks were skimming over and around me,
attracted by the buzzing wings of the beetles which form their
food, and the distant howling of the wolves gave me some hope
that I should soon arrive at the skirts of some woodland.

"I did so, and almost at the same instant a fire-light attract-
ing my eye, I moved towards it, full of confidence that it
proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I was
mistaken. I discovered by its glare that it was from the hearth
of a small log cabin, and that a tall figure passed and repassed
between it and me, as if busily engaged in household arrange-
ments.

a I reached the spot, and presenting myself at the door,
asked the tall figure, which proved to be a woman, if I might
take shelter under her roof for the night ? Her voice was gruff,
and her dress negligently thrown about her She answered in
the affirmative I walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly
seated myself by the fire. The next object that attracted my
notice was a finely-formed young Indian, resting his head
between his hands, with his elbows on his knees. A long bow
rested against the log wall near him, while a quantity of arrows
and two or three racoon skins lay at his feet. He moved not ,
he apparently breathed not. Accustomed to the habits <>f the
Indians, and knowing that they pay little attention to the
approach of civilised strangers, I addressed him in French, a
language not unfrequentlv partially known to the people of
that neighbourhood. He raised his head, pointed to one of his
eyes with his finger, and gave me a significant glance with the
other , his face was covered with blood.

"The fact was, that an hour before this, as he was in the act
of discharging an arrow at a racoon in the top of a tree, the
arrow had split upon the cord, and sprung back with sueli
violence into his right e\< as to destroy it for o\er.

"Feeling hungry, I inquired what sort of fare I might expect.

i) 2

36 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Such a thing as a bed was not to be seen, but many large
untanned bear and buffalo hides lay piled in a comer. I drew a
time-piece from my pocket, and told the woman that it wa^
late, and that I was fatigued. She espied my watch, the
richness of which seemed to operate on her feelings with
electric quickness. She told me there was plenty of venison
and jerked buffalo meat, and that on removing the ashes I
should find a cake. But my watch had struck her fancy, and
her curiosity had to be gratified by an immediate sight of it.
I took off the gold chain which secured it around my neck, and
presented it to her. She was all ecstasy, spoke of its beauty,
asked me its value, and put the chain round her brawny neck,
saying how happy the possession of such a watch would make
her. Thoughtless, and, as I fancied myself, in so retired a spot,
secure, I paid little attention to her talk or her movements. I
helped my dog to a good supper of venison, and was not long in
satisfying the demands of my own appetite.

"The Indian rose from his seat as if in extreme suffering. He
passed and repassed me several times, and once pinched me on
the side so violently, that the pain nearly brought forth an
exclamation of anger. I looked at him, his eye met mine, but
his look was so forbidding, that it struck a chill into the more
nervous part of my system. He again seated himself, drew his
butcher-knife from its greasy scabbard, examined its edge, as I
would do that of a razor suspected dull, replaced it, and again
taking his tomahawk from his back, filled the pipe of it with
tobacco, and sent me expressive glances whenever our hostess
chanced to have her back towards us.

" Never until that moment had my senses been awakened to
the danger which I now suspected to be about me. I returned
glance for glance to my companion, and rested well assured
that, whatever enemies I might have, he was not of their
number

" I asked the woman for my watch, wound it up, and under
pretence of wishing to see how the weather might probably
be on the morrow, took up my gun, and walked out of the
cabin. I slipped a ball into each barrel, scraped the edges of my
flints, renewed the primings, and returning to the hut, gave a
favourable account of my observations. I took a few bear-skins,

NARROW ESCAPE FROM ASSASSINATION. 37

made a pallet of them, and calling my faithful dog to my side,
lay down, with my gun close to my body, and in a few minutes
was to all appearance fast asleep.

"A short time had elapsed when some voices were heard,
and from the corner of my eyes I saw two athletic youths
making their entrance, bearing a dead stag on a pole. They
disposed of their burden, and asking for whisky, helped them-
selves freely to it. Observing me and the wounded Indian,
they asked who I was, and why the devil that rascal (meaning
the Indian, who, they knew, understood not a word of English) was
in the house ? The mother, for so she proved to be, bade them
speak less loudly, made mention of my watch, and took them
to a corner, where a conversation took place, the purport of
which it required little shrewdness in me to guess. I tapped
my dog gently, he moved his tail, and with indescribable
pleasure I saw his fine eyes alternately fixed on me and raised
towards the trio in the corner. I felt that he perceived danger
in my situation. The Indian exchanged the last glance with
me.

" The lads had eaten and drunk themselves into such condition
that I already looked upon them as hors cle combat ; and the
frequent visits of the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth of their
dam, I hoped would soon reduce her to a like state. Judge of
my astonishment when I saw this incarnate fiend take a large
carving-knife, and go to the grindstone to whet its edge. I
saw her pour the water on the turning machine, and watched
her working away with the dangerous instrument, until the
cold sweat covered every part of my body, in despite of my
determination to defend myself to the last. Her task finished,
she walked to her reeling sons, and said, ' There, that'll soon
settle him ! Boys, kill yon , and then for the watch !'

"I turned, cocked my gun-locks silently, touched my faithful
companion, and lay ready to start up and shoot the first who
might attempt my life. The moment was fast approaching,
and that night might have been my last in this world, had not
Providence made provision for my rescue. All was ready. The
infernal hag was advancing slowly, probably contemplating the
best way of despatching me whilst her sons should be engaged
with the Indian. I was several times on the evo of rising, and

38 LIFE OF AUDUBON

shooting her on the spot, but she was not to be punished thus
The door was suddenly opened, and there entered two stout
travellers, each with a long rifle on his shoulder. I bounced
up on my feet, and making them most heartily welcome, told
them how well it was for me that they should have arrived at
that moment. The tale was told in a minute. The drunken
sons were secured, and the woman, in spite of her defence and
vociferations, shared the same fate. The Indian fairly danced
with joy, and gave us to understand that, as he could not sleep
for pain, he would watch over us. You may suppose we slept
much less than we talked. The two strangers gave me an
account of their once having been themselves in a similar
situation. Day came fair and rosy, and with it the punishment
of our captives.

"They were quite sobered. Their feet were unbound, but
their arms were still securely tied. We marched them into the
woods off the road, and having used them as Regulators were
wont to use such delinquents, we set fire to the cabin, gave all
the skins and implements to the young Indian warrior, and
proceeded, well pleased, towards the settlements."

At the period at which this incident occurred "Regulator
Law " was the high tribunal in the Western States. A savage
and outcast population fringed the settled territories, and
among these the most dastardly crimes were current. * Regu-
lator Law " was administered bv a bodv of American citizens,
and was akin to a Vigilance Committee in its self-assumed
functions. The punishment of felons, who could defy or were
likely to escape the law of the land, was the special duty of the
Regulators, and the name acquired a terrible significance in the
western wilds. Audubon relates that a notorious freebooter,
named Mason, frequented Wolfs Island in the Mississippi, and
with a gang of marauders played pirate with impunity in that
river. He stripped the laden barges of all the valuables, stole
horses, and proved himself to be beyond the reach of the law.
A party of Regulators descended the river, but failed to find him.
Finally, he was shot through the ready wit of one man. This
Regulator met the ruflian in the forest, and, unsuspected, turned
after him and dogged his steps. Mason retired to a quiet dell,
hobbled his horse to prevent it escaping, and crept into a hollow

SHOCK OF AN EARTHQUAKE. 39

tree. The Regulator went off for assistance to the nearest place,
and returning with armed men, the plunderer was shot down,
and his severed head was stuck on a pole hard by, to deter
others from following the same life. The punishment adjudged
by these Regulators was mercifully apportioned to the crimes of
the evildoers; but Audubon relates a rather severe sentence
passed upon one who was neither thief nor murderer.

" The culprit," says Audubon, " was taken to a place where
nettles were known to grow in great abundance, completely
stripped, and so lashed with them, that although not materially
hurt, he took it as a hint not to be neglected, left the country,
and was never again heard of by any of the party concerned."

In November, 1812, soon after his father's return to Hender-
sonville, Audubon's second son, John Woodhouse, was born.
John Woodhouse and his only brother, Victor, were destined to
become companions of their father in his hunting expeditions,
and were afterwards able to assist materially in collecting and
drawing birds for the great work.

A few weeks after Audubon's return to Hendersonville, the
western section of the state of Kentucky and the banks of the
Mississippi suffered from a very severe shock of earthquake. In
the month of November, the naturalist was riding along on
horseback, when he heard what he imagined to be the distant
rumbling of a violent tornado. u On which," says he, u I
spurred my steed, with a wish to gallop as fast as possible to
the place of shelter. But it would not do , the animal knew
better than I what was forthcoming, and instead of going faster,
so nearly stopped, that I remarked he placed one foot after
another on the ground with as much precaution as if walking
on a smooth sheet of ice. I thought he had suddenlv foundered,
and, speaking to him, was on the point of dismounting and
leading him, when he all of a sudden fell a groaning piteously,
hung his head, spread out his four legs, as if to save himself
from falling, and stood stock still, continuing to groan. I
thought my horse was about to die, and would have sprung from
his back had a minute more elapsed , but at that instant all the
shrubs and trees began to move from their very roots, the
ground rose and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters
of a lake, and I became bewildered in my ideas, as I too plainly

40 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

discovered that all this awful commotion in nature was the
result of an earthquake.

" I had never witnessed anything of the kind before, although,
like every other person, I knew of earthquakes by description.
But what is description compared with reality ? Who can tell
of the sensations which I experienced when I found myself
rocking, as it were, upon my horse, and with him moved to and
fro like a child in a cradle, with the most imminent danger
around me ? The fearful convulsion, however, lasted only a few
minutes, and the heavens again brightened as quickly as they
had become obscured , my horse brought his feet to the natural
position, raised his head, and galloped off as if loose and frolick-
ing without a rider.

" I was not, however, without great apprehension respecting
my family, from which I was many miles distant, fearful that
where they were the shock might have caused greater havoc
than I had witnessed. I gave the bridle to my steed, and was
glad to see him appear as anxious to get home as myself. The
pace at which he galloped accomplished this sooner than I had
expected, and I found, with much pleasure, that hardly any
greater harm had taken place than the apprehension excited
for my own safetv Shock succeeded shock almost every day
or night for several weeks, diminishing however, so gradually,
as to dwindle awav into mere vibrations of the earth. Strange
to say, I for one became so accustomed to the feeling, as rather
to enjoy the fears manifested by others. I never can forget the
effects of one of the slighter shocks which took place when I was
at a friend's house, where I had gone to enjoy the merriment
that in our western country attends a wedding. The ceremony
being performed, supper over, and the fiddles tuned, dancing
became the order of the moment. This was merrily followed
up to a late hour, when the party retired to rest. We were in
what is called, with great propriety, a log-house ; one of large
dimensions, and solidly constructed. The owner was a physi-
cian, and in one corner were not only his lancets, tourniquets,
amputating knives, and other sanguinary apparatus, but all the
drugs which he employed for the relief of his patients, arranged
in jars and phials of different sizes. These had some days
before made a narrow escape from destruction, but had been

A FRANTIC DOCTOR. 41

fortunately preserved by closing the doors of the cases in which
they were contained.

" As I have said, we had all retired to rest. Morning was fast
approaching, when the rumbling noise that precedes the earth-
quake began so loudly, as to awaken the whole party, and drive
them out of bed in the greatest consternation. The scene which
ensued was humorous in the extreme. Fear knows no restraint.
Every person, old and young, filled with alarm at the creaking
of the log-house, and apprehending instant destruction, rushed
wildly out to the grass enclosure fronting the building. The
full moon was slowly descending from her throne, covered at
times by clouds that rolled heavily along, as if to conceal from
her view the scenes of terror which prevailed on earth below.

" On the grass plot we all met, in such condition as rendered it
next to impossible to discriminate any of the party, all huddled
together in a state of almost perfect nudity. The earth waved
like a field of corn before the breeze , the birds left their
perches, and flew about not knowing whither , and the doctor,
recollecting the danger of his gallipots, ran to his office, to pre-
vent their dancing off the shelves to the floor. Never for a
moment did he think of closing the doors, but, spreading his
arms, jumped about the front of the cases, pushing back here
and there the falling jars, but with so little success, that before
the shock was over he had lost nearlv all he possessed.

"The shock at length ceased, and the frightened females, now
sensible of their dishabille, fled to their several apartments. The
earthquakes produced more serious consequences in other
places. Near New Madrid, and for some dist-anee on the
Mississippi, the earth was rent asunder in several places, one or
two islands sunk for ever, and the inhabitants who escaped fled
in dismay towards the eastern shores."

42 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTEK IX.

Audubon Suffers from new Misfortunes — Seventeen Thousand Dol-
lars Lost — Transfers his Father's Property to his Sister —
Starts in Business at Hendersonville, and Succeeds — Befuses a
Commission- in an Expedition to South America — Narrow Escape
from a Ruffian — Erection of a Mill and Renewed Misfortunes
— Moves to Louisville — Commences to Draw Portraits — Engage-
ment at Cincinnati Museum.

While resident at Hendersonville, Audubon entered upon a
new adventure with his brother-in-law to carry on business at
New Orleans, under the firm of " Audubon & Co." In this
speculation he embarked all the fortune at his disposal; but
instead of attending to his interests he remained hunting in
Kentucky, and soon afterwards was informed that all his money
had been swept away in business misadventures.

At this juncture the father of Audubon died , but from some
unfortunate cause he did not receive legal notice for more than
a vear. On becoming acquainted with the fact he travelled to
Philadelphia to obtain funds, but was unsuccessful. His father
had left him his property in France of La Gubitiere, and
seventeen thousand dollars which had been deposited with a
merchant in Richmond, Virginia. Audubon, however, took no
steps to obtain possession of his estate in France, and in after
years, when his sons had grown up, sent one of them to France,
for the purpose of legally transferring the property to his own
sister liosa. The merchant who held possession of the seventeen
thousand dollars would not deliver them up until Audubon
proved himself to be the son of Captain Audubon. l>efore this
could be done the merchant died insolvent, and the legatee never

ERECTION OF A MILL. 43

recovered a dollar of his money. Returning from Philadelphia to
Hendersonville, the unfortunate Audubon cheerfully endeavoured
to provide for the future, about which he felt considerable
anxiety. Gathering a few hundred dollars, he purchased some
goods in Louisville, and returned to business in Hendersonville.
In his journey he met with General Toledo, who was raising
volunteers to go to South America, and who offered him a
colonel's commission in the adventure. Audubon, however,
preferred remaining at home The business prospered , he pur-
chased land and a log cabin, with a family of negroes thereto,
and seemed to settle down comfortable. At this period, how-
ever, his career was nearly brought to a conclusion. A ruffian,
who objected to his treatment in some business transactions,
attacked him with a bludgeon while he was suffering from a
disabled hand. Drawing a dagger, Audubon stabbed his assailant,
whose friends immediately demanded vengeance. Finding, how-
ever, that a superior party rallied round the naturalist, the
expected fight was avoided.

The prosperous career of Audubon was prematurely closed by
the arrival of a former partner, who joined him, and whose
presence seemed to herald disaster This partner advised
him to erect a steam mill at Hendersonville, a place which
was totally unfitted for any such speculation. An English-
man, named Thomas Pease, joined in partnership, and having
lost his money in an absurd project, separated from Audubon on
no pleasant terms. In order to carry on the mill with renewed
vigour, other partners were added , and in connection with it
Mr. Apperson was established at Shawnee Town, Mr Benjamin
Harrison at Vincennes in Indiana, and Nathaniel Pope, an old
clerk of Audubon's, on the Mississippi river. All of these parties
failed in supporting the concern at Hendersonville, which was
only continued through the desperate measure of taking in still
more partners. Finally, the mill went down, after ruining all
concerned. The naturalist speaks with bitterness of the u infernal
mill," and in an equally fierce strain of a steamer purchased by
the concern, and afterwards sold to a party down the Mississippi,
who cheated the sellers out of most of the purchase money.
From this date his difficulties appeared to increase daily ; bills
fell due, and unmeasured vexations assailed him. He handc d

44 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

over all he possessed, and left Hendersonville with his sick wife,
his gun, his dog, and his drawings, — but without feeling really
depressed at his prospects. The family reached Louisville,
where they were kindly received by a relative, and Audubon had
time to think over some scheme for raising support for his
family. Possessed of considerable skill as an artist in crayons,
he conceived the project of starting as a portrait draughtsman.
As he started at very low prices, liis skill soon became known,
and in a few weeks he had as much work as he could do. His
family were settled with him, and his business spread so far
into Kentucky, that affluence was again enjoyed by the wanderer.
Audubon succeeded so well in portraying the features of the
dead, that a clergyman's child was exhumed in order that the artist
might have an opportunity of taking a portrait of the corpse.

In illustration of his reputation as a crayon drawer, Audubon
relates that a settler came for him in the middle of the night
from a considerable distance, to have the portrait of his mother
taken while she was on the eve of death. Audubon went with
the farmer in his waggon, and with the aid of a candle made a
sketch which the artist pertly remarks might have done credit
to Eem brand t This success brought other successes, and the
portrait painter seemed to have got a new start in life. Shortly
afterwards he received an invitation to become a curator of
the museum at Cincinnati, and for the preparation of birds
received a liberal remuneration. In conjunction with this
situation he opened a drawing school in the same citv, and
obtained from this employment additional emolument sufficient
to support his family comfortably. His teaching succeeded well
until several of his pupils started on their own account The
work at the museum having been finished, Audubon fell back
upon his portrait painting and such resources as his genius could
command. Applying for assistance to an old friend whom he
had aided and assisted into business, the ungrateful wretch
declared he would do nothing for his benefactor, and further
added that he would not even recommend one who had such
wan&tring habits. On more occasions than this his genius for
discovery was made an argument against him. He was ever a
wanderer at heart, and showed the weaker and sillier side of his
nature whenever he shaped himself to civilized societw

CHAPTER X.

Rambles in Kentucky — A Gang of Woodcutters— Clever Workmen
— The Flight of the Thieves — Escape from Capture— Migrations
into the Wilds of Kentucky — Ark Voyages on the Rivers —
Hazards from Indians — Rifle Shooting — Driving Nails with
Bullets — Daniel Boon "Barking Squirrels m — Snuffing Candles.

During his residence in Kentucky, Audubon spent all his leisure
time in rambles through the wilds in search of natural history
specimens. A variety of amusing incidents occurred in these
travels, and the wanderer has given several of these in a full
and connected form. His ready gun supplied abundant fare to
his homely table. Wild turkeys, deer, and bears, supplied con-
stant wants, after a fashion that suited the hunter well. While
resident there, a flat boat reached the shore, containing ten or
twelve stout fellows with their wives, and declaring themselves
to be " Yankees," asked for work as woodcutters. Audubon,
thinking that the boat contained wheat, held parley with the
occupants, and finding that they were " likely " fellow's, proposed
to engage them to cut down a government lot of one thousand
two hundred acres of fine timber he had puivhased. Tlie wood-
cutters made fast their craft to the bank, started a camp on
shore, and, with their wives, managed to cook their meals out
of the game supplied by the forest. Audubon and his miller
visited the camp in the morning, was rather pleased with the
appearance of the fellows, and engaged the gang. Commencing
work, they soon showed their excellent training, felling the
trees after the fashion of experienced woodmen. The daily and

46 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

weekly allowance of wood contracted for was safely delivered,
and Audubon had reason to feel much contentment with his
servants. The miller was satisfied ; and the master, to prove
his appreciation of the valuable services, sent various presents
of game and provisions to the strangers. Finding they had
neglected to forward their usual supply one day, Audubon went
off to their camp, found that the " Yankees " had gone off bodily,
had taken his draught oxen with them, and had harried the
place of all that could be lifted. He and his miller hunted
down the river for the fugitives, but they had got a start and
were not to be caught. Finding an escape into the Mississippi,
the runaways voyaged out of reach of their victim, and a rare
accident alone placed one of them within Audubon's power.
While on board a Mississippi steamer, Audubon saw a hunter
leave the shore in a canoe and reach the steamer. No sooner had
the passenger reached the deck, than he recognized in him one
of his plunderers , but the woodcutter, fearing an arrest, leaped
into the stream and swam towards the shore. Entering a cane-
brake, he was lost to sight, and the naturalist was never gratified
by either hearing of, or seeing any one of the fellows again.

In referring to Kentuckian sports, Audubon remarks that that
state was a sort of promised land for all sorts of wandering
adventurers from the eastern states. Families cast loose from
their homesteads beyond the mountains wandered westward
with their waggons, servants, cattle, and household gods.
Bivouacking by some spring, in a glade of the primeval forest,
near some well known kk salt lick," where game would be plentiful,
these western representatives of the patriarchs moved on towards
new resting-places, from which the red man, not without serious
danger, had been driven. When a voyage by water was
meditated as the easiest means of transporting the family and
the baggage, a group of emigrants would build an ark on some
creek of the upper waters of the Ohio, and in a craft forty or
fifty feet long drift down the stream, carrying upon the roof
the bodies of carts and waggons, upon the sides the wheels of
the 6ame.

Within these floating mansions the wayfarers lived, not
without fear of impending dangers. To show a light through
tin* loopholes within range of a redskin's rifle was certain death

DRIVING NAILS WITH BULLETS. 47

to the inmate; and night and day, while these arks drifted
under umbrageous forests, their occupants were busy considering
how their lives might be most dearly sold. Audubon notices
curious practices connected with testing the skill of marksmen, not
uncommon in his own time in Virginia. " At stated times, those
desiring a trial of skill would be assembled," writes the natu-
ralist, " and betting a trifling sum, put up a target, in the centre
of which a common-sized nail is hammered for about two- thirds
of its length. The marksmen make choice of what they con-
sider a proper distance, which may be forty paces. Each man
cleans the interior of his barrel, which is called wiping it,
places a ball in the palm of his hand, pouring as much powder
from his horn upon it as will cover it. This quantity is sup-
posed to be sufficient for any distance within a hundred yards,
A shot which comes very close to the nail is considered that of
an indifferent marksman , the bending of the nail is, of course
somewhat better , but nothing less than hitting it riirlit on the
head is satisfactory. One out of three shots generally hits the
nail, and should the shooters amount to half-a-dozen, two nails
are frequently needed before each can have a shot. Those who
drive the nail have a further trial amongst themselves, ami the
two best shots out of these generally settle the affair., when
all the sportsmen adjourn to some house, and spend an hour or
two in friendly intercourse, appointing, before they part, a dav
for another trial."

While at the town of Frankfort, Audubon had an opportunity
of seeing the celebrated Daniel Boon k ' barking squirrels," or, in
less technical phrase, striking them out of their hiding-places by
firing into the bark of the tree immediately beside the position
they crouch into. Audubon went out with Boon to see the
sport, and writes , —

" We walked out together, and followed the rocky margins of
the Kentucky river until we reached a piece of flat land thickly
covered with black walnuts, oaks, and hickories. As the mast
was a good one that year, squirrels were seen gamboling on
every tree around us. My companion, a stout, hale, and athletic
man, dressed in a homespun hunting shirt, bare-legged and
moccasined, carried a long and heavy rifle, which, as he was
loading it, he said had proved efficient in all his former under-

48 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

takings, and which he hoped would not fail on this occasion, as
he felt proud to show me his skill. The gun was wiped, the
powder measured, the ball patched with six-hundred-thread
linen, and the charge sent home with a hickory rod. We moved
not a step from the place, for the squirrels were so numerous
that it was unnecessary to go after thera. Boon pointed to one
of these animals which had observed us, and was crouched on a
branch about fifty paces distant, and bade me mark well the
spot where the ball should hit. He raised his piece gradually,
until the bead (that being the name given by the Kentuckians
to the sight) of the barrel was brought to a line with the spot
which he intended to hit, and fired.

" I was astounded to find that the ball had hit the piece of the
bark immediately beneath the squirrel, and shivered it into
splinters ; the concussion produced by which had killed the
animal, and sent it whirling through the air, as if it had been
blown up.

" The snuffing of a candle with a ball I first had an oppor-
tunity of seeing near the banks of Green River, not far from a
large pigeon roost, to which I had previously made a visit. I
heard many reports of guns during the early part of a dark
night, and knowing them to be those of rifles, I went towards
the spot to ascertain the cause. On reaching the place, I was
welcomed by a dozen of tall stout men, who told me they were
exercising for the purpose of enabling them to shoot under
night at the reflected light from the eye of a deer or wolf by
torchlight.

" At a distance of fifty paces stood a lighted candle, barely
distinguishable in the darkness. One man was placed within
a few yards of it, to watch the effects of the shots, as well as to
light the candle, should it chance to go out, or to repair it,
should the shot cut it across. Each marksman shot in his turn.
Some never hit either the snuff or the candle. One of them,
who was particularly expert, was very fortunate, and snuffed
the candle three times out of seven, whilst all the other shots
either put out the candle, or cut it immediatelv under the

CHAPTER XI.

The National Jubilee of 4th of July — Festivities on Reargra>s
Creek— A Maple Sugar Camp — Wild Scenes in the Woods-
Hunting the Racoon — Preparations for the Hunt — Success of
the Hunters — Felling Trees to find Game.

During his residence in Kentucky, Audubon had frequent
opportunities of joining in the great American festival of the
4th July. The particular occasion he describes as a " Kentucky
Barbiere," and instances a very delightful jubilee held on
the Beargrass Creek, at which all the settlers, with their wives
and families, assisted. The festival was held in a forest glade
by the river's side ■ the company arrived in their waggons,
bringing provisions of every kind, such fruits as the country
afforded, wine, and " Old Monongahela " whisky. When the
company had assembled, an immense cannon, built of wood
hooped with iron, and lighted by a train, was fired, after which
orations were made by various oracles. The good things
provided were then largely enjoyed, after which dancing was
indulged in with an enthusiasm suitable to such an occasion.
Music was provided by various amateurs, and the fun was only
closed by a ride home in the starlight.

" A maple sugar camp " was always a pleasant refuge to
Audubon while wandering in the woods. He describes the
wild appearance these camps presented when suddenly reached
in the darkness, afar in the woodland solitudes, and only
heralded by the snarling of curs and the howlings of the sugar*
makers.

50 LIFE OF AUDUBON

Huge log fires, over which the sugar caldrons were boiled,
gave the appearance of a witch incantation to a spectacle in
which picturesquely-dressed Indians, rough backwoodsmen, and
their strangely- Iressed wives and children took part. Raised
on a few stones placed around the fires, the sugar kettles were
constantly tended by the women, while the men " bled " the
sugar maple trees, stuck into the wounds they made, cane pipes,
which drained the juice, and collected the maple sap into
vessels made by splitting up a "yellow poplar" into juice
troughs. Ten gallons of sap are required to make one pound
of fine-grained sugar, which in some instances is equal to the
finest make of candy. Such sugar sold in Kentucky, in the
time of Audubon, for as much as a dozen cents in scarce
seasons.

Racoon hunting was a pastime much enjoyed by Audubon,
and he has left plentiful records of his enjoyment of the
sport. He describes the hunter's visit to a homestead, and
the preparations for a racoon hunt. The cost of ammunition
was so considerable in the west, while the naturalist roved
about, that the axe was reckoned a cheaper implement than the
rifle to secure the prey From the naturalist's journal the
following description is given, inspired by the writers own
peculiar enthusiasm. The cabin is made comfortable by a huge
pile of logs laid across the fire ; the sweet potatoes are roasted
m the ashes; and when all is ready the hunters begin their
work.

" The hunter has taken an axe from the wood pile, and
returning, assures us that the night is clear, and that we shall
have rare sport. He blows through his rifle, to ascertain that
it is clear, examines his flint, and thrusts a feather into the
toiu'hhole. To a leathern bag swung at his side is attached a
powder-horn, his sheathed knife is there also, below hangs a
narrow strip of home-spun linen. He takes from his bag a
bullet, pulls with his teeth the wooden stopper from his powder-
horn, lays the ball on one hand, and with the other pours the
jiowder upon it, until it is just overtopped. Raising the horn
to )us mouth, he again closes it with the stopper, and restores
it to its place. He introduces the powder into the tube, springs
the box of his gun, greases the ' patch ' over some melted

.RACOON HUNTING. - r >l

tallow, or damps it, then places it on the honeycombed muzzle
of his piece. The bullet is placed on the patch over th* bore,
and pressed with the handle of the knife, which now trims the
edges of the linen. The elastic hickory rod, held with both
hands, smoothly pushes the ball to its bed ; once, twice, thrice
has it rebounded. The rifle leaps as it were into the hunter's
arms, the feather is drawn from the touchhole, the powder fills
the pan, which is closed. ' Now I am ready/ cries the woods-
man. A servant lights a torch, and off we march to the woods.
' Follow me close, for the ground is covered with logs, and the
grape vines hang everywhere across. Toby, hold up the light,
man, or we'll never see the gullies. Trail your gun, sir, as
General Clark used to say — not so, but this way — that's it.
Now then, no danger you see ; no fear of snakes, poor things !
They are stiff enough, I'll be bound. The dogs have treed one.
Toby, you old fool, why don't you turn to the right? — not so
much. There, go ahead and give us a light. What's that ?
who's there? Ah! you young rascals! you've played us a
trick, have you. It's all well enough, but now, just keep behind

or I'll ' In fact, the boys with eyes good enough to see m

the dark, although not quite so well as an owl, had cut directly
across to the dogs, which had surprised a racoon on the ground,
and bayed it, until the lads knocked it on the head. ' Seek
him, boys!' cries the hunter. The dogs, putting their noses to
the ground, pushed off at a good rate. ' Master, they're making
for the creek/ says old Toby On towards it therefore we push.
What woods, to be sure ! We are now in a low flat covered with
beech trees.

" The racoon was discovered swimming in a pool. The glare
of the lighted torch was doubtless distressing to him ; his coat
was ruffled, and his rounded tail seemed thrice its ordinary
size ; his eyes shone like emeralds , with foaming jaws he watched
the dogs, ready to seize each by the snout if it came within
reach. They kept him busy for some minutes ; the water
became thick with mud, his coat now hung dripping, and his
draggled tail lay floating on the surface His guttural growl-
ings, in place of intimidating his assailaints, excited them the
more, and they very unceremoniously closed upon him. One seized
him by the rump and tugged, but was soon forced to lot go,

E 2

52 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

another stuck to his side, but soon taking a better-directed bite
of his muzzle, the coon's fate was sealed. He was knocked on
the head, and Toby remarks, « That's another half dollar's worth/
as he handles the thick fur of the prey. The dogs are again
found looking up into a tree and barking furiously. The
hunters employ their axes, and send the chips about.

" The tree began to crack, and slowly leaning to one side, the
heavy mass swung rustling through the air, and fell to the earth
with a crash. It was not one coon that was surprised here, but
three, one of which, more crafty than the rest, leaped from the
top while the tree was staggering. The other two stuck to the
hollow of a branch, from which they were soon driven by one of
the dogs. Tyke and Lion having nosed the cunning old one,
scampered after him. He is brought to bay, and a rifle bullet
is sent through his head. The other two are secured after a
desperate conflict, and the hunters, with their bags full, return
to the cabin/'

CHAPTER XII.

Visit from the Eccentric Naturalist, Rafinesque— His Delirium
at Discovering a New Plant — Smashes a Fiddle, trying to
Capture Bats — Dreadful Journey through a Cane-Brake —
Alarm at a Bear — The Naturalist Absconds — Daniel Boon, the
Famous Hunter — Captured by Indians — Miraculous Escape —
Boon's Ash Tree.

While resident in Kentucky, Audubon was visited by the
eccentric naturalist, Rafinesque, whose manner of life, dress, and
oddities of conduct appeared to have greatly amused even one so
little attentive to formalities as the ornithologist. The stranger
reached the banks of the Ohio in a boat, and carrying on his
back a bundle of plants which resembled dried clover. He
accidentally addressed Audubon, and asked where the naturalist
lived. Audubon introduced himself, and was handed a letter of
introduction by the stranger, in which the writer begged to
recommend " an odd fish/' which might not have been described
in published treatises. Audubon innocently asked where the
odd fish was, which led to a pleasant explanation and a com-
plete understanding between the two naturalists.

" I presented my learned guest to my family," writes Audubon,
" and was ordering a servant to go to the boat for my friend's
luggage, when he told me he had none but what he brought on
his back. He then loosened the pack of weeds which had first
drawn my attention. The naturalist pulled off his shoes, and
while engaged in drawing his stockings down to hide the holes
in his heels, he explained that his apparel had suffered from
his journey."

This eccentric's habits were neither tidy nor cleanly. Uv

54 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

would hardly perform needful ablutions, and refused a change
of clean clothing, suggested as being more comfortable. " His
attire," remarks Audubon, " struck me as exceedingly remark-
able. A long loose coat of yellow nankeen, much the worse for
the many rubs it had got in its time, and stained all over with
the juice of plants, hung loosely about him like a sack. A
waistcoat of the same, with enormous pockets, and buttoned up
to the chin, reached below over a pair of tight pantaloons, the
lower part of which were buttoned down to the ankles. His
beard was as long as I have known my own to be during some
of my peregrinations, and liis lank black hair hung loosely over
his shoulders. His forehead was so broad and prominent that
any tyro in phrenology would instantly have pronounced it the
residence of a mind of strong powers. His words impressed an
assurance of rigid truth, and as he directed the coi^versation to
the study of the natural sciences, I listened to him with great
delight. He requested to see my drawings, anxious to see the
1 >lants I had intro lueed besides the birds I had drawn. Finding
a strange plant among my drawings, he denied its authenticity ;
but on my assuring him that it grew in the neighbourhood, he
insisted on going off instantly to see it.

4 ' When I pointed it out the naturalist lost all command over
his feelings, and behaved like a maniac in expressing his delight.
He plucked the plants one after another, danced, hugged me in
his arms, and exultingly told me he had got, not merely a new
species, but a new genus.

" He immediately took notes of all the needful particulars ot
the plant in a note-book, which he carried wrapt in a waterproof
covering. After a day's pursuit of natural history studies, the
stranger was accommodated with a bed in an attic room. We
had all retired to rest ; every person I imagined was in deep
slumber save myself, when of a sudden I heard a great uproar
in the naturalist's room. I got up, reached the place in a few
moments, and opened the door ; when, to my astonishment I saw
my guest running naked, holding the handle of my favourite
violin, the body of which he had battered to pieces against the
walls in attempting to kill the bats which had entered by the
open window, probably attracted by the insects flying around
his candle. I stood amazed, but lie continued jumping and

JOURNEY THROUGH A CANE-BRAKE. 55

running round and round, until he was fairly exhausted, when
he begged me to procure one of the animals for him, as he felt
convinced they belonged to a ' new species.' Although I was
convinced of the contrary, I took up the bow of my demolished
Cremona, and administering a smart tap to each of the bats as
it came up, soon got specimens enough. The war ended, I again
bade him good-night, but could not help observing the state of
the room. It was strewed with plants, which had been previously
arranged with care.

"He saw my regret for the havoc that had been created, but
added that he would soon put his plants to rights — after he had
secured his new specimens of bats. Rafinesque had great anxiety
to be shown a cane-brake, plenty of which were to be found in
the neighbourhood. The cane-brake is composed of a dense
growth of canes, measuring twenty or thirty feet in height, and
packed so closely that a man's body requires to be forced between
the shafts of the canes. An undergrowth of plants and trailing
climbers further prevents progression, which has to be accelerated
by pushing the back between the canes. Game of all sorts
frequent the cane-brakes, in which travelling is rendered dis-
agreeably exciting by the presence of bears, panthers, snakes,
and serpents. The cane-brakes are sometimes set fire to, and
the water collected in the separate joints explodes like a shell.
The constant fusilade occasioned by such explosions in the midst
of a conflagration has occasioned the flight of parties not con-
versant with the cause, and who believed that the Indians were
advancing with volleys of musketry I had determined that my
companion should view a cane-brake in all its perfection, and
leading him several miles in a direct course, came upon as fine
a sample as existed in that part of the country. We entered,
and for some time proceeded without much difficulty, as I led
the way, and cut down the canes which were most likely to
incommode him. The difficulties gradually increased, so that
we were presently obliged to turn our backs and push our way
through. After a while we chanced to come upon the top of a
fallen tree, which so obstructed our passage, that we were on
the eve of going round, instead of thrusting ourselves through
amongst the branches ; when from its bed, in the centre of the
tangled mass, forth rushed a bear with such force, that my
friend became terror struck, and in his haste to escape made a

56 LIFE OF AUDUBON

desperate attempt to run, but fell amongst the canes in such a
way that he was completely jammed. I could not refrain from
laughing at the ridiculous exhibition he made, but my gaiety
however was not very pleasing to the discomfited naturalist.
A thunder-storm with a deluge of rain completed our expe-
rience of the cane-brake, and my friend begged to be taken out.
This could only be accomplished by crawling in a serpentine
manner out of the jungle, from which the eccentric naturalist
was delighted to escape, perfectly overcome with fatigue and
fear. The eccentric was more than gratified with the exploit,
and soon after left my abode without explanation or farewell.
A letter of thanks, however, showed that he had enjoyed the
hospitality, and was not wanting in gratitude."

In his Kentucky rambles Audubon had more than one oppor-
tunity of seeing and hunting with the famous Colonel Boone, the
Kentucky hunter, and hero of a multitude of desperate adven-
tures. On a particular occasion Boone spent a night under
Audubon's roof, and related some of his adventures, among
others, the following. On a hunting expedition in which Boone
was engaged, the wanderer was afraid of Indians, and he con-
sequently damped out his fire before falling asleep. He had
not lain long before strong hands were laid upon him, and he
was dragged off to the Indian camp. Avoiding every semblance
of fear, Boone neither spoke nor resisted. The Indians ran-
sacked his pockets, found his whisky flask, and commenced to
drink from it While so engaged a shot was fired, and the male
savages went off in pursuit, while the squaws were left to watch
the prisoner. Rolling himself towards the fire, Boone burnt the
fastenings which bound him, sprang to his feet, and after hacking
three notches in an ash tree, afterwards known as "Boone's Ash,"
tied from the neighbourhood. In years after an engineer in Ken-
tucky made the ash a point for a survey. A lawsuit arose out
of a boundary question, and the only chance of closing it was
by identifyiug 4 * Boon's Ash." The hunter was sent for, and
after some searching he pointed out the tree, in which the
notches were detected after the bark had been peeled away.
Boone's extraordinary stature and colossal strength struck
Audubon as remarkable among a remarkable race; and the
dreaded foe of the red man was notable for an honesty and
courage that could nut be questioned.

CHAPTER XIII.

Audubon Leaves Cincinnati with Captain Cumming — Voyage in Flat
Boat Down the Ohio and Mississippi — Arrival at Natchez —
Beautiful Scenery — Flocks of Vultures — New Friends in
Natchez — Exchanging Portraits for Boots — Departure for New
Orleans — Loses a Portfolio — Ashore Shooting — Boat-tailed
Grakle — Arrival at New Orleans — Want of Success — His
Purse Stolen — Interview with Jarvis, the Portrait-Painter,
and Disappointment — Hears of an Exploring Expedition to
Mexico, and Efforts to Join it— Vanderlyn, the Painter.

On the 12th of October, 1820, Audubon left Cincinnati in
company with Captain Cumming, an American engineer who
had been appointed to make a survey of the Mississippi river,
and after fourteen days of drifting down the Ohio, the flat boat
which contained the scientific " expedition " reached the
Mississippi river. The naturalist had failed to receive the
money due to him at Cincinnati, and vexed and discouraged,
he determined even without means to seek a new field for
employment.

From a letter addressed to the Governor of Arkansas at this
date, it is evident that Audubon had determined on a lengthened
excursion in the pursuit of ornithological specimens, including'
the States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, afterwards
retracing his steps to New Orleans up the Red River, down the
Arkansas, and homeward to his wife. He had received letters
of recommendation from General, afterwards President Harrison,
and from Henry Clay, and good prospects seemed to dawn. He
had determined in any case to complete one hundred drawings of
birds before returning to Cincinnati, and he fulfilled this resolve.

58 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" On a clear frosty morning in December/' writes Audubon
in his journal, " I arrived at Natchez, and found the levee
lined with various sorts of boats full of western produce.
The crowd was immense and the market appeared to be a sort
of fair. Scrambling up to the cliffs on which the city is built,
I found flocks of vultures flying along the ground with out-
spread wings in the pursuit of food. Large pines and superb
magnolias crowned the bluff, and their evergreen foliage showed
with magnificent effect. I was delighted with the spectacle of
white-headed eagles pursuing fishing hawks, and surveyed the
river scenery sparkling in bright sunlight with a new pleasure.
Far away across the stream the shores were lost in the primitive
forests, and a mysterious unknown seemed to lie beyond me.
I was impressed with the pretty houses of the upper town, built
of painted brick or wood ; and to complete my feeling of enjoy-
ment, my relative, Mr Berthoud, gave me letters from my wife
and sons, received by the weekly mail which then brought
letters to Natchez from all parts of the Union. The town
owned three thousand inhabitants , was composed of an upper
town and an under town, the latter chiefly built up of beached
flat boats converted into cabins by a rascally and nondescript
population. The planters' houses in the upper town were
models of luxury and comfort, but the church architecture
prevalent rather detracted from the beauty of the place. I
found the mocking bird in abundance, and the pewee fly-
catcher at home in its winter quarters. The old Spanish fort
was still visible in ruins, and a rumour reached me that many
houses had been buried in the river by a slip of the bank. At
Natchez, I was amazed to see a white-headed eagle attack a
vulture, knock it down, and gorge itself upon a dead horse.
M. Gamier, who kept the largest hotel in the place, befriended
me in many ways, and 1 also formed an acquaintance with
M. Charles Carr6, the son of a French nobleman of the old
regime. From Carr^ I had a history'of Natchez, as he had
lived to witness the career of that town under the Spaniards,
French, and Americans."

In connection with his residence in Natchez, he tells a
a significant story. A companion of his, voyaging, bavin"
worn his shorn down, had no money to get them repaired or to

EXCHANGING PORTRAITS FOR BOOTS. 59

purchase new ones. The naturalist was likewise without the
means ; but Audubon called upon a shoemaker, explained that
his friend was in want of shoes, had no money to pay for them,
but that if he chose he should have the portrait of himself and
his wife in return for two pairs of boots. The shoemaker was
satisfied with the proposal, and the portraits were sketched in a
couple of hours, after which the naturalist and his friend bade
the shoemaker good-bye, after being fitted with new boots. After
some stay in Natchez, Audubon left for New Orleans with his
friend Berthoud, in a keel boat belonging to the latter, but which
was taken in tow of the steamer. Not long after leaving, Audu-
bon discovered one of his portfolios, containing some drawings of
birds he prized highly, was missing. Full of chagrin, he could
only recollect that he had brought it to the wharf and had
placed it in the hands of a servant, who had evidently forgotten
to put it on board the keel boat. How to recover it was a
serious consideration. Letters were instantly despatched to
M. Gamier, M. Carre, and friends of Berthoud, to use their
utmost endeavours to recover the lost portfolio. After towmg
as far as Bayou Sara, the steamer threw off the keel boat, and
with the aid of the current and the oars Audubon continued his
course to Baton Rouge, on the way to New Orleans. Large
flocks of beautiful ducks were passed in various eddies, and the
naturalist was amused by groups of negroes catching cat-fish in
the river or scooping out shrimps with their nets.

" Nearing New Orleans, the country became perfectly level, and
from the embankments or levees we could see the great river
winding on for miles. The planters 5 houses became more visible
against groves of dark cypresses covered with hanging vine plants,
and odorous winds blew perfumes of the orange flowers across the
stream down which the boat so lazily drifted. Landing on the
banks, I made my way to the swamps, and shot several beau-
tiful boat-tailed grakles and a whole covey of partridges.
Thousands of swallows in their winter home flew about us,
and the cat-birds mewed in answer to their clusterings. Doves
echoed soft notes through the woods, and the cardinal grosbeak
sat on the top branches of the magnolia, saluting us by elevating
his glowing crest. On the 6th of January, and when nearing
New Orleans, a sharp frost was felt which left some traces of

GO LIFE OF AUDUBON.

ice, but at the same time we had green peas, artichokes, and
other summer esculents on shore fresh from the garden."

On arriving at New Orleans, Audubon was relieved to find
that the lost portfolio had been found, and was located safely
in the office of the ' Mississippi Republican' newspaper. He
however found no work to do, and had to live for some days
in the boat he came with. The money he had, not much, was
stolen from him, and he had not even as much as would pay a
lodging he took in advance. Amid all his difficulties he still kept
wandering to the woods, got additions made to his specimens,
and filled his portfolio with new drawings. Meeting an Italian
painter, Audubon explained his anxiety to have work. The
Italian introduced him to the director of the theatre, who offered
the naturalist one hundred dollars per month to draw for him,
but a fixed engagement could not be entered upon.

On the 13th of January he called upon Jarvis the painter,
who objected to his manner of painting birds. He suggested
that he might assist the artist in filling in backgrounds, and
was requested to come back.

" I went back again," writes the naturalist, " but found Mr.
Jarvis had no use for me: he appeared in fact to fear my
rivalry. Meeting a friend, I was taken to the counting-house
of Mr. Pamar, where I was asked what I would take the por-
traits of three children for. I answered, One hundred dollars ;
but various delays occurred which prevented me from entering
upon this engagement. I wished for the money to send home
to my wife and children.

" January 14. Visited the levees, and found them crowded
with promenaders of every hue and nation. The day was
►Sunday, and amusements were much indulged in. Various
quadroon balls held in the evening. Do not see any good look-
ing or handsome women , all have a citron hue. Time passed
sadly in seeking ineffectually for employment. I was fortunate
in making a hit with the portrait of a well-known citizen of
New Orleans. I showed it to the public ; it made a favourable
impression, and I obtained several patrons, A few orders for
portraits relieved my necessities, and continuing my work of
painting birds, the time passed more pleasantly.

"February f>. Spent my time ruuning after orders for portraits,

VISIT TO MR. VANDERLYN. 61

and also in vain endeavours to obtain a sight of Alexander
Wilson's i Ornithology/ but was unsuccessful in seeing the book,
which is very high priced. Obtained some new birds and made
copies.

"March 12. Of late have been unable to make many entries
in my journal. Near our lodgings, on the south angle of a
neighbouring chimney-top, a mocking bird regularly resorts,
and pleases us with the sweetest notes from the rising of the
moon until about midnight, and every morning from about
eight o'clock until eleven, when he flies away to the Convent
gardens to feed. I have noticed that bird, always in the same
spot and same position, and have been particularly pleased at
hearing him imitate the watchman's cry of ' All's well !' which
comes from the fort, about three squares distant ; and so well
has he sometimes mocked it that I should have been deceived
if he had not repeated it too often, sometimes several times in
ten minutes.

" March 21. Read in the papers this morning that the treaty
between Spain and the United States is concluded, and that
a clause provides that an expedition is to leave Natitoches
next year to survey the boundary line of the ceded territory.
I determined to try for an appointment as draughtsman and
naturalist. I wrote to President Monroe, and was quite pleased
at the prospect before me. I walked out in the afternoon of the
day on which I formed the project, and saw nothing but hundreds
of new birds in imagination within range of my gun. I have
been struck with the paucity of birds in the neighbourhood of
New Orleans during a season I had expected to meet with them.
Many species of warblers, thrushes, &c, which were numerous
during the winter, have migrated eastward towards Florida,
leaving swallows and a few water birds almost the sole repre-
sentatives of the feathered race.

"March 31. My time has been engrossed thinking over and
making plans about the Pacific expedition. I called on Mr.
Vanderlyn, the historical painter, with my portfolio, to show him
some of my drawings and ask him for a recommendation. He
said they were handsomely done, and was pleased with the
colouring and positions of the birds drawn. He was however a
rude-mannered man, treated me as a mendicant, and ordered

02 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

me to lay down my portfolio in the lobby. I felt inclined to
walk off without farther comment, but the thought of furthering
my prospects in connection with the expedition induced me to
submit. In half an hour he returned with an officer, and with
an air more becoming asked me into his private room. Yet I
could see in his expression that feeling of selfish confidence
which always impairs in some degree the worth of the greatest
man who has it. The perspiration ran down my face as I
showed him my drawings and laid them on the floor. An officer
who was with the artist, looking at the drawings, said with an
oath that they were handsome. Vanderlyn made a like
remark, and I felt comforted. Although he failed in painting
women himself, he spoke disparagingly of my own portraits ,
said they were too hard, and were too strongly drawn. He sat
down and wrote his note while I was thinking of my journey to
the Pacific, and I cared not a picayune for his objections to my
portraits so that my prospects of going with the expedition were
furthered. Vanderlyn gave me a very complimentary note, in
which he said that he never had seen anything superior to my
drawings in anv countrv, and for which kindness I was verv
thankful. His friend, the officer, followed me to the door, asked
the price of my portraits, and very courteously asked me to
paint his likeness/'

CHAPTER XIV.

Audueon Leaves New Orleans for Kentucky — Arrival at Bayou
Sara — Engagement at Mr. Perrie's to Teach Drawing — Pursuit
of Birds — Portrait Taken from a Corpse — Draws a Rattle-
snake — Dissection of a Rattlesnake's Poison Fangs — Return to
New Orleans — Review of Work done since Leaving Home —
Proposal to Paint a Panorama — Expected Arrival of Wife
and Family.

Audubon's fortunes in New Orleans varied exceedingly From
the sorest penury and deepest distress he was suddenly raised by
the happy spirit he possessed and the untiring energy of his
character. One day he was going about seeking for a patron to
obtain a few dollars by drawing a portrait , the next he was dining
with Governor Robertson of Louisiana, who gave hini a letter
of recommendation to President Monroe in connection with the
expedition to Mexico. He had determined to go to Shipping
Port, Kentucky, but his departure was hindered by an engage-
ment from a few pupils. He writes in his diary : —

" June 16. Left New Orleans in the steamer Columbus,
Captain John D'Hart, for Shipping Port, Kentucky. Been
greatly oppressed while at work lately, and greatly tormented
by mosquitoes, which prevented my sleeping at night Much
disappointed by one patron at New Orleans, who affected great
interest in me, but would not pay one hundred dollars he owed."

It happened however that Audubon was not to return to his
family as soon as he expected. The voyage to Shipping Port
was cut short by the acceptance of a situation in the family
of Mrs. Perrie, who owned a plantation at Bayou Sara, in

64 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Louisiana. The duties accepted by Audubon were apparently
simple enough. He was to teach Mrs. Perrie's daughter draw-
ing during the summer months, at sixty dollars per month.
His lessons would absorb one half of the day, and with a young
friend, Mason, he was to have the rest of his time free for
hunting. Board and lodging were provided for the two friends,
and Mrs. Perrie's aim appears to have been to provide an
opportunity for Audubon to carry on his pursuits under the
guise of an employment which would be congenial, and not
interfere witli his work.

" We arrived at the landing at the mouth of the bayou on
a hot sultry day, bid adieu to our fellow-passengers, climbed
the hill at St. Francisville, and rested a few minutes at the
house of Mr. Swift. Dinner was nearly, ready, and we were
invited to partake, but I had no heart for it. I wished myself
on board the Columbus ; I wished for my beloved Lucy and
my dear boys. I felt that I should be awkward at the table ;
and a good opportunity having offered me to go to Mr. Perrie's,
we walked slowly on, guided by some of the servants, who had
been sent, when the family heard of our coming, to bring our
luggage, which they found light.

" The aspect of the country was entirely new to me, and
distracted my mind from those objects which are the occupation
of my life. The rich magnolias covered with fragrant blossoms,
the holly, the beech, the tall yellow poplar, the hilly ground,
and even the red clay, all excited my admiration. Such an
entire change in the face of nature in so short a time seems
almost supernatural ; and surrounded once more by numberless
warblers and thrushes, I enjoyed the scene. The five miles we
walked appeared short, and we arrived and met Mr. Perrie at
his house. Anxious to know him, I examined his features by
Lavater s directions. We were received kindly.

4 * August 11. We were awakened last night by a servant
requesting me to accompany Mrs. Perrie to the house of a dying
neighbour, about a mile distant. We went, but arrived too late,
for the man was dead, and I had the pleasure of keeping his
body company the remainder of the night On such occasions
time flies very slowly, so much so, that it looked as if it stood
still, like the hawk that poises in the air over his prey. The

DRAWING A RATTLESNAKE. 65

poor man had drunk himself into an everlasting sleep. I made
a good sketch of his head, and left the house, while the ladies
were engaged in preparing the funeral dinner.

" August 12. Left this morning to visit a beautiful lake, six
miles distant, where we are told there are many beautiful birds.
The path led through a grove of rich magnolia woods. On the
way we saw a rich-coloured spider at work rolling up a horse-
fly he had caught in his web. He spirted a stream of fluid from
his mouth, at the same time rolling the fly in it, until he looked
like the cocoon of a silkworm ; and having finished his work,
returned to the centre of his nest. This is no doubt the way
he puts up his food when he is not hungry, and provides for the
future.

"August 25. Finished drawing a very fine specimen of a
rattlesnake, which measured five feet and seven inches, weighed
six and a quarter pounds, and had ten rattles. Anxious to give
it a position most interesting to a naturalist, I put it in that
which the reptile commonly takes when on the point of striking
madly with its fangs. I had examined many before, and especially
the position of the fangs along the superior jawbones, but had
never seen one showing the whole exposed at the same time ;
and having before this supposed that it was probable that those
lying enclosed below the upper one, in most specimens, were
to replace the upper one, which I thought might drop periodi-
cally as the animal changed its skin and rattles. However, on
dissection of these from the ligament by which they were
attached to the jawbones, I found them strongly and I think
permanently fixed there as follows. Two superior, or next to
the upper lips (I speak of one side of the jaws only), were well
connected at their bases and running parallel their whole length,
with apertures on the upper and lower sides of their bases to
receive the poison connectedly, and the discharging on§ a short
distance from the sharp point on the inner part of the fangs.
The next two fangs, about a quarter of an inch below, connected
and received in the same manner, but with onlv one base
aperture on the lower side of each, and the one at the point
which issues the poison to the wound. The fifth, rather smaller,
is also about a quarter of an inch below. The scales of the
belly, to the under part of the mouth, numbered one hundred

F

66 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

and seventy, and twenty-two from the vent to the tail. The
heat of the weather was so great that I could devote only
sixteen hours to the drawing.

" October 20. Left Bayou Sara in the Earaapo, with a medley
of passengers, and arrived safely in New Orleans. My long,
flowing hair, and loose yellow nankeen dress, and the unfortunate
cut of my features, attracted much attention, and made me desire
to be dressed like other people as soon as possible. My friends
the Paniars received me kindly and raised my spirits ; they
looked on me as a son returned from a long and dangerous
voyage, and children and servants as well as the parents were
all glad to see me.

" October 25. Eented a house in Dauphine Street at seventeen
dollars per month, and determined to bring my family to New
Orleans. Since I left Cincinnati, October 12,. 1820, I have
finished sixty-two drawings of birds and plants, three quadru-
peds, two snakes, fifty portraits of all sorts, and have subsisted
by my humble talents, not having had a dollar when I started.
I sent a draft to my wife, and began life in New Orleans with
fortv-two dollars, health, and much anxiety to pursue my plan
of collecting all the birds of America."

Audubon speaks with boyish gaiety of the comfort which a
new suit of clothes gave him. He called on Mrs. Clay with bis
drawings, but got no work — no pupils. He determined to make
a public exhibition of his ornithological drawings.

Under date November 10, he remarks " Mr, Basterop called
on me, and wished me to join him in painting a panorama of
the city ; but my birds, my beloved birds of America, occupy
all my time, and nearly all my thoughts, and I do not wish to
see any other perspective than the last specimen of these
drawings."

CHAPTER XV.

Squatter Life on the Mississippi— The Emigrants on their Way
—A Patriarchal Journey— The Promised Land — Across the
Missi^ippi— Hardships and Fever — Lummuuno in the Far West
— Raft Voyage to New Orleans — Comfort and Riches — The
Habits of the Opossum — Robberies of Poultry — A CourLE of
Pets in the "Ark" — A Consignment of Opossums for Europe —
Cannibal Propensities of the Prisoners.

Audubon relates many incidents of squatter life on the great
American rivers. The features of this peculiar life struck him
with a picturesque force that makes his descriptions of the
constant emigrations from the east, and the settlement of the
wanderers in the west, very interesting indeed. In a detailed
account he describes how the settlers in Virginia became im-
poverished through the reckless system of husbandry pursued,
and how, after suffering penury, they determined to emigrate
to more fertile lands. He thus graphically narrates the patri-
archal wanderings of the wearied wayfarers.

" I think I see them harnessing their horses, and attaching
them to their waggons, which are already fitted with bedding,
provisions, and the younger children ; while on their outside
are fastened spinning-wheels and looms, a bucket tilled with
tar and tallow swings betwixt the hind wheels. Several axes
are secured to the bolster, and the feeding-trough of the horses
contains pots, kettles, and pans. The servant now becomes a
driver, riding the near saddled horse, the wife is mounted on
another, the worthy husband shoulders his gun, and his sons,
clad in plain, substantial home-spun, drive the cattle ahead, and

f 2

68 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

lead the procession, followed by the hounds and other dogs.
Their day's journey is short and not agreeable. The cattle,
stubborn or wild, frequently leave the road for the woods, giving
the travellers much trouble ; the harness of the horses here and
there gives way, and immediate repair is needed. A basket
which has accidentally dropped must be gone after, for nothing
that they have can be spared. The roads are bad, and now and
then all hands are called to push on the waggon, or prevent it
from upsetting. Yet by sunset they have proceeded perhaps
twenty miles. Fatigued, all assemble round the fire, which has
been lighted ; supper is prepared, and a camp being run up, there
they pass the night. Days and weeks pass before they gain the
end of their journey. Tliev have crossed both the Carolinas,
Georgia, and Alabama. They have been travelling from the
beginning of Mav to that of September, and with heavy hearts
they traverse the neighbourhood of Mississippi. But now arrived
on the banks of the broad stream, they gaze in amazement on the
<lark deep woods around them. Boats of various kinds they see
gliding downwards with the current, while others slowly ascend
against it. A few inquiries are made at the nearest dwelling,
and assisted by the inhabitants with their boats and canoes, they
at once cross the river, and select their place of habitation.
The exhalations arising from the swamps and morasses around
them have a powerful effect on these new settlers, but all are
intent on preparing for the winter. A small patch of ground is
cleared by the axe and fire, a temporary cabin is erected ; to
each of the cattle is attached a bell before it is let loose into the
neighbouring cane-brake, and the horses remain about the
house, where they find sufficient food at that season. The first
trading boat that stops at their landing enables them to provide
themselves with some flour, fish-hooks, and ammunition, as well
as other commodities. The looms are mounted, the spinning*
wheels soon furnish some yarn, and in a few weeks the family
throw off their ragged clothes, and array themselves in suits
adapted to the climate.

" The father and sons meanwhile have sown turnips and other
vegetables ; and from some Kentucky flat-boat a supply of live
poultry has been purchased. October tinges the leaves of the
forest, the morning dews are heavy; the days hot and the nights

LUMBERING IN THE FAR WEST. 69

chill, and the unacclimatised family in a few days are attacked
with ague. The lingering disease almost prostrates their whole
faculties. Fortunately the unhealthy season soon passes oyer,
and the hoar frosts make their appearance. Gradually each
individual recovers strength. The largest ash trees are felled,
their trunks are cut, split, and corded in front of the building ,
a large fire is lighted at night on the edge of the water, and
soon a steamer calls to purchase the wood, and thus add to their
comforts during the winter. This first fruit of their industry
imparts new courage to them ; their exertions multiply, and
when spring returns the place has a cheerful look. Venison,
bear's flesh, and turkeys, ducks and geese, with now and then
some fish, have served to keep up their strength, and now their
enlarged field is planted with corn, potatoes, and pumpkins.
Their stock of cattle too has augmented : the steamer which
now stops there, as if by preference, buys a calf or a pig, together
with their wood. Their store of provisions is renewed, and
brighter rays of hope enliven their spirits.

" The sons discover a swamp covered with excellent timber,
and as they have seen many great rafts of saw logs, bound for
the saw mills of New Orleans, floating past their dwelling, they
resolve to try the success of a little enterprise. A few cross
saws are purchased, and some broad-wheeled " carry logs " are
made by themselves. Log after log is hauled to the bank of
the river, and in a short time their first raft is made on the
shore, and loaded with cordwood. When the next freshet sets
it afloat it is secured by long grape vines or cables ; until the
proper time being arrived, the husband and sons embark on it
and float down the mighty stream. After encountering many
difficulties, they arrive in safety at New Orleans, where they
dispose of their stock, the money obtained for which may be
said to be all profit ; supply themselves with such articles as
may add to their convenience or comfort, and with light hearts
procure a passage on the upper deck of a steamer at a very
cheap rate, on account of the benefit of their labours in taking
in wood or otherwise. Every successive year has increased
their savings. They now possess a large stock of horses, cows,
and hogs, with abundance of provisions, and domestic comforts
of every kind. The daughters have been married to the sons

70 LIFE OF AUDUBON

of neighbouring squatters, and have gained sisters to themselves
by the marriage of their brothers."

He introduces, among other episodes of natural history, an
account of the habits of the opossum — "the dissimulator."
The walk of this animal he describes as an amble like that
of a young foal or a Newfoundland dog. Its movements
are rather slow — it travels across the snow-covered ground
about as fast as a man could walk — snuffing at every step for
traces of the prey it searches after. Entering some cranny, it
pulls out a squirrel it has killed, and climbing a tree, secretes
itself among the thick branches to eat its repast. Exhausted
by hunger in the early spring, the opossum will eat young frogs,
and the green growth of nettles and other succulent plants.
Unscared by the watchful crows the farmer has killed, the pest
creeps into the hen-house, eats the chickens, robs the hen of the
eggs she is sitting upon, and commits its devastations with
address and adroitness. Prowling about after sunset it avoids
all sorts of precautions, and defies the farmer's guns and curs
alike. In the woods it eats the eggs of the wild turkey, and
ravenously devours the grapes of the grape vine. When
attacked, it rolls itself up like a ball, submits to be kicked and
maltreated without moving, feigns death, lies on the ground
with shut eyes, and cheats its assailants into the belief that it
has been destroyed. When its assailant has gone, life seemingly
suddenly returns, and regaining its feet, it scampers off to the
wilds.

u Once while descending the Mississippi, in a sluggish flat-
bottomed boat expressly for the purpose of studying those
objects of nature more nearly connected with my favourite
pursuits, I chanced to meet with two well-grown opossums, and
brought them alive to the <k ark." The poor things were placed
on the roof or deck, and were immediately assailed by the crew,
when, following their natural instinct, they lay as if quite dead*
An experiment was suggested, and both were thrown overboard.
On striking the water, and for a few moments after, neither
evinced the least disposition to move; but finding their situation
desperate, they began to swim towards our uncouth rudder,
which was formed of a long slender tree, extending from the
middle of the boat thirty feet beyond the stern. They both got

CANNIBAL PROPENSITIES OF OPOSSUMS. 71

upon it, were taken up, and afterwards let loose in their native
woods.

4< In the year 1829, 1 was in a portion of Lower Louisiana,
where the opossum abounds at all seasons, and having been
asked by the President and Secretary of the Zoological Gardens
and Society of London to forward live animals of this species
to them, I offered a price a little above the common, and soon
found myself plentifully supplied, twenty-five having been
brought to me. I found them extremely voracious, and not less
cowardly. They were put into a large box, with a great quan-
tity of food, and conveyed to a steamer bound to New Orleans.
Two days afterwards I went to the city, to see about sending
them off to Europe ; but to my surprise I found that the old
males had destroyed the younger ones, and eaten off their heads,
and that only sixteen remained alive. A separate box was
purchased for each, and the cannibals were safely forwarded to
their destination."

LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XVI.

audufo* hears his own character curiously described — hlb wlfe
and Sons arrive at New Orleans — Difficulties of Obtaining a
Livelihood-— Mrs. Audubon obliged to accept a Situation — Reso-
lution to leave for Xatchez — Passage Money paid by Drawing
the portkait of the captain and the captain's wlfe — recol-
LECTIONS of an Eccentric — A Grotesoue Figure — A Bird-fancier
and an Artist — Rifle Practice in a Studio.

" December 8. My wife and family arrived today by steamer.
We dined with our friend Mr. Pamar, and met my old friend
Mr. Rosier in the evening. We reached our lodging, and all
felt happy and comforted at the reunion, after fourteen months
of separation."

For the first two months of 1822, the records of Audubon's
life are sparse and imperfect, on account of his inability to
purchase a book to write his journal in ! The one at last ob-
tained was made of thin, poor paper, and the records entered
are rather in keeping with his financial difficulties. It took all
his means at this time to supply his family with the necessaries
of life, and in order to obtain money to educate the children, his
wife undertook the duties of a situation, in which she had charge
of and educated the offspring of a Mr. Brand.

" March 7 Spring is advancing, with many pleasant
associations, but my bodily health suffers from depression. I
have resolved to leave for Natchez, but grieve to leave my
family. My money is scarce, and I find great difficulty in
collecting what is owing to me.

AN ECCENTRIC PAINTER. 73

" March 16. Paid all my bills in New Orleans, and having
put my baggage on board of the steamer, Eclat, obtained
a passage to Natchez in the steamer, in return for a crayon
portrait of the captain and his wife.

" March 19. Opened a chest with two hundred of my bird
portraits in it, and found them sorely damaged by the break-
ing of a bottle containing a quantity of gunpowder. I had
several portraits to draw during the passage.

"March 24. One of the passengers accused Alexander
Wilson, the ornithologist, of intemperate habits, but I had the
satisfaction of defending his character from aspersion. I had
hope of success in Natchez, and soon expected to be followed
by my wife and family. My wife in the meantime remained at
New Orleans, in the family of Mr. Brand."

In closing his recollections of New Orleans, Audubon relates
an amusing history of a painter, whose eccentricities fascinated
the naturalist. The genius was first observed by the natu-
ralist on the Levee at New Orleans, and his odd costume and
appearance are thus described : —

" His head was covered by a straw hat, the brim of which
might cope with those worn by the fair sex in 1830 ; his neck
was exposed to the weather; the broad frill of a shirt, then
fashionable, flopped about his breast, whilst an extraordinary
collar, carefully arranged, fell over the top of his coat. The
latter was of a light-green colour, harmonizing well with a pair
of flowing yellow nankeen trousers and a pink waistcoat, from
the bosom of which, amidst a large bunch of the splendid
flowers of the magnolia, protruded part of a young alligator,
which seemed more anxious to glide through the muddy waters
of a swamp than to spend its life swinging to and fro amongst
folds of the finest lawn. The gentleman held in one hand a
cage full of richly-plumed nonpareils, whilst in the other he
sported a silk umbrella, on which I could plainly read ' Stolen
from I,' these words being painted in large white characters.
He walked as if conscious of his own importance ; that is,
with a good deal of pomposity, singing, ' My love is b*it a lassie
yet ; and that with such thorough imitation of the Scotch em-
phasis, that had not his physiognomy suggested another paren-
tage, I should have believed him to bo a genuine Soot. A

74 LIFE OF AUDUBON

narrower acquaintance proved him to be a Yankee ; and anxious
to make his acquaintance, I desired to see his birds. He
retorted, < What the devil did I know about birds ?' I ex-
plained to him that I was a naturalist, whereupon he requested
me to examine his birds. I did so with some interest, and
was preparing to leave, when he bade me come to his lodgings
and see the remainder of his collection. This I willingly did,
and was struck with amazement at the appearance of his studio.
Several cages were hung about the walls, containing specimens
of birds, all of which I examined at my leisure. On a large
easel before me stood an unfinished portrait, other pictures
hung about, and in the room were two young pupils ; and at a
glance I discovered that the eccentric stranger was, like myself,
a naturalist and an artist. The artist, as modest as he was odd,
showed me how he laid on the paint on his pictures, asked after
my own pursuits, and showed a friendly spirit which enchanted
me. With a ramrod for a rest, he prosecuted his work vigo-
rously, and afterwards asked me to examine a percussion lock
on his gun, a novelty to me at the time. He snapped some
caps, and on my remarking that he would frighten his birds, he
exclaimed, ' Devil take the birds, there are more of them in the
market.' He then loaded his gun, and wishing to show me that
he was a marksman, fired at one of the pins on his easel. This
he smashed to pieces, and afterwards put a rifle bullet exactly
through the hole into which the pin fitted."

CHAPTER XVII.

Audubon's Arrival at Natchez— Engagement from Mr. Quaglas*—
Engagement to teach Drawing at Washington College — Attack
of Fever— Engagement with Mr. Brevost — Raffle of a Drawing,
and Results— Arrival of Mrs. Audubon at Natchez— Her Engage-
ment with Mrs. Perry — Audubon studies Oil Painting — Determina-
tion to go on an Expedition with his Friend, the Artist, Stein
— The Naturalist lets loose his Pet Birds — Visit to Bayou Sara,
and Residence at Jackson — A Den of Gamblers — Arrangement
to Stay with the Perrys — Attack of Fever, and care uf Mrs.
Audubon — Leaves for Louisville wrrn his son Victor — Arrival
in the Ohio, and Wanderings through the Wilds,

The voyage up the Mississippi to Natchez appears to have
been without any circumstance of importance. Under date
March 24th, 1822, the naturalist records the fact that he had
arrived at Natchez. " I went ashore to see after work — called
on Mr. Quigley, who received me cordially I had prospects
of an engagement with Mr. Quaglass, a Portuguese gentleman,
who wished me to give lessons iu drawing and music and
French to his daughter, thirteen years of age. I was received at
his house, and received a welcome from his wife. Mr. Quaglass
arrived at home in the evening, and his appearance was by no
means prepossessing. His small grey eyes, and corrugated
brows, did not afford me an opportunity of passing a favourable
judgment. My time has been mostly engaged in hunting,
drawing, and attending to my charge. I constantly regret the
separation from my family "

Ere long he got an appointment to teach drawing in the

76 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

college at Washington, nine miles from Natchez. He sent for
his sons, and put them to school at Washington, but was depressed
in spirits because his work interfered with his ornithological
pursuits.

" July 8. Constant exposure in the tropical climate, and the
fatigue of my journeys to and from Washington, brought on fever
and a renewal of a certain kind doctor's attendance, who not only
would accept of no remuneration, but actually insisted on my
taking his purse to pay for the expenses connected with the
education of my sons. Shortly afterwards I made an engagement
with Mr. Brevost to teach drawing in an academy just opened
in Natchez by that gentleman. But while work flowed upon
me, the hope of completing my book upon the birds of America^
became less clear ; and full of despair, I feared my hopes of
becoming known to Europe as a naturalist were destined to be
blasted. I wrote to my wife to join me at Natchez, and there
was hopes of it being accomplished.

"July 23. My friend, Joseph Mason, left me to-day, and
we experienced great pain at parting. I gave him paper and
chalks to work his way with, and the double-barrelled gun I
had killed most of mv birds with, and which I had purchased at
Philadelphia in 1805. I also began to copy the 'Death of
Montgomery,' from a print. My drawing was highly praised by
my friends at Natchez, and Dr. Pro van, like a good genius,
insisted it should be raffled. I valued it at three hundred dollars,
and Dr. Provan sold all the tickets but one, at ten dollars each.
He then put my name down for that, saying he hoped it would
be the winning one. The raffle took place in my absence, and
when I returned, my friend the doctor came and brought me
three hundred dollars and the picture, beautifully framed, saying,
' Your number has drawn it, and the subscribers are all agreed
that no one is more deserving of it than yourself.' M

" September 1. My wife writes to me that the child she was
in charge of is dead, and that consequently she had determined
to come on to Natchez. I received her with great pleasure at
the landing, and immediately got a house hired, in which we
might resume housekeeping. In the mean time my wife engaged
with a clergyman named Davis, in a situation similar to that
which she had held in New Orleans. I was much pleased with

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTIST, STEIN. 77

the conduct of Mr. Quaglass, whose kindness of heart very much
belied his coarse exterior.

" October 27. I met a gentleman from Mexico, who proposed
to me to go to Mexico and establish a paper mill in that
country. He proposed to supply the funds if I took care of the
mill. At Natchez I met Mr. Murray, formerly of Charleston,
and Mr. Blackburn, formerly of Cincinnati. They had both
suffered heavy reverses of fortune, and appeared to me to be in
distress. Their change of fortune was sufficient to reconcile me
to my own vexations.

" November 3. While engaged in sketching a view of Natchez,
an English gentleman named Seacock was introduced to me as
a naturalist. He called and spent the evening with me, and
examined my drawings, and advised me to visit England and
take them with me. But when he said I should probably have
to spend several years to perfect them, and to make myself
known, I closed my drawings and turned my mind from the
thought. My wife, finding it difficult to get her salary for
teaching, has resolved to relinquish her situation "

In December there arrived at Natchez a portrait-painter,
from whom Audubon received his first lessons in the use of oil
colours, and who was in return instructed by the naturalist in chalk
drawing. Mrs. Audubon was desirous that her husband should
go to Europe, and obtain complete instruction in the use of
oil; and with this aim in view she entered into an engage-
ment with a Mrs. Perry to educate her children, along with her
own and a limited number of pupils. Mrs. Perry lived at
Bayou Sara, and thither Mrs. Audubon removed, while her
husband remained at Natchez, painting with his friend Stein,
the artist whose instructions in oil painting had been so valuable.
After enjoying all the patronage to be expected at Natchez,
Audubon and his friend Stein resolved to start on an ex-
pedition as perambulating portrait-painters , and purchasing a
waggon, prepared for a long expedition through the Southern
States.

" I had finally determined to break through all bonds, and
pursue my ornithological pursuits. My best friends solemnly
regarded me as a madman, and ray wife and family alone gave
me encouragement. My wife alone determined that my genius

78 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

should prevail, and that my final success as an ornithologist
should be triumphant.

" March, 1823. My preparations for leaving Natchez almost

complete.

" May 1. Left Mr. Perry's on a visit to Jackson, Mississippi,
which I found to be a mean place, a rendezvous for gamblers
and vagabonds. Disgusted with the place and the people, I
left it and returned to my wife. I agreed to remain with the
Perrys throughout the summer, and teach the young ladies
music and drawing. I continued to exercise myself in painting
with oil, and greatly improved myself. I undertook to paint
the portraits of my wife's pupils, but found their complexions
difficult to transfer to canvas. On account of some misunder-
standing, I left the Perrvs and returned to Xatchez, but did not
know what course to follow I thought of going to Philadelphia,
and again thought of £oing to Louisville and once more entering
upon mercantile pursuits, but had no money to move any-
where."

During a visit to a plantation near Natchez, both he and his
son Victor were attacked with fever, and Mrs. Audubon hastened
to nurs<_ buth of them.

" September 8. I was asked to go and recruit my health at
the Perrys', and I went to Bayou Sara. I sent on my drawings
to Philadelphia, and resolved to visit that city and obtain em-
ployment as a teacher.

" September 30. Sold a note for services in Natchez, and with
proceed* took steamer to New Orleans.

k * October 3. Left New Orleans for Kentucky, where I in-
tended to leave my son Victor with my wife's relations, and
proceed on my travels. I left Bayou Sara with my son Victor
on board the steamer Magnet, bound for the Ohio, and was
kindly treated by Captain McKnight, the commander. After a
pleasant voyage we arrived at the beautiful village of Trinity,
but found the water too low for further navigation. I had
resolved to push on my journey, if Victor was strong enough to
undertake the exertion. Other two passengers desired to ac-
company us, and after I had left my luggage to the care of the
tavern-keeper, our party crossed Cash Creek, at which I had
before spent a pleasant time, and pushed across the country.

WANDERINGS THROUGH THE WILDS. 79

Victor, who was scarcely fourteen, was a lively boy, and had no
fear of failing. Cleaving our way, Indian-file fashion, through
the cane brakes — through the burnt forest — through the brush-
wood-clad banks of the river, and along the pebbly shore, we
reached, after twelve miles' walking, the village of America.
After refreshing ourselves we covered another seven miles, and
reached a cabin, where we were well received by a squatter
family.

'•After a bath in the Ohio, my son and myself joined the rest,
and we enjoyed an excellent supper, and a capital sleep in such
beds as could be provided. We rose at break of day and left
our kind host and hostess, who would receive no pecuniary
reward. At seven miles further we found an excellent breakfast
at a house owned by a very lazy fellow, whose beautiful wife
appeared to be superior to her station, and who conducted the
household affairs in a very agreeable manner. We left a dollar
with one of the children, and pursued our way along the beach
of the Ohio. After proceeding some distance, my son Victor
broke down, but after a rest he suddenly revived at the sight of
a wild turkey, and resumed his journey in good spirits. We
reached Belgrade and continued our journey Towards sunset
we reached the shores of the river, opposite the mouth of the
Cumberland. On a hill, the propertv of Major B., we found a
house and a solitary woman, wretchedly poor, but very kind.
She assured us that if we could not cross the river, she would
give us food and shelter for the night, but said that as the
moon was up, she could get us put over when her skiff came
back. Hungry and fatigued, we lay down on the brown grass,
waiting either a scanty meal, or the skiff that was to convey
us across the river I had already grated the corn for our
supper, run down the chickens, and made a fire, when a crv of
' Boat coming !' roused us all. We crossed the river Ohio, and
I again found myself in Kentucky, the native state of my two
sons. We then pursued our onward journey, but my son
suffered sorely from lameness. As we trudged along, nothing
remarkable occurred excepting that we saw a fine black wolf,
quite tame and gentle, the owner of which had refused a
hundred dollars for it. Mr. Rose, who was an engineer, and a
man of taste, played on the flageolet to lighten our journey.

80 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

At an orchard we filled our pockets with October peaches, and
when we came to Trade Water river we found it low; the
acorns were already drifted on its shallows, and the ducks were
running about picking them up. Passing a flat bottom, we saw
a large buffalo lick

" We reached Highland Lick, where we stumbled on a cabin,
the door of which we thrust open, overturning a chair that had
been put behind it. On a dirty bed lay a man, a table, with a
journal, or perhaps ledger, before him, a small cask in the
corner near him, a brass pistol on a nail over his head, and a
long Spanish dagger by his side. He arose and asked what we
wanted? 'The way to a better place, the road to Sugg's/
' Follow the road, and you will get to his house in about five
miles/ Separating from our companions, who were unable to
proceed at the same pace, we reached Green River, were ferried
across, and shortly afterwards reached Louisville.''

CHAPTER XVIII.

Residence at Louisville — Painting the Falls of the Ohio — An
Adventure in the Woods — Floods of the Mississippi — The Waste
of Waters — The Flooded Forest — Slaughter of Game — Bears
and Lynxes Hiding in Trees.

" On the 25th October, 1822," writes Audubon, " I entered
Louisville with thirteen dollars in my pocket. I found my
friends very cool, and my position very insecure. My son
Victor I managed to get into the counting-house of a friend,
and I engaged to paint the interior of a steamer. I was advised
to make a painting of the falls of the Ohio, and commenced
the work.

"November 9. Busy at work, when the weather permitted,
and resolved to paint one hundred views of American scenery.
I shall not be surprised to find myself seated soon at the foot
of Niagara."

While painting he mainly resided at Shipping Port, a little
village near Louisville. In his journey between Green Eiver
and Louisville, he took conveyance in a cart, the owner
agreeing to drive the distance. In doing so, the driver
missed his route, and in a storm went far off the way. The
horses instinctively led the way to a log hut, inhabited by a
newly-married pair, who did their utmost to show befitting
hospitality. In the midst of a hurricane the host rode off to his
father's, some miles distant, for a keg of cider ; the wife baked
bread and roasted fowls, and finally determined to sleep on the
floor, so that the strangers might have the comfort of a bed.

o

82 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Of such hospitality Audubon speaks highly, and seems to
lament its decadence among residents in the more civilised
states of the Union. Some notes upon the effects of the floods
which swell American rivers into inland seas are also contained
in the journal of his residence at Louisville. Writing of
the devastation created by overflows of the Mississippi, he
remarks : —

" The river rises until its banks are flooded and the levees
overflown. It then sweeps inland, over swamps, prairie,
and forest, until the country is a turbid ocean, checkered by
masses and strips of the forest, through which the flood rolls
lazily down cypress-shadowed glades under the gloomy pines,
and into unexplored recesses, where the trailing vine and um-
brageous foliage dim the light of the noonday sun. In islets
left amid the waste, deer in thousands are driven ; and the squatter,
with his gun and canoe, finds on these refuges the game which he
slaughters remorselessly for the skins or feathers that will sell.
Floating on a raft made fast by a vine rope to some stout trees,
the farmer and his family preserve their lives, while the stream
bears awav their habitation, their cut wood, their stores of grain,
their stock, and all their household goods. From creeks of the
forest other rafts float, laden with produce for New Orleans, and
jruided by adventurous boatmen w r ho have but vague knowledge
of their devious way, and to whom the navigation of an inland
river is not less hazardous than a voyage on a stormy sea
would be,

"I have floated on the Mississippi and Ohio when thus
swollen, and have in different places visited the submerged
lands of the interior, propelling a light canoe by the aid of
a paddle. In this manner I have traversed immense portions
of the country overflowed by the waters of these rivers, and
particularly whilst floating over the Mississippi bottom lands
I have been struck with awe at the sight. Little or no current
is met with, unless when the canoe passes over the bed of a
bayou. All is silent and melancholy, unless when the mournful
bleating of the hemmed-in deer reaches your ear, or the dismal
scream of an eagle or a heron is heard, or the foul bird rises,
disturbed by your approach, from the carcass on which it was
allaying its craving appetite. Bears, cougars, lynxes, and all

QUADRUPEDS HIDING IN TREES. 83

other quadrupeds that can ascend the trees, are observed
crouched among their top branches; hungry in the midst of
abundance, although they see floating around them the animals
on which they usually prey. They dare not venture to swim
to them. Fatigued by the exertions which they have made in
reaching dry land, they will there stand the hunter's fire, as if
to die by a ball were better than to perish amid the waste
of waters. On occasions like this, all these animals are shot by
hundreds.

"Opposite the city of Natchez, which stands on a bluff
bank of considerable elevation, the extent of inundated land
is immense, the greater portion of the tract lying between the
Mississippi and the Ked River, which is more than thirty miles,
being under water."

<; 'J

84 LIFE OF" AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XIX.

Arnrnoy reaches Philadelphia — Calls on his old Friend Db. Mease,
and kind Reception — Introduction to Sully the Painter, and
receives gratuitous instruction in painting in oll — introduction
to the Prince op Canino — The Prince s Volume on Ornithology,
and Illustrations — Acquaintance with Le Sueur — A Gigantic
Engraver — Engagement with Prince Canino — Meetings with
Homer and Joseph Mason — Advised to take his Drawings to
England — Coldness of Prince Canino — Unable to Decide upon a
proper Course — Visit to Mill Grove and Fatland— Dr. Harlan's
extreme Kindness — A noble Gift — Letters of Introduction.

Audubon reached Philadelphia on April 5, 1824. The journey
to that city was undertaken as a desperate venture to obtain
help to complete his ornithological work, and he was soon satis*
fied that the venture would be successful.

" I purchased a new suit of clothes, and dressed myself with
extreme neatness ; after which I called upon Dr. Mease, an
old friend. I was received with kindness, and was introduced
to a German named Earle, who exhibited mv drawings. I was
also introduced to several artists, who paid me pleasant attentions,
and I also obtained entrance to the Philadelphia Athenaeum
and Philosophical Library. I was fortunate in obtaining an
introduction to the portrait-painter, Sully, a man after my own
heart, and who showed me great kindnesses. He was a beau-
tiful singer, and an artist whose hints and advice were of great
service to me. I afterwards saw Sully in London, where he was
painting a portrait of the Queen of England, and had an
opjx>rtunity of returning his kindnesses.

INTRODUCTION TO PRINCE CANINO. 85

"April 10. I was introduced to the Prince Canino, son of
Lucien, and nephew of Napoleon Buonaparte, who examined
my birds, and was complimentary in his praises. He was
at the time engaged on a volume of American birds, which
was soon to be published ; but this did not prevent him from
admiring another naturalist's work.

" April 12. Met the prince at Dr. Mease's, and he expressed
a wish to examine my drawings more particularly. I found
him very gentlemanly. He called in his carriage, took me to
Peel, the artist who was drawing specimens of birds for his
work ; but from want of knowledge of the habits of birds in
a wild state, he represented them as if seated for a portrait,
instead of with their own lively animated ways when seeking
their natural food or pleasure. Other notable persons called
to see my drawings, and encouraged me with their remarks.
The Prince of Canino introduced me to the Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and pronounced my birds superb, and worthy of a
pupil of David. I formed the acquaintance of Le Sueur, the
zoologist and artist, who was greatly delighted with my drawings.

" April 14. After breakfast met the prince, who called
with me on Mr. Lawson, the engraver of Mr Wilson's plates.
This gentleman's figure nearly reached the roof, his face was
sympathetically long, and his tongue was so long that we
obtained no opportunity of speaking in his company. Lawson
said my drawings were too soft, too much like oil paintings, and
objected to engrave them. Mr. Fairnian we found to be an
engraver better able to appreciate my drawings, but he strongly
advised me to go to England, to have them engraved in a
superior manner.

"April 15. I obtained a room, and commenced work in
earnest. Prince Canino engaged me to superintend his drawings
intended for publication, but my terms being much dearer than
Alexander Wilson asked, I was asked to discontinue this work.
I had now determined to go to Europe with my ' treasures,'
since I was assured nothing so fine in the way of ornithological
representations existed. I worked incessantly to complete my
series of drawings. On inquiry, I found Sully and Le Sueur
made a poor living by their brush. I had some pupils offered
at a dollar per lesson; but I found the citizens unwilling

86 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

to pay for art, although they affected to patronize it. I ex-
hibited my drawings for a week, but found the show did not pay,
and so determined to remove myself. I was introduced to
Mr. Ensel of Boston, an entomologist, then engaged upon a work
on American spiders. Those interested in Wilsons book on the
American birds advised me not to publish, and not only cold
water, but ice, was poured upon my undertaking. Had a visit
from my old partner Rosier, who was still thirsting for money.

" May 30. My dear friend Joseph Mason paid me a de-
lightful visit to-day. Showed all my drawings to Titian Peel,
who in return refused to let me see a new bird in his possession.
This little incident fills me with grief at the narrow spirit of
humanity, and makes me wish for the solitude of the woods.

"June 12. Giving lessons in drawing at thirty dollars per
month. A visit from Rembrandt Peel, who liked my drawings,
and asked me to his studio, where I saw his portrait of General
Washington, but preferred the style of Sully. Had a visit from
Mr. Murtrie, the naturalist, whose study of shells has made
him famous. He advised me to take my drawings to England.
I labour assiduously at oil painting. I have now been twenty-
five years pursuing my ornithological studies. Prince Canino
often visited me and admired my drawings. He advised me to
go to France, but he replied coldly to my application for aid to
carry out this purpose. The French consul was warmer in his
sympathies, and kind in his encouraging assurances.

"June 26. Anxious to carry out my project of a visit to
Europe — anxious to see my wife before leaving — anxious to see
my old quarters of Mill Grove — anxious to get more instruction
from my kind master, Sully; and altogether unable to settle
what course would be the more preferable. I was rejoiced at
the progress I made in oil painting, and was overwhelmed
with the goodness of Sully, who would receive no recompense
for his instructions, and gave me all the possible encouragement
which his affectionate heart could dictate.

44 July 12. Visited by Mr. Gilpin, who thirty-three years ago
discovered the lead ore on Mill Grove. Called on Dr. Harlan,
an amiable physician and naturalist, and a member of the
Academy of Arts and (Sciences, Gave him some of my draw-
ings, find ho promised me letters to the Royal Academy of

VISIT TO MILL GROVE. 87

France, and afterwards nominated me for membership to the
Academy in Philadelphia. He was one of the best men I have
met with in the city, and the^very best among the naturalists."

This was the beginning of a warm friendship between these two
good men, which increased with time, and lasted until the doctor
died. At the same time Audubon formed a friendship with
Edward Hands, a young ornithologist of refinement, wealth, and
education, who outlived Audubon, and extended prompt relief
to his wife during her distress after her husband's death.
When the naturalist was about to leave Philadelphia, Hands
purchased some of his drawings, and on being offered his picture
of the Falls of the Ohio, at a sacrifice, declined the purchase,
but as he was saying good-bye, squeezed a hundred-dollar bill
into his friend's hand, saying, " Mr, Audubon, accept this from
me ; men like you ought not to want for money."

" I could only express my gratitude by insisting on his receiving
the drawings of all my French birds, which he did, and I was
relieved. This is the second instance of disinterested generosity I
have met with in my life, the good Dr Provan of Natchez being
the other. And now I have in hand one hundred and thirty dollars
to begin my journey of three thousand miles. Before this I
have always thought I could work my way through the world
by my industry ; but I see that I shall have to leave here, as
Wilson often did, without a cent in my pocket.

"July 26. Reuben Haines, a generous friend, invited me to
visit Mill Grove in his carriage, and I was impatient until the
day came. His wife, a beautiful woman, and her daughter,
accompanied us. On the way my heart swelled with many
thoughts of what my life had been there, of the scenes I had
passed through since, and of my condition now. As we entered
the avenue leading to Mill Grove, every step brought to my
mind the memory of past years, and I was bewildered by the
recollections until we reached the door of the house, which had
once been the residence of my father as well as myself. The
cordial welcome of Mr. Watherell, the owner, was extremely
agreeable. After resting a few moments, I abruptly took my
hat and ran wildly towards the woods, to the grotto where I
first heard from my wife the acknowledgment that I was not
indifferent to her It had been torn down, and some stones

88 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

carted away ; but raising my eyes towards heaven, I repeated
the promise we had mutually made. We dined at Mill Grove,
and as I entered the parlour I stoyd motionless for a moment on
the spot where my wife and myself were for ever joined. Every-
body was kind to me, an<J invited me to come to the Grove
whenever I visited Pennsylvania, and I returned full of delight.
Gave Mr. Haines my portrait, drawn by myself, on condition
that he should have it copied in case of my death before
making another, and send it to my wife.

"July 31. Engaged in preparations for leaving Philadelphia,
where I received many letters of introduction. Among them
are the following : —

" ' Dear Sir, " ' GlLBEBT Stuart ' Esq "'

" * It is hardly necessary for Mr. Audubon to take credentials
for an introduction to you ; the inspection of one of his drawings
of birds will be sufficient recommendation to your notice. Yet
an acquaintance with him of several months enables me to
speak of him as a man, and I would consent to forfeit all claims
to discernment of character if he does not merit your esteem.

" 4 Sincerely your friend,

"< Thomas Sully.'"

" < Dear Sir " ' Washington Alston, Esq.,

" * Mr. Audubon will call on you with this, and will be pleased
to show you specimens of his drawings in ornithology. He is
engaged in preparing a work on this subject for publication,
which for copiousness and talent bids fair in my estimation t<J
surpass all that has yet been done, at least in this country. I
have great esteem for the character of Mr. Audubon, and am
pleased to make him known to you, thotigh I should hesitate to
give a letter of introduction to you in favour of an ordinary
person, knowing that your time is precious ; but in the present
instance I run no risk of intrusion. I shall always remember
you with affectionate regard.

(k € Sincerely your friend,

41 « Thomas Sully"*

A letter of similar import was given by Mr. Sully to Colonel
Trumbull.

CHAPTER XX.

Audubon leaves Philadelphia — Arrival at New York— Meeting with
Joseph Buonaparte — Introduction to the New York Lyceum, and
Reception by the Members — Inquiries about the Publication of his
Volume on Birds, and Dismal Anticipations — Leaves New York,
and Arrival at Albany — Visit to Niagara, and Extraordinary
Impressions — Passage in Schooner across Lake Erie — Storm, and
Rescue of Drawings — Adventures at Meadville — Arrival and Ke-
ception at Pittsburg.

" August 1, 1824. I left Philadelphia for New York yesterday
at five o'clock in good health, free from debt and free from
anxiety about the future. On arriving at New York a cart
took our luggage to our lodgings, and about one hundred
passengers perched about us, as I have seen chimney swallows
perched on a roof before their morning flight. I felt happy
and comfortable in the city, and sauntered about admiring
its beautiful streets and landings. I found most of the parties
to whom I carried letters of introduction absent, and I already
began to regret leaving Philadelphia so hurriedly. I began to
consider whether I should visit Albany or Boston, in the hope
of improving my financial position.

" August 2. Met Joseph Buonaparte, and his two daughters,
and his nephew, Charles, Prince of Canino. Visited the museum
at New York, and found the specimens of stuffed birds set up in
unnatural and constrained attitudes. This appears to be the
universal practice, and the world owes to me the adoption of the
plan of drawing from animated nature. Wilson is the only one
who has in any tolerable degree adopted my plan.

" August 3. Called on Vanderlyn, and was kindly received by

90 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

him. Examined his pictures with pleasure, and saw the medal
given him by Napoleon, but was not impressed with the idea
that he was a great painter.

" August 4. Called on Dr. Mitchell with my letters of intro-
duction, who gave me a kind letter of introduction to his friend
Dr. Barmies, explaining that I wished to show my drawings to
the members of the Lyceum, and become a member of that
institution.

" August 9. I have been making inquiries regarding the
publication of my drawings in New York ; but find that there
is little prospect of the undertaking being favourably received.
I have reason to suspect that unfriendly communications have
been sent to the publishers from Philadelphia, by parties inte-
rested in Wilson's volume, and who have represented that my
drawings have not been wholly done by myself. Full of despair,
I look to Europe as my only hope. With my friend Dr. De Kay
I visited the Lyceum, and my portfolio was examined by the
members of the institute, among whom I felt awkward and
uncomfortable. After living among such people I feel clouded
and depressed. Remember that I have done nothing, and fear
I may die unknown. I feel I am strange to all but the birds of
America. In a few days I shall be in the woods and quite
forgotten.

" August 10. My spirits low, and long for the woods again ;
but the prospect of becoming known prompts me to remain
another day. Met the artist Yanderlyn, who asked me to •
give him a sitting for a portrait of General Jackson, since my
figure considerably resembled that of the General, more than
any he had ever seen. I likewise sketched my landlady and
child, and filled my time.

"August 15. Sailed up the Hudson for Albany with three
hundred and seventy-five passengers, twenty-three of whom
were composed of a delegation of Indians from six tribes, who
were returning to the West from Washington. Arrived at
Albany, but found both Dewitt Clinton and Dr. Beck absent.
Money getting searce, I abandoned the idea of visiting Boston,
but determined to see Niagara. Engaged a passage at seven
dollars on a canal-boat for Rochester, N. V., distant two hundred
and sixty-eight miles. No incident happened to ine worth

VISIT TO THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 91

recording; only that the passengers were doubtful whether or
not I was a government officer, commissioner, or spy. I ob-
tained some new birds by the way, and in six days I arrived at

Rochester.

« Rochester, August 22. Five years ago there were but few
buildings here, and the population is now five thousand; the
banks of the river are lined with mills and factories. The
beautiful falls of the Genesee River, about eighty feet high and
four times as broad, I have visited, and have made a slight
sketch of them. One and a half miles below is another fall of
the same height, but the water is much more broken in its

descent.

"August 24. Took passage for Buffalo, arrived safely, and
passed a sleepless night, as most of my nights have been since
I began my wanderings. Left next morning for the Falls of
Niagara . the country is poor, the soil stiff white clay, and the
people are lank and sallow. Arrived at the hotel, found but
few visitors, recorded my name, and wrote under it, 'who,
like Wilson, will ramble, but never, like that great man, die
under the lash of a bookseller.'

" All trembling I reached the Falls of Niagara, and oh, what a
scene ! my blood shudders still, although I am not a coward, at
the grandeur of the Creator's power ; and I gazed motionless on
this new display of the irresistible force of one of His elements.
The falls, the rainbow, the rapids, and the surroundings all
unite to strike the senses with awe ; they defy description with
pen or pencil , and a view satisfied me that Niagara never had
been, and never will be painted. I moved towards the rapids,
over which there is a bridge to Goat Island, that I would like
to have crossed, to look on the water which was rushing with
indescribable swiftness below, but was deterred from the low
state of my funds. Walking along the edge of the stream for a
few hundred yards, the full effect of the whole grand rush of
the water was before me. The colour of the water was a verdi-
gris green, and contrasted remarkably with the falling torrent.
The mist of the spray mounted to the clouds, while the roaring
below sounded like constant heavy thunder, making me think
at times that the earth was shaking also.

44 From this point I could sec three-quarters of a mile down

92 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the river, which appeared quite calm. I descended a flight of
about seventy steps, and walked and crouched on my hams
along a rugged slippery path to the edge of the river, where a
man and a skiff are always waiting to take visitors to the
opposite shore. I approached as near the falling water as 1
could, without losing sight of the objects behind me. In a few
moments my clothes were wet. I retired a few hundred yanls
to admire two beautiful rainbows, which seemed to surround me,
and also looked as if spanning obliquely from the American to
the Canadian shore. Visitors can walk under the falling sheet of
water, and see through it, while at their feet are thousands of
eels lying side by side, trying vainly to ascend the torrent.

" I afterwards strolled through the village to find some bread
and milk, and ate a good dinner for twelve cents. Went to
bed at uight thinking of Franklin eating his roll in the streets
of Philadelphia, of Goldsmith travelling by the help of his
musical powers, and of other great men who had worked their
way through hardships and difficulties to fame, and fell asleep
hoping, by persevering industry, to make a name for myself
among my countrymen.

"Buffalo, August 25. This village was utterly destroyed by
fire in the war of eighteen hundred and twelve, but now has
about two hundred houses, a bank, and daily mail. It is now
filled with Indians, who have come here to receive their annuity
from the government. The chief Red Jacket is a noble-looking
man , another, called the Devil's Ramrod, has a savage look.
Took a deck-passage on board a schooner bound to Erie, Penn-
sylvania ; fare one dollar and fifty cents, to furnish my own bed
and provisions; my buffalo-robe and blanket served for the
former. The captain invited me to sleep in the cabin ; but I
declined, as I never encroach where I have no right. The sky
was serene, and I threw myself on the deck contemplating the
unfathomable immensity above me, and contrasting the comforts
which ten days before I was enjoying with my present con-
dition. Even the sailors, ignorant of my name, look on me as
a poor devil not able to pay fpr a cabin passage.

" In our voyage we had safely run the distance to Presque
Isle Harbour, but could not pass the bar on account of a violent
gale. The anchor was dropped, and we remained on board

JOURNEY TO MEADVILLE. 93

during the night. How long we might have remained at
anchor I cannot tell, had not Captain Judd,of the United States
Navy, then probably commandant at Presque Isle, sent a gig
with six men to our relief. It was on the 29th of August, 1824,
and never shall I forget that morning. My drawings were put
into the boat with the greatest care. We shifted into it, and
seated ourselves according to direction. Our brave fellows
pulled hard, and every moment brought us nearer to the
American shore ; I leaped upon it with elated heart. My draw-
ings were safely landed, and for anything else I cared little at
the moment. After a humble meal of bread and milk, a
companion and myself settled to proceed upon our journey
Our luggage was rather heavy, so we hired a cart to take it to
Meadville, for which we offered five dollars. This sum was
accepted, and we set off.

" The country through which we passed might have proved
favourable to our pursuits, had it not rained nearly the whole
day. At night we alighted, and put up at a house belonging to
our conductor's father. It was Sunday night. The good folks
had not yet returned from a distant church, the grandmother of
our driver being the only individual about the premises. We
found her a cheerful dame, who bestirred herself actively, got
up a blazing fire to dry our wet clothes, and she put bread and
milk on the table. We asked for a place in which to rest, and
were shown into a room in which were several beds. My
companion and myself was soon in bed and asleep, but our
slumbers were broken by a light, which we found to be carried
by three young damsels, who, having observed where we lay,
blew it out and got into a bed opposite ours. As we had not
spoken, the girls supposed we were sound asleep, and we heard
them say how delighted they would be to have th^ir portraits
taken as well as their grandmother, whose likeness I had
promised to draw. Day dawned, and as we were dressing we
discovered the girls had dressed in silence arid left us before we
had awakened. No sooner had I offered to draw the portraits of
the girls than they disappeared, and soon returned in their
Sunday clothes. The black chalk was at work in a few minutes,
to their great delight ; and while the flavour of the breakfast
reached my sensitive nose, I worked with redoubled ardour.

94 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

The sketches were soon finished, and the breakfast over. I
played a few airs on my flageolet while our guide was putting
the horses to the cart, and by ten o'clock we were once more on
the road to Meadville.

"The country was covered with heavy timber, principally
evergreens ; the pines and cucumber trees, loaded with brilliant
fruits, and the spruce, throwing a shade over the land, in good
keeping with the picture. The lateness of the crops alone
struck us as unpleasant. At length we came in sight of French
Creek, and soon after we reached Meadville. Here we paid the
five dollars promised to our conductor, who instantly faced
about, and applying the whip to his nags bade us adieu.

" We had now only one hundred and fifty cents. No time was
to be lost. We put our luggage and ourselves under the roof
of a tavern-keeper, known by the name of J. F Smith, at the
sign of the ' Travellers' Rest,' and soon after took a walk to
survey the little village that was to be laid under contribution
for our support. Putting my portfolio under my arm, and a
few good credentials in my pocket, I walked up the main
street, looking to the right and left, examining the different
heads which occurred, until I fixed my eyes on a gentleman in
a store who looked as if he might want a sketch. I begged him
to allow me to sit down. This granted, I remained perfectly
silent, and he soon asked me what was in that 'portfolio.'
The words sounded well, and without waiting another instant I
opened it to his view He was a Hollander, who complimented
me on the execution of the drawings of birds and flowers in my
portfolio. Showing him a sketch of the best friend I have in
the world at present, I asked him if he would like one in the
same style of himself? He not only answered in the affirma-
tive, but assured me that he would exert himself in procuring
as many more customers as he could. I thanked him, and
returned to the ' Travellers' Best ' with a hope that to-morrow
might prove propitious. Supper was ready, and we began our
meal. I was looked on as a missionary priest, on account of
my hair, which in those days flowed loosely on my shoulders.
I was asked to say grace, which I did with a fervent spirit.
Next morning I visited the merchant, and succeeded in making
a sketch of him that pleased him highly. While working at

ARRIVAL AT PITTSBURG. 95

him the room became crowded with the village aristocracy.
Some laughed, while others expressed their wonder, but my
work went on. My sitter invited me to spend the evening with
him, which I did, and joined him in some music on the flute
and violin. I returned to my companion with great pleasure ;
and you may judge how much that pleasure was increased when
I found that he also had made two sketches. Having written a
page or two of our journals, we retired to rest. With our
pockets replenished we soon afterwards left for Pittsburg, where
we arrived in safety.

"September 7. I was more politely received than on former
occasions at Pittsburg, and which I found was due to the recep-
tion I had met with in Philadelphia, and some rumours of which
had reached the West.

» "October 9. Spent one month at Pittsburg scouring the
country for birds, and continuing my drawings. Made the ac-
quaintance of the Eev. John H. Hopkins. Found him an
amiable man, and attended some of his ministrations " (the first
reference made in his journal to church-going). " In my mind
church attendance has been confounded with such rascally
conduct otherwise that I cannot think of it without sadness. I
met a Mr Baldwin, who volunteered to subscribe for my book
of birds — the third hundred name given to me .In the course ol
my intimacy with the Rev Mr. Hopkins I was brought to think
more than I usually did of religious matters , but 1 confess I
never think of churches without feeling sick at heart at the
sham and show of some of their professors. To repay evils
with kindness is the religion I was taught to practise, and this
will for ever be my rule."

96 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXI.

Audubon brings about and Commences a Voyage down the Ohio to thb
^outh — Abandonment of the Expedition — Arrival at Cincinnati —
Visit to Louisville, and Meeting with his Son Victor — Voyage to
Bayou Sara — A Plague-stricken Town — Adventure in the Woods —
Meeting Mrs. Audubon — Turns Dancing-master — A Droll Scene —
A Successful Speculation — Visit to England, and Completion of
the Ornithological Work foreseen.

€l October 24. For some days I have been meditating on pur-
chasing a skiff and going down the Ohio and Mississippi in it, as
I had done years before. I purchased a boat, and filling it with
provisions, bade my friends adieu, and started in company with
an artist, a doctor, and an Irishman. I hauled up the boat at
night and slept in it.

" October 29. Reached Wheeling after suffering much from
wet and rain. The artist and doctor were disgusted with boat-
ing, and left. The Irishman was tired of his bargain. My
finances were very low. I tried to sell some lithographs of
General Lafayette, but did not succeed. I sold my skiff, and
took passage in a keel-boat to Cincinnati, with a lot of passen-
gers, army officers, and others. I arrived at Cincinnati, visited
my old house, and met many old friends in that city.

" While at Cincinnati I was beset by claims for the payment
of articles which years before had been ordered for the museum,
but from which I got no benefit Without money or the means of
making it, I applied to Messrs. Keating and Bell for the loan of
fifteen dollars, but had not the courage to do so until I had

ARRIVAL AT BAYOU SARA. 97

walked past their house several times, unable to make up my
mind how to ask the favour. I got the loan cheerfully, and
took a deck-passage to Louisville. I was allowed to take my
meals in the cabin, and at night slept among some shavings I
managed to scrape together. The spirit of contentment which
I now feel is strange — it borders on the sublime ; and enthusiast
or lunatic — as some of my relatives will have me — I am glad to
possess such a spirit.

" Louisville, November 20. Took lodgings at the house of a
person to whom I had given lessons, and hastened to shipping
port to see my son Victor. Keceived a letter from General
Jackson, with an introduction to the Governor of Florida. I
discover that my friends think only of my apparel, and those
upon whom I have conferred acts of kindness prefer to remind
me of my errors. I decide to go down the Mississippi to my
old home of Bayou Sara, and there open a school, with the
profits of which to complete my ornithological studies. Engage
a passage for eight dollars.

" I arrived at Bayou Sara with rent and wasted clothes and
uncut hair, and altogether looking like the Wandering Jew.

" The steamer which brought me was on her way to New
Orleans, and I was put ashore in a small boat about midnight,
and left to grope my way on a dark, rainy, and sultry night to
the village, about one mile distant. That awful scourge the
yellow fever prevailed, and was taking off the citizens witli
greater rapidity than had ever before been known. ^Yhen I
arrived, the desolation was so great that one large hotel was
deserted, and I walked in, finding the doors all open, and the
furniture in the house, but not a living person. The inmatt s
had all gone to the pine woods. I walked to the Post Office,
roused the postmaster, and learned to my joy that my wife
and son were well at Mrs. Perry's. He had no accommodation
for me, but recommended me to a tavern where I might find a
bed. The atmosphere was calm, heavy, and suffocating, and it
seemed to me as if I were breathing death while hunting for
this tavern ; finding it, the landlord told me he had not a spare
bed, but mentioned a German at the end of the village who
might take me in; off there I walked, and was kindly received.
The German was a man of cultivation and taste, and a lover of

H

98 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

natural science, and had collected a variety of interesting
objects. He gave me some refreshment, and offered me a
horse to ride to Mrs. Perry's. The horse was soon at the door,
and with many thanks I bade him adieu. My anxiety to reach
my beloved wife and child was so great that I resolved to make
a straight course through the woods, which I thought I knew
thoroughly, and hardly caring where I should cross the bayou.
In less than two hours I reached its shores, but the horse re-
fused to enter the water, and snorting suddenly, turned and
made off through the woods, as if desirous of crossing at some
other place, and when he reached the shore again walked in,
and crossed me safely to the other side. The sky was overcast,
and the mosquitoes plentiful ; but I thought I recognized the
spot where I had watched the habits of a wild cat, or a deer, as
the clouds broke away, and the stars now and then peeped
through to help me make my way through the gloomy forests.
But in this I was mistaken, for when day dawned I found my-
self in woods which were unknown to me. However, I chanced
to meet a black man, who told me where I was, and that I had
passed Mrs. Perry's plantation two miles. Turning my horse's
head, and putting spurs to him, a brisk gallop soon brought me
to the house. It was early, but I found my beloved wife up
and engaged in giving a lesson to her pupils, and, holding and
kissing her, I was once more happy, and all my toils and trials
were forgotten.

" December 1. After a few days' rest I besran to think of the
future, and to look about to see what I could do to hasten the
publication of my drawings. My wife was receiving a large
income — nearly three thousand dollars a year — from her industry
and talents, which she generously offered me to help forward
their publication , and I resolved on a new effort to increase
the amount by my own energy and labour. Numerous pupils
desired lessons in music, French, and drawing. From Woodville
I received a special invitation to teach dancing, and a class of
sixty was soon organized. I went to begin my duties, dressed
myself at the hotel, and with my fiddle under my arm entered
the ball-room. I found my music highly appreciated, and im-
mediately commenced proceedings.

tk 1 placed all the gentlemen in a line reaching across the hall,

A DANCING LESSON. 99

thinking to give the young ladies time to compose themselves
and get ready when they were called. How I toiled before
I could get one graceful step or motion ! I broke my bow and
nearly my violin in my excitement and impatience! The
gentlemen were soon fatigued. The ladies were next placed
in the same order and made to walk the steps ; and then came
the trial for both parties to proceed at the same time, while I
pushed one here and another there, and was all the while
singing myself, to assist their movements. Many of the parents
were present, and were delighted. After this first lesson was
over I was requested to dance to my own music, which I did
until the whole room came down in thunders of applause in
clapping of hands and shouting, which put an end to my first
lesson and to an amusing comedy. Lessons in fencing followed
to the young gentlemen, and I went to bed extremely fatigued.

" The dancing speculation fetched two thousand dollars ; and
with this capital and my wife's savings I was now able to
foresee a successful issue to my great ornithological work."

The remainder of Audubon's residence at Bayou Sara was
taken up with preparations for his intended voyage to England, —
where he expected to find the fame given to all heroes so tardily
in their own countries.

II 2

100 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXII.

Audubon Sails from New Orleans for England on board the Deix>s —
Mother Carey's Chickens — Death of a Young Alligator — Incidents
of the Voyage — Habits of Dolphins — Meat tested for Poihon —
Rice Bunting reaches the Ship, and is captured by a Peregrine
Falcon — Catching Rudder-fish — Successful Sport.

" April 26th, 1826. I left my wife and son at Bayou Sara for
New Orleans on my way to England, and engaged a passage to
Liverpool on board the ship Delos. The vessel did not sail
as soon as expected, and I was necessarily delayed at New
Orleans. I obtained several letters of introduction from persons
in New Orleans to friends in England, and one from Governor
Johnson of Louisiana with the seal of the State on it, which
saved me the trouble of getting a passport.

"On the 19th of May the steam-tug Hercules towed the
Delos out to sea, and with light winds we pursued our voyage.
The time was pleasantly spent shooting birds and catching
dolphins and sharks, from which I made frequent sketches.

" May 27. Had Mother Carey's chickens following us, and
desired to get one of the beautiful birds as they swept past
pattering the water with their feet, and returning after long
ranges for scraps of oil and fat floated astern. I dropped one
with my gun, and the captain kindly ordered a boat to be
lowered to recover the shot bird. I examined the bird and
found it to be a female.

" May 31 Saw a small vessel making towards us ; she was
a suspicious-looking craft, and our crew had pardonable fears
she might prove to be a pirate. A young fat alligator I had
with me died to day, from being placed among salt instead of
fivsh water — the former being poisonous to the animal.

LETTER TO MR. RATHBONE. 101

"Much troubled with anxious thoughts about the purport
and expectations of my voyage to England. I had obtained
many favourable letters of introduction to friends in England,
which I believed would prove of material assistance, and among
these was the following —

" ' New Orleans, May 16, 1826.

« ' Dear Sir,

" ' I have ventured to put in the hands of Mr. John J. Audubon,
a gentleman of highly respectable scientific acquirements, these
introductory lines to you, under the persuasion that his acquaint-
ance cannot fail to be one of extreme interest to you. Mr.
Audubon is a native of the United States, and has spent more
than twenty years in all parts of them, devoting most of his
time to the study of ornithology. He carries with him a col-
lection of over four hundred drawings, which far surpass any-
thing of the kind I have yet seen, and afford the best evidence
of his skill, and the perfection to which he has earned his
researches. His object is to find a purchaser or a publisher for
them, and if you can aid him in this, and introduce him either
in person or by letter to men of distinction in arts and sciences,
you will confer much of a favour on me. He has a crowd of
letters from Mr* Clay, De Witt Clinton, and others for England,
which will do much for him ; but your introduction to Mr.
Eoscoe and others may do more. His collection of ornitho-
logical drawings would prove a most valuable acquisition to
any museum, or any monied patron of the arts, and, I should
think, convey a far better idea of American birds than all the
stuffed birds of all the museums put together.

" ' Permit me likewise to recommend Mr. Audubon to your
hospitable attentions, the respectability of his life and his
family connections entitle him to the good wishes of any
gentleman, and you will derive much gratification from his
conversation.

" 'I am, dear Sir,

" * With sincere regard,

fct ' Mcst truly yours,

k * « Vincent Notte.
" • To Richard Rathbonk, Esq.,
41 • Liverpool:"

102 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" June 23. Near Cape Florida. This morning we entered the
Atlantic Ocean from the Florida Straits with a fair wind. The
land birds have left us. I leave America and my wife and
children to visit England and Europe and publish my ' Birds
of America/

" In the Gulf of Mexico our vessel was becalmed for many
days ; the tedium of which we beguiled by catching fish and
watching their habits. Among the others caught we were
fortunate in securing several beautiful dolphins. Dolphins
move in shoals varying from four or five to twenty or more,
hunting in packs in the waters as wolves pursue their prey on
land. The object of their pursuit is generally the flying-fish,
now and then the bonita , and when nothing better can be had
they will follow the little rudder-fish and seize it immediately
under the stern of the ship. The flying-fishes, after having
escaped for awhile by dint of their great velocity, on being
again approached by the dolphins, emerge from the water, and
spreading their broad wing-like fins, sail through the air and
disperse in all directions, like a covey of timid partridges before
the rapacious falcon. Some pursue a direct course, others
diverge on either side, but in a short time they all drop into
their natural element. While they are travelling in the air
their keen and hungry pursuer, like a greyhound, follows in
their wake, and performing a succession of leaps many feet in
extent, rapidly gains upon the quarry, which is often seized just
as it falls into the sea. Dolphins manifest a very remarkable
sympathy with each other. The moment one of them is hooked
or grained, as sailors technically name their manner of harpoon-
ing, those in company make up to it, and remain around until
the unfortunate fish is pulled on board, when they generally
move off together, seldom biting at anything thrown out to
tliem. This, however, is the case only with the larger in-
dividuals, which keep apart from the young, in the same manner
as is observed in several species of birds; for when the smaller
dolphins are in large shoals they all remain under the bows
of the ship, and bite in succession at any sort of line, as if
determined to see what has become of their lo6t companions.
The dolphins caught in the Gulf of Mexico duriug our voyage
were suspected to be poisonous ; and to ascertain whether this

CATCHING DOLPHINS. 103

was really the case, our cook, who was an African negro, never
boiled or fried one without placing beside it a dollar. If the
silver was not tarnished by the time the dolphin was ready for
the table, the fish was presented to the passengers with the
assurance that it was perfectly good. But as not a single
individual of the hundred that we caught had the property of
converting silver into copper, I suspect that our African sage
was no magician. One morning, that of the 22nd of June, the
weather sultry, I was surprised, on getting out of my hammock,
which was slung on deck, to find the water all round swarming
with dolphins, which were sporting in great glee. The sailors
assured me that this w r as a certain ' token of wind/ and, as
they watched the movement of the fishes, added, 'ay, and a
fair breeze too/ I caught several dolphins in the course of an
hour, after which scarcely any remained about the ship. Not a
breath of air came to our relief all that day, nor even the next.
" The best bait for the dolphin is a long strip of shark's flesh.
I think it generally prefers it to the semblance of a flying-fish,
which, indeed, it does not often seize unless when the ship is
under weigh, and it is made to rise to the surface. There are
times, however, when hunger and the absence of their usual
food will induce the dolphins to dash at any sort of bait , and
I have seen some caught by means of a piece of w T hite linen
fastened to a hook. Their appetite is as keen as that of the
vulture ; and whenever a good opportunity occurs they gorge
themselves to such a degree that they become an easy prey to
their enemies, the balaconda and the bottle-nosed porpoise.
One that had been brained while lazily swimming immediately
under the stern of our ship was found to have its stomach
completely crammed with flying-fish, all regularly disposed side
by side, with their tails downwards, which suggests that the
dolphin swallows its prey tail foremost. They looked, in fact,
like so many salted herrings packed in a box, and were, to the
number of twenty-two, each six and seven inches in length.
The usual length of the dolphin caught in the Gulf of Mexico
is about three feet, and I saw none that exceeded four feet two
inches. The weight of one of the latter size was only eighteen
pounds, for this fish is extremely narrow in proportion to its
length, although rather deep in its form. When just caught.

104 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the upper fin, which reaches from the forehead to within a short
distance of the tail, is of a fine dark blue. The upper part of
the body in its whole length is azure, and the lower parts are of
a golden hue, mottled irregularly with deep blue spots.

" One day several small birds, after alighting on the spars, be-
took themselves to the deck. One of them, a female rice bunting,
drew our attention more particularly, for, a few moments after
her arrival, there came down, as if it were in her wake, a beautiful
peregrine falcon. The plunderer hovered about for awhile, then
stationed himself on the end of one of the yard-arms, and
suddenly pouncing on the little gleaner of the meadows, clutched
her and carried her off in exultation. I was astonished to see
the falcon feeding on the finch while on the wing with the
same ease as the Mississippi kite shows while devouring, high in
air, a red-throated lizard, swept from one of the trees of the
Louisiana woods.

" One afternoon we caught two sharks. In one of them we
found ten young ones alive, and quite capable of swimming, as
we proved by experiment ; for on casting one of them into the
sea it immediately made off, as if it had been accustomed to sliift
for itself. Of another that had been cut in two, the head half
swam out of our sight. The rest were cut in pieces, as was the
old shark, as bait for the dolphins, which, 1 have already said,
are fond of such food. Our captain, who was much intent on
amusing me, informed me that the rudder-fishes were plentiful
astern, and immediately set to dressing hooks for the purpose of
catching them. There was now some air above us, the sails
aloft filled, the ship moved through the water, and the captain
and I repaired to the cabin window. I was furnished with a
fine hook, a thread line, and some small bits of bacon, as was
the captain, and we dropped our bait among the myriads of
delicate little fishes below Up they came one after another,
so fast in succession that, according to my journal, we caught
thr< e hundred and seventy in about two hours ! What a mess I
and how delicious when roasted ! if ever I am again becalmed
in the Gulf of Mexico, I shall not forget the rudder-fish. The
little things scarcely measured three inches in length; they
were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eatinrr. It
was curious to see them keep to the loo of the rudder in a

VORACITY OF THE RUDDER-FISH. 105

compact body, and so voracious were they, that they actually
leaped out of the water at the sight of the bait. But the very
instant that the ship became still they dispersed around her
sides, and would no longer bite. After drifting along the Florida
coast a stiff breeze rose, and sweeping us into the Atlantic, sent
us far upon our favourable voyage."

106 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXin.

Arrival at Liverpool — Liverpool Friends — Drawings Exhibited by
desire tn the royal institution — vlslt to manchester — opening
of Subscription-book for great Work — Journey to Edinburgh —
Introduction to Professor Jameson and Dr. Knox — Edinburgh —
Lizars, the Engraver — Drawings exhibited at the Royal Institu-
tion — Dining with Antiquarian Society — An extraordinary En-
tertainment — Sir William Jardine — Proposed a Member of thr
Wernerian Society — David Brewster — Elected a Member of
Wernerian Society — George Combe, the Phrenologist — The ad-
vantage of wearing long Hair — Price of the * Book of Birds ' —
Visit to the Earl of Morton at Dalmahoy — Hunting Hawks —
Francis Jeffrey.

" July 20, 1826. Landed from the Delos at Liverpool, and took
lodgings at the Commercial Hotel. Called at the counting-house
of Gordon and Forstall, and went to deliver my letters to Mr.
Rathbone, who was absent when I called ; but he forwarded a
polite note, in which he invited me to dine and meet Mr. Roscoe.

"July 24. Called for Mr. Rathbone at his counting-house,
and was kindly received, and dined at his house in Duke Street.
Was introduced to his friend Mr. Roscoe, and his son-in-law,
Mr. Pilemon L. Baring. Mr. Roscoe invited me to his country-
house next day, and we visited the Botanical Gardens. Ran-
sacked the city for pastils to make a drawing for Mrs. Rathbone.

" My drawings are to be exhibited at the Liverpool Exhibi-
tion. Mr. Roscoe promised to introduce me to Lord Stanley,
who, he says, is rather shy. Great anxiety about the success of
my exhibition, which has proved a complete success.

"Sunday, July 30. Went to church, and saw a picture of

LIFE IN LIVERPOOL. 107

Christ Curing the Blind Man, and listened to the singing of
blind musicians.

" August 5. I have met Lord Stanley, and found him a frank,
agreeable man. Tall, broad-boned, well-formed, he reminded
me of Sully the painter. He said, ' Sir, I am glad to see you.'
He pointed out one defect in my drawings for which I thanked
him, but he admired them generally He spent five hours in
examining my collection, and said, c This work is unique, and
deserves the patronage of the Crown.' He invited me many
times to come and see him at his town-house in Grosvenor
Square."

Under this date, Audubon writes to his wife : " I am cherished
by the most notable people in and around Liverpool, and have
obtained letters of introduction to Baron Humboldt, Sir Walter
Scott, Sir Humphry Davy, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Hannah
More, Miss Edgeworth, and your distinguished cousin, Robert
Bakewell."

" August 9. By the persuasion of friends, the entrance-fee to
my collection of drawings is to be charged at one shilling.
Three and four pounds per day promised well for the success of
this proposal. Painted a wild turkey, full size, for the Liverpool
Royal Institution. Busy at work painting in my usual toilet,
with bare neck and bare arms. Dr. Traill and Mr. Rathbone,
while looking on, were astonished at the speed of my work.

" At Liverpool I did the portraits of various friends desirous of
obtaining specimens of my drawing, and Mr. Rathbone suggested
that I ought to do a large picture, in order that the public might
have an opportunity of judging of my particular talents. From
various kind friends I received letters of introduction to many
distinguished persons. Mr. Roscoe, in particular, favoured me
with an extremely kind letter to Miss Edgeworth the novelist,
in which he makes reference to my pursuits and acquirements
in flattering language."

Audubon has copied into his journal many of these letters,
but the interest of them is not of sufficient import to warrant
their reproduction.

By the exhibition of his pictures at the Royal Institution,
Liverpool, he realized 100/.; but he speedily removed to
Manchester, and carried with him his collection of drawings for

10tS LIFE OF AUDUBON.

exhibition in that city. " Dr. Traill, of the Royal Institution,
had ordered all my drawings to be packed up by the curator
of the museum, and their transport gave me no trouble
whatever.

" September 10. I left Liverpool and the many kind friends I
had made in it. In five and a half hours the coach arrived
at Manchester. I took lodgings in the King's Arms. I strolled
about the city^and it seemed to me to be most miserably laid
out. I was struck by the sallow looks, sad faces, ragged gar-
ments, and poverty of a large portion of the population, which
seemed worse off than the negroes of Louisiana. I exhibited my
pictures in a gallery at Manchester at one shilling for entrance,
but the result was not satisfactory."

At Manchester Audubon made the acquaintance of two very
valuable friends — Mr. Gregg and Mr. McMurray. He visited
many families, and was struck with the patriarchal manner of
an Englishman who called his son " my love." He enjoyed for
the first time a days shooting after the English fashion in the
neighbourhood of Manchester, but does not appear to have been
charmed with the sport. It was soon discovered that the
exhibition of his drawings at Manchester was not going to pay ;
but he opened a subscription-book for the publication of his
work on the Birds of America.

hi September 28. Revisited Liverpool to consult about a pro-
spectus for my book. Stayed with Mr, Rathbone, and met
there Mr. John Bohn, the London bookseller, who advised me to
go to Paris and consult about cost of publication, after which 1
ought to go to London and compare the outlays before fixing
upon any plan. Mrs. Rathbone desired me to draw the Wild
Turkey of America the size of my thumb-nail. This she had
engraved on a precious stone in the form of a seal, and presented
it to me.

" October (> I returned to Manchester, driven in the carriage
of a friend, and arrived at the hall in which my pictures were
exhibited, to find that the hall-keeper had been drunk and had
no returns to make. I stayed about six weeks at Manchester,
but the exhibition of my pictures did not prosper. I visited
Matlock, and paid five pounds for spars to take home to my
wife. I pulled some flowers from the hills she had plaved over

VISIT TO EDINBURGH. 109

when a child, and passed through the village of Bakewell, called
after some one of her family.

"I determined to start for Edinburgh, and paying three
pounds fifteen shillings for coach-hire, started for that city.

" October 25. Left Manchester for Edinburgh yesterday, follow-
ing the road by Carlisle into Scotland. Was struck with the
bleak appearance of the country The Scottish shepherds
looked like the poor mean whites of the Slave-states. The
coachmen have a mean practice of asking money from the
passengers after every stage. Arrived at Edinburgh, and called
with letters of introduction on Professor Jameson and Professor
Duncan — on Dr. Charles and Dr. Henry at the Infirmary, and
upon the celebrated anatomist Dr. Knox. Professor Jameson
received me with the greatest coldness — explained there was
no chance of me seeing Sir Walter Scott, who was busy with a
life of Napoleon and a novel, and who lived the life of a recluse.
He said his own engagements would prevent his calling for
some clays.

" Dr. Knox came to me in his rooms dressed in an overgown,
and with bleeding hands, which he wiped. He read Dr. Traill's
letter and wished me success, and promised to do all in his
power for me, and appointed the next day to call upon me
and introduce some scientific friends to examine my drawings.
I was much struck with Edinburgh — it is a splendid old
city

" The lower class of women (fishwives) resemble the squaws
of the West. Their rolling gait, inturned toes, and manner of
carrying burdens on their backs, is exactly that of the Shawnee
women. Their complexions are either fair, purple, or brown
as a mulatto.

"The men wear long whiskers and beards, and are extremely
uncouth in manners as well as in speech.

" October 27. Filled with sad forebodings and doubts of all
progress. Miss Ewart called to see my drawings, and was
delighted with them. She exclaimed, after looking at thorn.
'How delighted Sir Walter Scott would be with them! 1 I
presented a letter to Mr. Patrick Neil, the printer, who received
me with great cordiality, invited me to his house, and promised
to interest himself for me generally. Mr. Andrew Duncan gavi>

110 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

me a note to Francis Jeffrey, the famous editor of the ' Edin-
burgh Keview.'

" October 30. Called on Mr. Francis Jeffrey, who was not at
home ; wrote a note for him in his library, which I found was
filled with books tossed about in confusion, pamphlets, portfolios,
and dirt.

"Prospects more dull and unpromising; and I went to
Mr. Patrick Neil, to express my intention of going on to London,
as my pictures of the American Birds were evidently not ap-
preciated in Edinburgh. He remonstrated kindly, spoke en-
couragingly, and introduced me to Mr. Lizars, the engraver of
Mr. Selby's Birds.

" Mr. Lizars had the greatest admiration for Selby, but no
sooner had he looked into my portfolio than he exclaimed, ' My
God, I never saw anything like these before ;' and he afterwards
said the naturalist, Sir William Jardine, ought to see them
immediately.

" November 1. Professor Jameson has called, Mr. Lizars
having, with his warmth of heart, brought the naturalist to see
my Collection of Birds. The Professor was very kind, but his
manner of speaking of my drawings leaves me to suspect that
he may have been quizzing me.

" November 2. Breakfasted with Professor Jameson in his
splendid house. The Professor's appearance is somewhat re-
markable and the oddities of his hair are worthy of notice. It
seems to stand up all over his head and points in various direc-
tions, so that it looks strange and uncouth. Around a rough
exterior he owns a generous heart, but which is not at first
discernible. I felt my career now certain. I was spoken kindly
of by the newspapers, and in the streets I heard such remarks
made upon me as — 'that is the French nobleman." I spent
three very delightful weeks, dining, breakfasting, and visiting
many agreeable people in Edinburgh. Professor Jameson
promised to introduce my work to the public in his ' Natural
History Magazine/ and Professor Wilson (Christopher North)
offered me his services in the pages of € Maga.'

" Professor Wilson likewise volunteered to introduce me to
Sir Walter Scott, and Mr. Combe, the phrenologist. Mr. Syine,
the portrait painter, requested me to sit for my portrait. A

DINNER OP THE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY. Ill

committee from the Royal Institution of Edinburgh called upon
me and offered me the use of the rooms for the exhibition of
my drawings, and the receipts from this source amounted to £5
per day.

" What, however, most pleased me was the offer of Mr. Lizars
to bring out a first number of my 'Birds of America/ the plates
to be the size of life. I have obtained from Mr. Rathbone his
name as a subscriber, and have written to him with a prospectus,
and explained that I shall travel about with a specimen
number until I obtained three hundred subscribers, which will
assure the success of the work. Sir William Jardine, now in
the midst of his extensive ornithological publication, spends
many hours a day beside me examining my manner of work,
and he has invited me to make a long visit to his residence in
the country.

" November 28. Saw to-day the first-proof of the first engrav-
ing of my American Birds, and was very well pleased with its
appearance.

" November 29. Sir Walter Scott has promised to a friend to
come and see my drawings. Invited to dine w r ith the Antiquarian
Society at the Waterloo Hotel. Met the Earl of Elgin at the
dinner, who was very cordial. The dinner was sumptuous, the
first course being all Scotch dishes, a novelty to me, and con-
sisting of marrow-bones, cod-fish heads stuffed with oatmeal and
garlick, blackpudding, sheepsheads, &c. Lord Elgin presided,
and after dinner, with an auctioneer's mallet brought the com-
pany to order by rapping sharply on the table. He then rose
and said, i The King, four-times-four V All rose and drank the
monarch's health, the president saying, ' ip ! ip ! ip !' followed
by sixteeen cheers. Mr. Skein, first secretary to the Society,
drank my own health, prefacing the toast with many flatteries,
and which made me feel very faint and chill. I was expected
to make a speech but could not, and never had tried. Being
called on for a reply, I said, 4 Gentlemen, my incapacity for
words to respond to your flattering notice is hardly exceeded by
that of the birds now hanging on the walls of your Institution.
I am truly obliged to you for your favours, and can only say,
God bless you all, and may your Society prosper.' I sat down
with the perspiration running over me, and was glad to drink off

112 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

a glass of wine that Mr. Lizars kindly handed to me in my
distress. Some Scottish songs were sung , and William Allen,
the famous Scottish painter, concluded the fun by giving a droll
imitation of the buzzing of a bee about the room, following it
and striking at it with his handkerchief as if it was flying from
him;'

" November 30. The picture representing myself dressed in a
wolt's-skin coat is finished, and although the likeness is not good,
the picture will be hung to-morrow in the Exhibition room.

" December 1. Lord Elgin and another nobleman visited my
Exhibition to-day, and talked with me about my work and
prospects. Fifteen pounds were drawn at the Exhibition to-day.

" December 2. Breakfasted with the wonderful David Bridges,
who commenced to dust his furniture with his handkerchief. I
hear that Professor Wilson has been preparing an article upon
me and my ornithological labours for ' Blackwood's Magazine/
Dined with Dr. Brown, a very amiable man, and met Professor
Jameson. Sir James Hall and Captain Basil Hall have called
upon me to-day, the latter making inquiries in reference to
some purpose to visit the United States.

" December 3. Nearly finished a painting of the Otter in Trap,
which Mr. Lizars and Mr Syme thought excellent. Dr. Knox
has kindly promised to propose my name for membership of the
Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh.

"December 10. 3Iy success in Edinburgh borders on the
miraculous. My book is to be published in numbers containing
four birds in each the size of life, in a style surpassing anything
now existing, at two guineas a number. The engravings are
truly beautiful ; some of them have been coloured and are now
cm exhibition.

" December 12. Called on Dr Brewster and read him an
article on the Carrion Crow. After reading the paper I was
introduced to Mrs. Brewster, a charming woman, whose manner
put me at entire ease.

" December 16. Received a note from Mr Rathbone, objecting
to the large size of my book, which he suspected would be
rather against its popularity. Went to the Wernerian Societv
to show my drawings of the Buzzard. Professor Jameson rose
and pronojunccd quite an eulogy upon my labours, and the

GENEROSITY TO A BEGGAR. 113

society passed a vote of thanks upon my labours. Professor
Jameson afterwards proposed me as an honorary member of the
Society, which was carried by acclamation.

" Dined with Lady Hunter, mother-in-law to Captain Basil
Hall, and met Lady Mary Clarke, aged eighty-two, who was
acquainted with Generals Wolfe and Montgomery. I had many #
questions put to me upon subjects connected with America by
the distinguished guests I met at the house. Captain Basil
Hall has presented me with a copy of his work upon South
America, accompanied by a complimentary note.

" December 17. Busy painting two cats fighting over a squirrel.
Up at candle-light, and worked at the cats till nine o'clock.

" December 19. Went to breakfast with Sir William Jardine
and Mr. Selby at Barry's Hotel. I was sauntering along the
streets, thinking of the beautiful aspects of nature, meditating
on the power of the great Creator, on the beauty and majesty of
his works, and of the skill he had given man to study them,
when the whole train of my thoughts was suddenly arrested by
a ragged, sickly-looking beggar -boy. His face told of hunger
and hardship, and I gave him a shilling and passed on. But
turning again, the child was looking after me, and I beckoned
to him to return. Taking him back to my lodgings, I gave
him all the garments I had which were worn, added five shillings
more in money, gave him my blessing, and sent him away
rejoicing, and feeling myself as if God had smiled on me. I
afterwards breakfasted with Sir William, and gave a lesson in
drawing to him and to Mr. Selby.

"December 20. Breakfasted with Mr. George Combe, the
phrenologist, who examined my head and afterwards measured
my skull with the accuracy and professional manner in which
I measured the heads, bills, and claws of my birds. Among
other talents, he said I possessed largely the faculties which
would enable me to excel in painting. He noted down his
observations to read at the Phrenological Society.

" Beceived an invitation from the Earl of Morton to visit him
at his seat at some distance from Edinburgh."

December 22. From the entries in his journal under this date
it appears he had written to his wife that he intended to
remove to Newcastle or Glasgow. "I expect to visit the

I

114 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Duke of Northumberland, who has promised to subscribe for
my work. I have taken to dressing again, and now dress twice
a-day, arid wear silk stockings and pumps. I wear my hair as
long as usual. I believe it does as much for me as my paintings.*
One hundred subscribers for my book will pay all expenses.
Some persons are terrified at the sum of one hundred and eighty
guineas for a work ; but this amount is to be spread over eight
years, during which time the volumes will be gradually com-
pleted. I am feted, feasted, elected honorary member of societies,
making money by my exhibition and by my paintings. It is
Mr. Audubon here and Mr. Audubon there, and I can only hope
that Mr. Audubon will not be made a conceited fool at last.

" December 23. The exhibition of my birds more crowded
than ever. This day I summed up the receipts, and they
amounted to eight hundred dollars. I have presented my
painting of the American Turkeys to the Royal Institution for
the use of their rooms. A dealer valued the picture at one
hundred guineas.

" December 25, Christmas. Bought a brooch for Mrs. Audubon.
Astonished that the Scotch have no religious ceremony on the
Christmas Day.

" December 27. Went to Dalmahoy, to the Earl of Morton's
seat, eight miles from Edinburgh. The countess kindly received
me, and introduced me to the earl, a small slender man, tottering
on his feet and weaker than a newly-hatched partridge. He
welcomed me with tears in his eyes. The countess is about
forty, not handsome, but fine-looking, fair, fresh complexioned,
dark flashing eyes, superior intellect and cultivation. She was
dressed in a rich crimson silk, and her mother in heavy black
satin.

i% My bedroom was a superb parlour with yellow furniture and
yellow hangings. After completing my toilet, dinner is announced,
and I enter the dining-room, where the servants in livery attend,
and one in plain clothes hands about the plates in a napkin, 90
that his hand may not touch them. In the morning I visited
the stables, and saw four splendid Abyssinian horses with tails
reaching to the ground. I saw in the aviary the falcon-hawks
us<m1 of old for hunting with, and which were to be brought to

• Italics arc our own. Ed.

MEETING WITH JEFFREY 115

the house in order that I might have an opportunity of witness-
ing their evolutions and flight. The hawks were brought with
bells and hoods and perched on gloved hands as in the days of
chivalry. The countess wrote her name in my subscription-
book, and offered to pay the price in advance.

"December 31. Dined with Captain Basil Hall, and met
Francis Jeffrey and Mr. M'Culloch, the distinguished writer on
political economy, a plain, simple, and amiable man. Jeffrey is
a little man, with a serious face and dignified air. He looks
both shrewd and cunning, and talks with so much volubility he
is rather displeasing. In the course of the evening Jeffrey
seemed to discover that if he was Jeffrey I was Audubon."

I L>

116 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Edinburgh — The Royal Society — Scott — The Werxeriax Society —
Literary Undertakings — Edinburgh People — Sydney Smith and
a Sermon — Learned Company — Correspondence with Scott — Miss
O'Neill the Actress — Mrs. Grant — High Company — Prospectus of
the Great Work — Obituary Notice of the Hero's Hair.

" February 3. Dr. Brewster proposed that I should exhibit the
five plates of my first number of the Birds of America at the
Royal Society this evening. He is a great optician, and advises
me to get a camera-lucida, so as to take the outline of my birds
more rapidly and correctly Such an instrument would be
useful in saving time, and a great relief in hot weather, since
outlining is the hardest part of the work, and more than half of
the labour I visited the Royal Society at eight o'clock, and
laid my large sheets on the table . they were examined and
praised. After this we were all called into the great room,
and Captain Hall came and took my hand and led me to a seat
immediately opposite to Sir Walter Scott, the President, where
I had a perfect view of this great man, and studied nature from
nature's noblest work, A long lecture followed on the intro-
duction of the Greek language into England, after which the
President rose, and all others followed his example. Sir Walter
came and shook hands with me, asked how the cold weather of
Edinburgh agreed with me, and so attracted the attention
of many members to me, as if I had been a distinguished
9 1 ranger

u February 10. Visited the Exhibition at the Royal Institution.

EXHIBITION AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. 117

Saw the picture of the Black Cocks, which was put up there for
public inspection. I know that the birds are composed and
drawn as well as any birds ever have been ; but what a difference
exists between the drawing of one bird and the composition of
a group, and harmonizing them with a landscape and sky, and
well-adapted foreground ! Who that has ever tried to combine
these three different conceptions in a single picture has not felt
a sense of fear while engaged in his work ? I looked long and
carefully at the picture of a stag painted by Landseer , — the
style was good, and the brush was handled with fine effect ; but
he fails in copying Nature, without which the best work will be
a failure. A stag, three dogs, and a Highland hunter are intro-
duced on the canvas ; but the stag has his tongue out and his
mouth shut ! The principal dog, a greyhound, has the deer
by one ear, while one of his fore-paws is around his leg, as if in
the act of fondling with him. The hunter has laced the deer
by one horn very prettily, and, in the attitude of a ballet-dancer,
is about to throw another noose over the head of the animal.
To me, and my friend Bourgeat, or Dr. Pope, such a picture is
quite a farce , but it is not so in London, for there are plenty of
such pictures there, and this one created a great sensation
among the connoisseurs.

" Captain HaU invited me to take some of my drawings to
show Lady Mansfield, who is his particular friend, and who
expressed a desire to see them. Unfortunately she was not
at home when we called , but her three daughters and several
noblemen who were present examined them. The ladies were
handsome, but seemed haughty, and wanting in that refinement
of manners and condescending courtesy I had seen in the
Countess of Morton ; and the gentlemen evinced a like lack of
good breeding. This did not disturb me, but I was troubled
and pained for Captain Hall, who is so instinctively a gentle-
man, because I saw that he felt hurt and mortified. He re-
quested me to leave my drawings, which cost me so many days'
labour, and of which I am so jealous, and I would not add to
his pain who had proved so kind a friend to me by denying him.
Lunch was already on the table, but I was not asked to remain,
and I was truly glad of it, and I went away almost unnoticed,
and hurried to meet an engagement at the Wernerian rooms.

118 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" When I entered the rooms of the Wernerian Society, they
were full as an egg, and I was told by a friend that the large
assembly had come because of a report that I was to read a
paper on the habits of the rattlesnake. Professor Graham arose
soon after my arrival, and said, ' Mr. President, Mr. Audubon
has arrived/ But I had been too busy to finish the paper, and
Mr Lizars explained this for me. My engravings were then
called for by Professor Jameson, and they were examined and
highly praised. The paper on the alligator was finished soon
after, and read before the society.

" A stranger lately accosted me in the street, and suggested to
me, that if I would paint an Osago Indian hunting wild turkeys,
it would take with the public and increase my reputation. No
doubt it would, for whatever is most strange is most taking now ;
but so long as my hair floats over my shoulders I shall probably
attract attention enough ; and if it hung to my heels it would
attract more.

"February 11. Worked all the morning at the Koyal Insti-
tution, touching up my pictures hanging there ; several other
artists came and worked on theirs also. It was quite amusing
to hear them praising one another, and condemning the
absent.

" Ftbruary 12. Began the day by working hard on the
pictures at the rooms of the Scottish Society And to-day the
Antiquarian Society held its first meeting since my election.
It is customary for new members to be present at such times,
and I went, and though I felt rather sheepish, I was warmly
congratulated by the members. At one o'clock I visited the
rooms of the Royal Society, which were crowded, and tables
were set, covered with wine and fruits and other refreshments.
The ladies were mostly of noble families, and I saw many there
whom I knew. But the Ladies Mansfield passed me several
tunes, without manifesting any recollection of a man who, a few
days before, had waited on their ladyships, and shown them his
drawings, not for his pleasure, but their benefit. Sir Walter
Scott was present, and came towards me and shook hands
cordially, and pointing to a picture, said, 'Mr. Audubon, many
such scenes have I witnessed in my younger days.' We
talked much of all about us, and I would gladly have asked

PAPER ON HABITS OF THE WILD PIGEON. 11 &

him to join me in a glass of wine, but my foolish habit prevented
me. Having inquired after the health of his daughters, I
shortly left him and the room, for I was very hungry; and
although the table was loaded with delicacies, and the ladies
were enjoying them freely, I say it to my shame, that I had not
the confidence to lay my fingers on a single thing,"

An interval of a week occurs in the journal, and it is explained
by the fact that Audubon was busily engaged in other compo-
sitions, and writing twelve letters of introduction to persons in
America for Captain Basil Hall, and preparing an article on the
habits of the wild pigeon, which he had been requested to do,
to read before the Natural History Society. Dr Brewster saw
the latter before it was read, and requested permission to publish
it in his journal. " This," says Aububon, " was killing two
birds with one stone, because I had promised to WTite Brewster
an article. I began that paper on Wednesday, wrote all day,
and sat up until half-past three the next morning ; and so
absorbed was my whole soul and spirit in the work, that I felt
as if I were in the woods of America among the pigeons, and
my ears were filled with the sound of their rustling wings.
After sleeping a few hours, I rose and corrected it. Captain
Hall called a few hours after, read the article, and begged a
copy the copy was made, and sent to him at eight o'clock that
evening.

" Captain Hall expressed some doubts as to my views respect-
ing the affection and love of pigeons, as if I made it human, and
raised the possessors quite above the brutes. I presume the love
of the mothers for their young is much the same as the love of
woman for her offspring. There is but one kind of love ; God
is love, and all his creatures derive theirs from his , only it is
modified by the different degrees of intelligence in different
beings and creatures/'

On February 20, he writes, in a long letter to his wife • " It
is impossible yet to say how long I shall remain in England , at
least until I have spent some months in London. I am doing
all I can to hasten my plans, but it will take some time to com-
plete them. The first number of my birds will be published in
March, and on the fifth of the month the ballot takes place to
decide my election to the Royal Society, which, if successful,

120 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

will be of great advantage to me ; and whether successful or no
I shall leave Edinburgh five days after, to visit all the principal
towns in the three kingdoms, to obtain subscribers for my
work.

" February 28. A few days of idleness have completely
sickened me, and given 'me what is called the blue-devils so
severely, that I feel that the sooner I go to work and drive them
off the better.

" March 1. Mr. Eidd, a promising young artist in landscape,
only nineteen, breakfasted with me to-day, and we talked on
painting a long time, and I was charmed with his talents, and
thought what a difference it would have made in my life if I
had begun painting in oil at his age and with his ability. It is
a sad reflection that I have been compelled to hammer and
stammer as if I were working in opposition to God's will, and so
now am nothing but poor Audubon. I invited him to come to
my rooms daily, and to eat and drink with me, and give me the
pleasure of his company and the advantage of his taste in
painting. I told him of my ardent desire to improve in the
delightful art, and proposed to begin a new picture, in which he
should assist with bis advice; and proposing to begin it to-
morrow, I took down my portfolio, to select a drawing to copy
in oil. He had never seen my works before, and appeared
astonished as his eyes lanired over the sheets. He expressed the
warmest admiration, and said, 4 How hopfeless must be the task
of my giving any instruction to one who can draw like this ?
I pointed out to him that nature is the great study for the
artist, and assured hiin that the reason why my works pleased
him was because thev are all exact copies of the works of God,
who is the fjreat Architect and perfect Artist, and impressed on
his mind this fact, that nature indifferently copied is far superior
to the 1 est idealities.

44 March 3. For the last few days I have worked with my
brushes, while it has 6nowed and blowed as if the devil had cut
thi» strings of the bags of iEolus, and turned all its cold blasts
down upon the mists of Scotland to freeze them into snow. It
is twenty years since I have seen such a storm. Dined at
Mr. Ritchie's, who is a well-meaning man, and has a well-doing
wife. The company was mixed, and some of the ingredients

SERMON BY REV. SYDNEY SMITH. 121

were raw ; there were learned and ignorant, wise and foolish,
making up the heterogeneous assembly. I enjoyed myself; but
there was an actor, named Vandenhoff, who performed some
theatrical pantomimes, which were disgusting to me. I never
saw such pranks in good society before : he tucked one lady's
fan in his boot, and broke it, and made an apology for it, and
by his familiarity annoyed every one present. I felt more pain
for his host than shame for himself. During the evening he
made some unjust remarks about Mr. Lizars, and I rebuked him
for it, telling him that he was my friend, and a good man. He
left soon after, to the great relief of all.

" March 4. To-day the snow is so deep that the mails from all
quarters are interrupted, and people are waddling through it in
the streets, and giving a lively representation of a Lapland
winter. Breakfasted with the Rev. Mr, Newbold, and after-
wards was toted to church in a sedan chair. I had never been
in one before, and 1 like to try everything which is going on
on the face of this strange world. But so long as I have two
feet and legs, I never desire to try one of these machines again ;
the quick up-and-down, short-swinging motion, reminded me of
the sensations I felt during the great earthquake in Kentucky
But I was repaid for the ride by hearing a sermon from the
Rev. Sydney Smith. It was a sermon to me. Oh ! what a soul
there must be in the body of that famous man ; what a mingling
of energetic and sweet thoughts, what a fount of goodness there
must be within him ! He made me smile, and he made me think
more deeply perhaps than I had ever before in my life. He
interested me now by painting my foibles, and then he pained
me by portraying my sins, until he made my cheeks crimson
with shame, and filled my heart with penitential sorrow. And
I left the church filled with veneration for God, and reverence
for the wonderful man who is so noble an example of his
marvellous handy work. We returned to Mr. Newbold's for
lunch, and from there I walked, tumbled, and pitched home in
the deep snow."

March 5. In a letter to Mrs. Audubon of this dat/ , he tells
her of his election as a member of the Royal Society, and nays
" So poor Audubon, if not rich, thou wilt be honoured at hast,
and held in esteem among men.

122 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" March 6. Finished my picture this morning, and like it
better than any I have painted." [He does not say what this
picture is, but it is evidently the one mentioned as begun with
young Kidd.] " Mr. Eitchie, editor of the ' Scotsman/ asked
for a copy of the first number of my birds, to notice it in his
paper. Went to the Society of Arts, and saw there many
beautiful and remarkable inventions, among them a carriage
propelled by steam, which moved with great rapidity and regu-
larity. I always enjoy my visits here more than to the literary
societies. The time for leaving Edinburgh is drawing near,
but I am yet undetermined whether to go first to Glasgow or
Dublin, or else to Newcastle, and then to Liverpool, Oxford,
Cambridge, and so on to London ; but I shall soon decide and
move.

"March 7. Having determined to leave Edinburgh, my first
course is to settle up all my business affairs, and make prepara-
tions for the future, and to this end I set about collecting the
letters promised me by friends to the different places I proposed
to visit. Professor Jameson and Dr. Brewster have made me
promise occasionally to contribute some articles for their journals.
I mentioned to Dr. Brewster the desire I had for a 'line from
Sir Walter Scott. He told me he was to dine with him that day,
and he would mention the subject to him, and he had no doubt
he would kindly grant it. Passed the evening at a large party
at Mr. Tytlers, where, among other agreeable ladies and
p ntlemen, I was introduced to Sydney Smith, the famous
preacher of last Sunday. Saw his fair daughters, and heard them
sweetly sing ; and he and his daughters appointed next Saturday
to examine my drawings.

" March 8. The weather was dreadful last night, wind howl-
ing, and, what you would hardly expect, the snow six feet deep
in some places. The mail-carriers from here for London were
obliged to leave their horses, and go on foot with their bags-
Wrote the following letter to Sir Walter Scott.

" «Dear Sir,

" * On the eve of my departure to visit all parts of the island,
and afterwards the principal cities of the Continent, I feel an
ardent desire to be honoured by being the bearer of a few lines

LETTEE FROM SIR WALTER SCOTT. 123

from your own hand to whoever you may please to intro-
duce me.

" <I beg this of you with the hope that my efforts to advance
ornithological studies, by the publication of my collections and
manuscripts, may be thought worthy of your kind attentions,
and an excuse for thus intruding on your precious moments.
Should you feel the least scruple, please frankly decline it,
and believe me, dear sir, that I value so highly my first
reception, when presented to you by my good friend
Captain Basil Hall, and your subsequent civilities, that I
never shall cease to be, with the highest respect and admira-
tion, %
" ' Your most obedient, humble servant,

"•John J Audubon.' "

That same evening the following answer was received.

"'Dear Mr. Audubon,

<* < I am sure you will find many persons better qualified
than myself to give you a passport to foreign countries, since
circumstances have prevented our oftener meeting, and my igno-
rance does not permit me to say anything on the branches of
natural history of which you are so well possessed. But I can
easily and truly say, that what I have had the pleasure of see-
ing, touching your talents and manners, corresponds with all I
have heard in your favour , and that I am a sincere believer in
the extent of your scientific attainments, though I have not the
knowledge necessary to form an accurate judgment on the
subject. I sincerely wish much your travels may prove agree-
able, and remain,

'• * Very much your

" i ( )bedient servant,

" fc Walter Scott.'

" 4 Edinburgh, March 8/ "

" Spent the evening at Miss O'Xeiil's, the actress. Several
ladies and gentlemen of musical ability were present, and after
tea Miss O'Neill arose and said she would oj>en the ooneert.
She was beautifully dressed in plain white muslin, her fine

124 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

auburn hair hanging in flowing ringlets about her neck and
rose-coloured scarf over her shoulders, looking as differently
from what she does on the stage as can be imagined. She sang
and played sweetly, her large, dark, languid eyes expressing the
deep emotions of her soul. She scarcely left off singing for a
moment, for as soon as one thing was finished some person
called for another, and she readily replied, ' Oh, yes ;' and glees,
duets, and trios followed one another, filling the room with her
melodies. I thought at last that she must be fatigued, and said
so to her. But she replied, ' Mr. Audubon, music is like paint-
ing, it never fatigues if one is fond of it, and I am/ We had
an elegant siu>per, and after that more music, and then more
refreshments and wine , this gave new impulse to the song.
Miss O'Neill played, and called on the singers to accompany her.
The music travelled along the table, and sometimes leaped across
it , gentlemen and ladies took turns, until, looking at my watch,
I found that it was past two o'clock, when I arose, and, in spite
of many entreaties, shook hands with Miss O'Xeill, bowed to the
company, and made my exit.

March 13. Breakfasted with the famous Mrs. Grant, her son
and daughter the only other company. She is aged and very
deaf, but very intelligent and warm-hearted. We talked of
America, and she is really the first person I have met here who
knows much about it. She thought it would not be for the
benefit of the slaves to set them free suddenly from their masters*
protection.

" Passed a most uncomfortable evening at Sir James RiddelTs.
The company was too high for me, for although Sir James and
his lady did all that could be desired to entertain me, I did not
smile nor have a happy thought for the evening ; and had not
Mrs. Hay and Mrs. Captain Hall been present, I should have
been very miserable. After dinner, however, my drawings were
examined and praised, and they seemed to look on me as less a
bear, and I felt relieved. My good friend Mr. Hay asked a
young Kussian nobleman who was present if he could not give
me some letters to his country, but he was silent. I turned to
Mr. Hay, and thanked him for his kind intentions in such a way
as to turn the conversation, and relieve his embarrassment*
The best recommendation I can have is my own talents, and the

PROSPECTUS OF THE BOOK OF BIRDS. 125

fruits of my own labours, and what others will not do for me I
will try and do for myself. I was very sorry that Mr. Hay s
feelings should have been hurt on my account by the young
man's silence, but I soon made him at ease again. Sir James
volunteered to give me letters to Sir Thomas Ackland and Sir
Robert Inglis, both noblemen of distinction, and patrons of the
science I cultivate. The style here far surpassed even Lord
Morton's , fine gentlemen waited on us at table, and two of them
put my cloak about my shoulders, notwithstanding my remon-
strances.

"March 17. Issued my ' Prospectus' this morning, for the

publication of my great work.

" The Prospectus.

" To those who have not seen any portion of the author's
collection of original drawings, it may be proper to state, that
their superiority consists in the accuracy as to proportion and
outline, and the variety and truth of the attitudes and positions
of the figures, resulting from the peculiar means discovered and
employed by the author, and his attentive examination of the
objects portrayed during a long series of years. The author
has not contented himself, as others have done, with single profile
views, but in very many instances has grouped his figures so as
to represent the originals at their natural avocations, and has
placed them on branches of trees, decorated with foliage, blossoms,
and fruits, or amidst plants of numerous species. Some are
seen pursuing their prey through the air, searching for food
amongst the leaves and herbage, sitting in their nests, or feeding
their young ; whilst others, of a different nature, swim, wade,
or glide in or over their allotted element.

" The insects, reptiles, and fishes that form the food of these
birds have now and then been introduced into the drawings.
In every instance where a difference of plumage exists between
the sexes, both the male and the female have been represented ;
and the extraordinary changes which some s[>ecie8 undergo in
their progress from youth to maturity have been depicted. The
plants are all copied from nature, and, as many of the originals

126 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

are remarkable for their beauty, their usefulness, or their rarity,
the botanist cannot fail to look upon them with delight.

" The particulars of the plan of the work may be reduced to
the following heads :

" I. The size of the work is double elephant folio, the paper
being of the finest quality.

"II. The engravings are, in every instance, of the exact
dimensions of the drawings, which, without any exception,
represent the birds and other objects of their natural size.

" III. The plates are coloured in the most careful manner from
the original drawings.

" IV. The work appears in numbers, of which five are published
annually, each number consisting of five plates.

" V. The price of each number is two guineas, payable on
delivery "

Probably no other undertaking of Audubon's life illustrates
the indomitable character of the man more fully than this pro-
spectus. He was in a strange country, with no friends but those
he had made within a few months, and not ready money enough
in hand to bring out the first number proposed ; and yet he
entered confidently on this undertaking, which was to cost over
a hundred thousand dollars, and with no pledge of help, but on
the other hand discouragements on all sides, and from his best
friends, of the hopelessness of such an undertaking.

March 19. Under this date we have an amusing entry.
Audubon had been frequently importuned by his friends to cut
his hair, which he had for years worn in ringlets falling to his
shoulders. Hence the obituary • —

EDINBURGH.
March 19, 1827.

This day iny Hair was sacrificed, and the will of God usurped by
the wi>hos of Man.

As the Barber clipped my locks rapidly, it reminded me of the hor-
rible times of the French Revolution, when the same operation was
performed upon all the victims murdered by the Guillotine.

My heart sank low.

JOHN J. AUDUBON

MOURNING FOR HIS HAIR. 127

The margin of the sheet is painted black, about three-fourths
of an inch deep all around, as if in deep mourning for the loss
which he had reluctantly submitted to in order to please his
friends. He consented, sadly, because he expected soon to leave
for London, and Captain Hall persuaded him that it would be
letter for him to wear it according to the prevailing English
fashion !

128 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTEK XXV.

Provincial Canvass fob Subscribers — Visit to Lokdox — Sib Thomas
Lawrence — The American Minister — Picture of the King of
England's Private Life — The Great Work in Progress — Search
for a colourer — horrors of london — the great work presented
to the King.

Quitting Edinburgh with a high heart, the indomitable
naturalist began his provincial canvass, meeting, as is usual in
such cases, with two kinds of treatment — very good and very
bad. He visited in succession Newcastle, Leeds, York, Shrews-
bury, and Manchester, securing a few subscribers at two hundred
pounds a head in each place. His diaiy chronicles minutely all
his affairs — dining-out, tea-drinking, " receiving," — but none
are very interesting, and all are pervaded, too, by a quite
feminine flutter of admiration for big people. The only incident
at all worth recording is a visit paid to Bewick the engraver,
but as it adds nothing to our knowledge of one who was a real
genius in his way we pass on to metal more attractive — to
London, where Audubon continued his canvass, with great success
among the aristocracy. From a confused heap of memoranda
we take a few notes of this London visit, suppressing much,
and somewhat doubtful of the relevancy even of what we select.
" Sir Thomas Lawrence. — My first call on this great artist
and idolized portrait-painter of Great Britain, whose works are
known over the whole world, was at half-past eight in the
morning. I was assured he would be as hard at work at that
time as I usually am. I took with me niy letters and portfolio,

VISIT TO SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE. 129

with some original drawings. The servant said his master was
in ; I gave my fiame, and waited about five minutes, when he
came down from his room. His manner and reception impressed
me most favourably, and I was surprised to find him dressed as
if for the whole day, in a simple but clean garb. He 6hook my
hand, read my letters, and so gave me time to glance at the
marble figures in the room and to examine his face. It did not
show the marks of genius that I expected in one so eminent, but
looked pale and pensive. After reading my letters he said he
was pleased to meet another American introduced to him by
his friend Sully, adding, that he wished much to see the
drawings of a man so highly spoken of, and appointing next
Thursday to call on me. He took a large card and wrote the
appointment on it, and put it back in its place.

" Sir Thomas is no ornithologist, and therefore could not well
judge of the correctness of the detail of my drawings, which can
be appreciated fully only by those who are acquainted with the
science of which I myself am yet only a student. But I found
that he had a perfect idea of the rules of drawing any object
whatever, as well of the forms and composition, or management
of the objects offered for the inspection of his keen eyes. I
thought from his face that he looked at them with astonishment
and pleasure, although he did not open his lips until I had shown
the last drawing, when he asked if I ' painted in oils ?' On
answering- him in the affirmative, he invited me to examine his
rooms. The room where he painted, to my utter astonishment,
had a southern light : upon his easel was a canvas (kitcat), on
which was a perfect drawing in black chalk, beautifully finished,
of a nobleman, and on a large easel a full-size portrait of a
noble lady, represented in the open air ; and on the latter he went
to work. I saw that his pallet was enormous, and looked as it'
already prepared with the various tints wanted by some one else,
and that he had an almost innumerable number of brushes and
pencils of all descriptions. He now glazed one part of his
picture, and then retouched another part with fine colours, and
in a deliberate way which did not indicate that he was in any
haste to finish it He next laid down his pallet, and, turning
to the chalk drawing upon the unpainted canvas, asked me how
I liked his manner of proceeding ? But as no compliment could

K

130 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

be paid by me to such an artist, I merely said that I thought it
the very quintessence of his art. A waiter then entered, and
announced that breakfast was ready. He invited me to remain
and join him in his ' humble meal/ which I declined, while we
walked downstairs together. I remarked on the very large
number of unfinished portraits I saw . to which he mildly replied,
' 3Iy dear sir, this is my only misfortune ; I cannot tell if I shall
ever see the day when they will all be finished.' Insisting on
my remaining to breakfast, I went in , it consisted of a few
boiled eggs, some dry toast, and tea and coffee. He took the
first, and I the last tliis finished, I bid him good-morning. It
was ten o'clock when I left, and as I passed out three carriages
were waiting at the door ; and had I not been a student in orni-
thology I would have wished mvself a Sir Thomas Lawrence,
for I thought, that after all the superiority of this wonderful
man's talents I could with less powers realize more than he by
my own more constant industry

"Sir Thomas afterwards paid me three visits, two at my
boarding house and one at Mr. Havill's, mv'en graver , and I
will tell you something of each of them to show you the kind-
ness of his heart. It was nine in the morning the first time he
came : he looked at some of my drawings of quadrupeds and
birds, both finished and unfinished. He said nothing of their
value, but asked me particularly of the prices which I put on
them. I mentioned the price of several in order, and to my
surprise he said he would bring me a few purchasers that very
day if I would remain at home this I promised, and he left me
very greatlv relieved. In about two hours he returned with
two gentlemen, to whom he did not introduce me, but who were
pleased with my work, and one purchased the 4 Otter Caught in
a Trap/ for which he gave me twenty pounds sterling, and the
other, 'A (iroup of Common Babbits/ for fifteen sovereigns. I
took the pictures to the carriage which stood at the door, and
they departed, leaving me more amazed than I had been by
their coming,

44 The second visit was much of the same nature, differing, how-
ever, chiefly in the number of persons he brought with him,
which was three instead of two; each one of whom purchased a
picture at s^ven, ten, and thirty-five pounds respectively; and,

PAINTS A PICTURE FOR GEORGE IV 131

as before, the party and pictures left together in a splendid
carriage with liveried footmen. I longed to know their names,
but as Sir Thomas was silent respecting them I imitated his
reticence in restraining my curiosity, and remained in mute
astonishment.

" The third call of this remarkable man was in consequence of
my having painted a picture, with the intention of presenting it
to the King of England, George IV. This picture was the
original of the ' English Pheasants Surprised by a Spanish Dog.'
I had shown it to Sir Walter Waller, who was his majesty's
oculist, and he liked the picture so much, and was so pleased
with my intention, as was also my friend Mr Children, the
curator of the British Museum, that they prevailed on Sir
Thomas to come and see it. He came, and pushed off my roller
easel, bade me hold up the picture, walked from one side of the
room to the other examining it, and then coming to me tapped
me on the shoulder and said, ' Mr. Audubon, that picture is too
good to be given away ; his majesty would accept it, but you
never would be benefited by the gift more than receiving a
letter from his private secretary, saying that it had been placed
in his collection. That picture is worth three hundred guineas
sell it, and do not give it away.' I thanked him, exhibited the
picture, refused three hundred guineas for it soon after, kept it
several years, and at last sold it for one hundred guineas to my
generous friend John Heppinstall of Sheffield, England, and
invested the amount in spoons and forks for my good wife.

" Without the sale of these pictures I was a bankrupt, bef< >re
my work was scarcely begun, and in two days more I should
have seen all my hopes of the publication blasted , for 31 r.
Havill (the engraver) had already called to say that on Saturday
I must pay him sixty pounds. I then was not only not worth
a penny, but had actually borrowed five pounds a lew days
before to purchase materials for my pictures. But these pictures
which Sir Thomas sold for me enabled me to pay my borrowed
money, and to appear full-handed when Mr. Havill called. Thus
I passed the Rubicon !

" At that time I painted all day, and sold my work during
the dusky hours of evening, as I walked through the Strand
and other streets where the Jews rcignol, popping in and out

k 2

132 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

of Jew-shops or any others, and never refusing the offers made
me for the pictures I carried quite fresh from the easel. Start-
ling and surprising as this may seem, it is nevertheless true,
and one of the curious events of my most extraordinary life.
Let me add here, that I sold seven copies of the ' Entrapped
Otter ' in London, Manchester, and Liverpool, besides one copy
presented to my friend Mr. Eichard Rathbone. In other pictures,
also, I sold from seven to" ten copies, merely by changing the
course of my rambles ; and strange to say, that when in after
years and better times I called on the different owners to
whom I had sold the copies, I never found a single one in their
hands. And I recollect that once, through inadvertence,
when I called at a shop where I had sold a copy of a picture,
the dealer bought the duplicate at the same price he had given
for the first ! What has become of all those pictures T

About this date Sir Robert Peel returned a letter Audubon
had brought to him from Lord Meadowbank, and requested him
to hand it over to his successor. This Audubon interpreted as
giving him to understand that he need trouble him no more. The
letter was written with the view of gaining a presentation to the
king, and the writer was not a man to easily relinquish an idea or
an object which he had once determined on. Accordingly, he
says, '* I made up my mind to go directly to the American minister,
Mr. Gallatin, and know from him how I should proceed, and if
there were really no chance of my approaching the king nearer
than by passing his castle. To pay a visit of this sort in London
is really no joke ; but as I thought there was a possibility of it
for myself, 1 wanted to have the opinion of one who I believed
was capable of deciding the matter.

il As I reached his presence he said, laughing, ' Always at
home, my dear sir, when I am not out' I understood him
perfectly, and explained the object of my visit. His intellectual
face lighted up as he replied, ' What a simple man you must be
to believe all that is said to you about being introduced to his
majesty ! It is impossible, my dear sir ; the king sees nobody ;
he has tho gout, is peevish, and spends his time playing whist
at a shilling a rubber. I had to wait six weeks before I was
presented to him in my position of ambassador, and then I
merely saw him six or seven minutes. Ho stood only during

VISIT TO LORD SPENCER. 133

the time the public functionaries from foreign countries passed
him, and seated himself immediately afterwards, paying scarcely
any attention to the numerous court of English noblemen and
gentlemen present.' I waited a moment, and said that I thought
the Duke of Northumberland would interest himself for me.
Again he laughed, and assured me that my attempts there would
prove ineffectual. ' Think/ continued he , ' I have called hundreds
of times on like men in England, and been assured that his
grace, or lordship, or ladyship, were not at home, until I have
grown wiser, and stay at home myself, and merely attend to my
political business, and God only knows when I will have done
with that. It requires written appointments of a month
or six weeks before an interview can be obtained.' I then
changed the conversation to other subjects, but he kindly re-
turned to it again, and said, ' Should the king hold a levee
whilst you are here, I will take you to Court, and present you
as an American scientific gentleman, but of course would not
mention your work.' I remained with him a full hour ; and, as
I was about to leave, he asked me for all the cards I had in my
case, and said he would use them well, and find me visitors if
possible.

" June 18. The work on the first number is yet in the hands of
Mr. Lizars, in Edinburgh, and this day I received a letter from
him, saying that ' the colourers had all struck work, and that
my work was, in consequence, at a stand.' He asked me to try
to find some persons here who would engage in that part of the
business, and said he would exert himself to make all riirht
again as soon as possible. This was quite a shock to my nerves,
and for nearly an hour I deliberated whether I should not go at
once to Edinburgh, but an engagement at Lord Spencer's, where
I expected a subscriber, decided me to remain. I reached his
lordship's house about twelve o'clock, and met there Dr Walter-
ton and the Rt. Hon. William S. Ponsonby engaged in conver-
sation with Lady Spencer, a fat woman, of extremely engaging
and unassuming manners. She entered into conversation with
me at once about the habits of the wild turkey, how to tame
them, and the like; while the gentlemen examined and praised
my drawings, and the two lords subscribed for my work ; and I
went off rejoicing, between two rows of fine waiters, who seemed

134 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

to wonder who the devil I could be, that Lady Spencer should
shake me by the hand, and accompany me to the door.

"From there I went to Mr. Ponton's, and met Dr. Dibdin,
and twenty ladies and gentlemen, who had assembled to see my
drawings. Here four more subscribers were obtained. This, I
thought, was a pretty good day's work ; but on returning home
I found a note from Mr Vigors, giving the name of another sub-
scriber, and informing me of the arrival of Charles Bonaparte
in the city. I walked to the lodgings of the Prince of Musignano :
he was out. I left my card, and soon after my return a servant
told me he was below ; I was not long in getting down stairs,
and soon grasped his hand , we were mutually glad to meet on
this distant shore. His mustachios and bearded chin and his
fine head and eye were all unchanged. He wished to see all
my drawings, and for almost the only time in England I opened
my portfolio with intense pleasure. He said they were worthy
to be published, and I felt proud of his opinion.

"As soon as he had gone my thoughts returned to the
colourers, and I started off at once to find some, but no success ,
all the establishments of the kind were closed from want of
employment But happening to pass a print-shop, I inquired if
the proprietor knew of any colourers, and he at once gave me
the name of one, who offered to work cheaper than I was paying
in Edinburgh ; and I wrote instantly to Mr. Lizars to send me
twenty-five copies, and so I hope all will go on well again.
After a long hunt I entered a long dark alley in search of the
colourers hou-e to which I had been directed. It was ten

clock, and after mounting two stories in search of the man, I
knocked and a little door was opened. The family were sur-
prised by the appearance of a stranger, as much as I was by
what I saw A young man was sitting by a small window
draw in<r ; a woman whom I took to be his mother was washing
a few potatoes in hot water , a younger woman nursed a child,
leaning <m the only bed in the room; and six little children,
mostly girls, shabby in appearance and sallow in complexion,
showed that hunger was not a stranger there. The young man
arose, offered me, his seat, and asked me politely what 1 wanted.

1 told him I was looking for a colourer. He replied that he
had once worked at it, but had abandoned the business. Urau^e

POVERTY IN LONDON. 135

he was unable to support his large family by it, even to provide
thein bread and potatoes. He showed me the work he was
doing : it was a caricature of Canning, hiding himself behind
some Roman Catholic priests, as if listening to their talk , each
one of the priests held a rope in his hand, as if ready to hang
their opponents, and the whole proved that the man had a good
knowledge of drawings Just then the mother told him break-
fast was ready. The poor man begged me to excuse him, saying
that he had not tasted anything the day before; that the
potatoes were a present, he would eat soon, and then tell me of
some colourers now in the business. I sat silently, and saw the
food equally divided; the mother, wife, children, and father
soon swallowed their share, but it was scarcely enough to
appease the hunger of the moment. He gave me as he ate the
names of three men, and, pained by the scene before me, I rose
to go. Just then the father said to the children and wife, ' It
is high time you should go to work,' and asking me at the same
time to remain a few moments longer. The family went off,
and I felt relieved to know that they had some employment,
and asked him what it was. He replied, ' Begging, sir/ All
that family, wife, and half-grown girls, turned out in the streets
of London to beg. He assured me that with all their united
exertions they seldom had more than one meal a day , and
that in an extremity a few days before he had been compelled
to sell his best bed to pay the rent of his miserable room.
Unfortunately I had but a few shillings with me, because I had
been advised to carry neither watch nor money in London, and
had not the gratification of doing much to relieve him. He
said his caricatures brought him in but little, and that despair
had prompted him more than once to drown himself, for he was
only a weight on the neck of his wife and children. Oh ! how
sick I am of London.

" June 21. Received a letter from Mr Lizars, that he must
discontinue my work. Have made an engagement with
Mr. Havill for colouring, which I hope will relieve my embarrass-
ment. Have painted a great deal to-day

" June 22. Am invited to dine at the Royal Society's ( lub,
with Charles Ronaparte. Gave some lessons in drawing to tho
daughter of Mr. Children, Mrs. Atkins, she has line talents, but

136 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

they are not cultivated so highly as Mrs. Edward Roscoe's. This
evening Charles Bonaparte came with Lord Clifton and several
other gentlemen to examine my drawings. They were all
learned ornithologists, but they all said that there were birds
here which they had never dreamed of, and Bonaparte offered
to name them for me. I was pleased at the suggestion, and
with a pencil he wrote down upwards of fifty names, and invited
me to publish them at once in manuscript at the Zoological
Society. We had charming discussions about birds and their
habits. Oh that our knowledge could be arranged into a solid
mass ! I am sure that then the best ornithological publication
of the birds of my beloved country would be produced. I can-
not tell you how it strikes me, when I am at Bonaparte's lodgings,
to hear his servant call him ' Your Royal Highness/ I think it
ridiculous in the extreme, and cannot imagine how good Charles
can bear it ; but probably he does bear it because he is Good
Charles.

" July 2. I am so completely out of spirits, that I have several
times opened my book, held the pen, and felt anxious to write ;
but all in vain. I am too dull, too mournful.

" I have given the copy of my first number of the Birds to
Mr. Children, a proof it is the only one in existence, for which
he paid me the price of all the subscribers, i.e., two guineas, and
I may say with safety that the two guineas are the only two I
have had on account of that work. I have finished another
picture of the Rabbits, and am glad of it ; it is all my consola-
tion. I wish I were out of London."

But it does not appear that Audubon's despondency lasted
very long. He dispelled it by a sudden rush into the provinces,
where he was well received by former friends. From an
entry made at Leeds on September 30, it is clear that even in
London the sun had begun to shine out again.

" Nearly three months since I touched one of the sheets of
my dear book. And I am quite ashamed of it, for I have had
several interesting incidents to record, well deserving of relation,
oven in my poor humble style — a style much resembling my
jHiinting in oil. Now, nevertheless, I will recapitulate and note
down as quickly as possible the primary ones.

44 1. I removed the publication of my ornithological work

PATRONAGE OF THE KING. 137

from Edinburgh to London ; from Mr. Lizars to Mr. Robert
Havill, No, 79 Newman Street ; because at Edinburgh it came
on too slowly, and also because I can have it done better and
cheaper in London.

" 2. The King ! My dear Book ! Had my work presented to
his Majesty by Sir Walter Waller, Bart, K.C.H., at the request
of my most excellent friend J. P. Children, of the British Museum.
His Majesty was pleased to call it fine, and permitted me to publish
it under his particular patronage, approbation, and protection ;
and became a subscriber on usual terms, not as kings generally
do, but as a gentleman. And I look on such a deed as worthy
of all kings in general. The Duchess of Clarence also put down
her name ; and all my friends speak as if a mountain of sove-
reigns had dropped in an ample purse at once — and for me /"

138 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXVL

Visit to Paris — Baron Cuvier — Streets of Paris — A Party at
Cuvier V — Geoffroy St. Hilaire — Reception at the Academy of
Science* — The Prince and Princess dEssling — Vimts to Great
Officials— Condillot — Poverty of French Academy — More of
Cuvier and his Home.

On September 1st, 182S, Audubon quitted London for Paris,
and his diary freshens a little after the salt breeze of the
Channel. Much space, however, is as usual devoted to matters
quite trivial in themselves, and not likely to interest any circle
beyond the little domestic one for which the pages were intended.
The enjoyment of fresh scenes is youthful and honest — quite
unlike the pleasure of more sophisticated persons. Indeed, a
little coquetry, much physical strength, tolerable intelligence,
intense love of change, all blended with a nature innocent and
wholesome, formed the character of our wanderer He roves
like an Arab, and he prattles like a child; light-footed as an
elk in the free air, he turns bovine and ruminant when he tries
to be wise in cities.

On arriving in Faris, his first visit was to the Jardin des
Plantes, and to the great Cuvier. We shall select in series his
notes on tin's and other matters, suppressing, as before, all the
utterly pointless matter which fills up the diary under so many
a date

* We knocked, and asked for Baron Cuvier • he was in, but
we were told was too busy to be seen. However, being deter-
mined to look at the great man, we waited and knocked again.

VISIT TO BARON CUVIER. 139

and with a degree of firmness sent up our names. The messenger
returned, bowed, and led us up-stairs, where, in a minute,
Monsieur le Baron, like an excellent good man, came to us,
He had heard much of my friend Swainson, and greeted him as
he deserves, and was polite and kind to me, although he had
never heard of me before. I looked at him, and here follows
the result. Age, about sixty-five ; size, corpulent, five feet and
five, English measure ; head large, face wrinkled and brownish ,
eyes, very brilliant and sparkling; nose, aquiline, large, and
red ; mouth, large, with good lips ; teeth, few, and blunted by
age, excepting one on the lower jaw, which was massive,
measuring nearly three-quarters of an inch square. This was
Baron Cuvier , I have described him almost as if a new species
of a man y from the mere skin. But as he has invited us to
dine with him next Saturday at six o'clock, and I expect to
have an opportunity of seeing more of him, I will then describe
his habits as far as I am able.

" September 5. After a breakfast of grapes, figs, sardines, and
French coffee, friend Swainson and I proceeded to the Jardin
des Plantes, by the side of the river Seine, which here, Lucy, is
not so large as the Bayou Sara, where I have often watched the
alligators while bathing. Walking in Paris is disagreeable in the
extreme. The streets are actually paved, but with scarcely a side
walk, and a large gutter filled with dirty black water runs
through the centre of each, and the people go about without
any kind of order, either along the centre, or near the houses ,
carriages, carts, and so forth do the same, and I have wondered
that so few accidents take place. We saw a very ugly iron
bridge at the entrance called Pont Xeuf, where stands the
splendid statue of Henry IV. We were more attracted, however,
by the sight of the immense number of birds offered for sile
along the quays, and saw some rare specimens. A woman took
us into her house, and showed us some hundreds from Bengal
and Senegal, which quite surprised us.

" Weary with walking, we took a cabriolet, that brought us for
twenty-five sous to the Jardin, and we w r ent to our appointment
with Baron Cuvier. We saw him, and he gave us a ticket to
adinit us to the Musee, and promised us all we wished. In the
MiiJ-o", M. Valencicnnc was equally kind Having in my

140 LIFE OF AUBUBON.

pocket a letter of introduction to Geoffroy de St Hilaire, we
went to his house in the gardens, and with him we were parti-
cularly pleased. He offered his services with good grace, much
as an English gentleman would have done. M. Geoffroy
proved to us that he understood the difference of ideas existing
between English and Frenchmen perfectly. He repeated the
words of Cuvier, and assured us that my work had never been
heard of anywhere in France. He promised to take us to the
Academy of Sciences on Monday next

" We finally reached home, dressed, and started to dine with
Baron Cuvier. We arrived within a minute of the appointed
time, were announced by a servant in livery, as in England, and
the Baron received and presented us kindly to his only daughter,
a small, well-made, good-looking lady, with black sparkling eyes,
and altogether extremely amiable. As I seldom go anywhere
without meeting some person I have known elsewhere, so it
proved here. I found among the company which had arrived
before me a fellow of the Linnaean Society, who knew me, and
who seemed to have spoken to the Baron and his daughter of
my work , and I now perceived a degree of attention from him
which I had not noticed at my first interview. The Baroness
came in, an old, good, motherly-looking lady, and the company,
sixteen in number, being present, dinner was announced. The
Baroness led the way with a gentleman, the Baron took his
daughter under his arm, but made Mr. Swainson and myself go
before him , and so the company all followed. Mr. Swainson was
seated next to Mademoiselle Cuvier, who, fortunately for him,
speaks excellent English. I was opposite her, by the side of the
Baron, and had at my right elbow the F.L.S. There was not
the same show of opulence at this dinner that I have seen in
the same rank in England — no, not by any means ; but we had
a good dinner, served a la Franchise all seemed happy, and all
went on with more simplicity than in London. The waiter who
handed the wine called out the names of three or four different
sorts, and each person had his choice. The dinner finished
(I mean the eating part), the Baroness rose, and all followed
her into the drawing-room, which is the library of the Baron ;
and I liked it much, for I cannot bear the drinking-matches of
wine at the English tables. We had coffee, and the coinj>any

THE ROYAL ACAD^MIE. 141

increased rapidly; and among the new comers were my
acquaintances Captain Parry, Monsieur Condillot, and Mr.
Lesson, just returned from a voyage round the world. Cuvier
stuck to Mr. Swainson and myself, and we talked ornithology :
he asked the price of my work, and I gave him a prospectus.
The company now filled the room, and as it grew late, and we
had nearly five miles to ride, we left a la Franfaise, very well
satisfied with this introductory step among the savans Fra^ais.

" September 8. Went to pay my respects to Baron Cuvier and
Geoffroy St. Hilaire ; found only the former at home , he
invited me to the Royal Institute, and I had just time to return
home and reach it before the sitting of the Koyal Academic des
Sciences. I took my portfolio, and, on entering, inquired for
Cuvier, who very politely came to me, made the porter put my
book on the table, and assigned me a seat of honour. The seance
opened, and a tedious lecture was delivered on the vision of the
mole. Mr. Swainson accompanied me. Baron Cuvier then
arose, and announced us and spoke of my work. It was
shown and admired as usual, and Cuvier was requested to review
it for the memoirs of the Academy. Cuvier asked me to leave
my book. I did, and he commended it to the particular care of
the librarians, who are to show it to any who desire to see it ;
he also said he would propose to the Academy to subscribe to it,
and if so, it will be a good day's work.

"September 9. Went to the Jardin du Roi, where I met
young Geoffroy, who took me to a man who stuffs birds for the
Prince d'Essling. He told me the Prince had a copy of my
work (probably Wilson's or Selby's ?), and said he would sub-
scribe if I would call on him to-morrow with him. After
this I walked around the boulevards, looking at the strange
things I saw there, thinking of my own strange life, and how
wonderful my present situation in the land of my father and
ancestors. From here I went to the Louvre, and as I was about
to pass the gates of the Tuileries, a sentinel stopped me, saying
no one could enter there with a fur cap. I went to another
gate, and passed without challenge, and went to the Grand
Gallery. There, among the Raphaels, and Correggios, Titians,
Davids, and thousands of others, I feasted my eyes and enlarged
my knowledge. From there I made my way to the Insfitut do

142 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

France, and by appointment presented my prospectus to the
secretary of the library. There I met young Geoffroy, an
amiable and learned young man, who examined my work, paid
me every attention, and gave me a room to myself for the
inspection of specimens and to write in. How very different
from the public institutions in England, where, instead of being
bowed to, you have to bow to every one. The porters, clerks,
and secretaries had all received orders to do everything I
required, and I was looked upon with the greatest respect. I
have now run the gauntlet of Europe, Lucy, and may be proud
of two things — that I am considered' the first ornithological
painter and the first practical naturalist of America !

" September 10. Called on the bird-stuffer of the Prince
d'Essling, who proposed to take me to the Prince's town residence.
We were conducted into his museum, which surpasses in mag-
nificence, and in the number of rare specimens of birds, shells,
and books, all I have yet seen. We strolled about for a
while, when word was sent us, that the Prince being indisposed,
we must go to him. I took my pamphlet in my hand, and
entered a fine room, where he lay reclining on a sofa ; but on
seeing me, he rose up, bowed, and presented me to his beautiful
young wife. While untying my book, both of them asked me
some questions, and looked at me with seeming curiosity ; but
as soon as a print was seen, they both exclaimed, ' Ah, e'est
bien beau !' and then asked me if I did not know Charles Bona-
parte? And when I answered ' Yes,' they both again said, 'Ah,
it is the same gentleman of whom we have heard so much, the
Man of the Woods , the drawings are all made by him,' etc.
The Prince said that he regretted very much that so few
persons in France were able to subscribe to such a work, and
that I must not expect more than six or eight names in Paris.
He named all those whom he or his lady knew, and told me it
would give him pleasure to add his name to my list. I drew it
out, opened it, and asked him to write it himself- this he did
with a good grace, next under the Duke of Rutland. This
Prince, son of the famous Marshal Masscna, is thirty years
of age, apparently delicate, pale, slender, and yet good-looking,
entirely devoted to Natural History His wife is a beautiful
young woman of about twenty, extremely graceful and polite.

THE KING'S LIBRARIAN. 143

They both complimented me on the purity of my French, and
wished me all the success I deserved. I went back to my
friend in the cabinet, well contented, and we returned to our
lodgings. Not liking our rooms at our hotel, to-day I shall
remove to the Hotel de France, where I have a large, clean,
and comfortable room, and pay twenty-five sous per day. But
I must tell thee that in France, although a man may be a
prince or duke, he is called simply monsieur, and his lady,
madam, and all are as easy of access as men without a great
name : this made me quite at my ease with Prince d'Essling.

"September 11. I have been travelling all over Paris to-
day, and have accomplished nothing. Called on M. Geoflfroy
St. Hilaire, and he gave me some good advice and directions
respecting obtaining the king's subscription, and others.

"September 12. Visited, at his library, the librarian of the
king, M. Van Praet, a small and white-haired gentleman,
who assured me in the politest manner imaginable that it was
out of the question to subscribe for so heavy a work. He how-
ever gave me a card to introduce me to M. Barbier, a librarian
belonging to the king's private library at the Louvre. Here I
learned that the inland postage of a single letter from Paris to
London is twenty-four sous ; there is a mail to London four
times a week. After some trouble I found the library of the
king, because I followed the direction ' toujours tout droit,' until
quite out of latitude and longitude by tacking and retackin^,
but at last I reached the place, and entered a gate fronting the
river, and found M. Barbier absent. But later in the day I found
him ; and he, not being able to say anything definite himself,
referred me to the Baron de Boullere, intendant of the kind's
household. I wrote to him in French, the first letter I have
written in this language in twenty-five years, and I dare say a
very curious one to such a personage as he is.

"September 13. Took my portfolio to Geoflfroy de St. Hilaire,
and then to Baron Cuvier, the former, after examining it,
retracted his opinion respecting its size, and expressed himself
pleased with it. A Mons. Dumesnil, a French engraver, was
sent to me by Prince d'Essling, and I learned from him that my
work could be done better and at less expense in England than
in France. Copper is dearer here than in England, and good

144 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

colourers much more scarce. I have just returned with friend
Swainson from Baron Cuvier's, who gives receptions to scientific
men every Saturday. My book was on the table, and Cuvier
received me with especial kindness, and put me at ease. Mons.
Condillot I found remarkably amiable, and the company was
much the same as on last Saturday. I found much pleasure
in conversation with Cuvier and JVL de Condillot. The former
willingly assented to sit to Mr. Parker for his portrait, and the
other told me if I visited Italy I must make his house my home.
My work was examined, and Cuvier pronounced it the finest in
existence of the kind. As we attempted to make our escape
Cuvier noticed us, and ran after us and took us by the hand,
and wished us to return ; but we had a long and dark walk
before us, and on that ground excused ourselves.

" September 15. France is poor indeed! This day I have
attended the Eoyal Academy of Sciences, and had my plates
examined by about one hundred persons. 'Fine, very finer
issued from many mouths ; but they said also, * What a work !
what a price ! who can pay it ?' I recollected that I had thirty
subscribers at Manchester, and mentioned it. They stared, and
seemed surprised , but acknowledged that England, the little
island of England, alone was able to support poor Audubon.
Some went so far as to say that, had I been here four months
ago, I should not have had even the Prince d'Essling for a
subscriber. Poor France, thy fine climate, rich vineyards, and
the wishes of the learned avail nothing ; thou art a destitute
beggar, and not the powerful friend thou wert represented to me.
Now it is that I plainly see how happy, or lucky, it was in me
not to have come to France first ; for if I had, my work now
would not have had even a beginning. It would have perished
like a flower in October ; and I should have returned to my
woods, without the hope of leaving behind that eternal fame
which my ambition, industry, and perseverance, long to enjoy.
Not a subscriber, Lucy ; no, not one !

" 1 have also been again to Cuvier's to-day, to introduce Mr.
Parker, to begin his portrait. You would like to hear more of
Cuvier and his house. Well, we rang the bell, and a waiter
came, and desired that we would wipe our feet . we needed it,
for we were very muddy; This over, we followed the man up-

BARON CUVIER'S SANCTUM. 145

stairs, and in the first room we entered I saw a slight figure in
black gliding out at an opposite door like a sylph. It was
Miss Cuvier, not quite ready to receive company Off she flew,
like a dove before falcons. However, we followed our man,
who every moment turned to us and repeated, ' This way, gentle-
men/ Then we passed through eight rooms filled with beds or
books, and at last reached a sort of laboratory, the sanctum
sanctorum of Cuvier ; nothing there but books, the skeletons of
animals, and reptiles. Our conductor bid us sit, and left us to
seek for the Baron. My eyes were occupied in the interval in
examining the study of this great man, and my mind in reflect-
ing on the wonders of his knowledge. All but order was about
his books, and I concluded that he read and studied, and was not
fond of books because he was the owner of them, as some great
men seem to be whom I have known. Our conductor returned
directly, and led us to another laboratory, where we found the
Baron. Great men show politeness in a particular way , they
receive you without much demonstration ; a smile suffices to
assure you that you are welcome, and keep about their avoca-
tions as if you were a member of the family "

146 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Paris — Cuvier — Redoxte, the Flower-Painter — Cuvier's Report ok
the Drawings — Great Gathering at the Institute —The Report
quoted — The Duke of Orleans — Gerard — Birds in Paris and
Whimpers from the Woods — Farewell to France.

" Parker was introduced while Cuvier was looking at a small
lizard, through a vial of spirits that contained it. I see now
his speaking eye, half closed, as if quizzing its qualities, and
as he wrote its name with a pencil on a label, he bowed his
body in acquiescence. € Come and breakfast with me, Mr. Parker,
on Thursday next, at ten o'clock, and I will be your man ;' and
on he went quizzing more lizards.

"September 18. Went with Parker to Baron Cuvier 8. We
met Miss Cuvier, who had made all preparations to receive us.
The Baron came in and seated himself in a comfortable arm-
chair. Great men, as well as great women, have their share of
vanity, and I soon discovered that the Baron thinks himself a
fine-looking man. His daughter seemed to understand this,
and remarked, more than once, that her father had his under
lip much more swelled than usual ; and she added that the
line of his nose was extremely fine. I passed my fiugers over
mine, and, lo ! I thought just the same. I see the Baron now
quite as plainly as I did this morning, an old green surtout
about him, a neckcloth, that would have wrapped his whole
body if unfolded, loosely tied about his chin, and his silver locks
looking like those of a man who loves to studv books better
than to visit barbers. His fine eve glistened from under his thick

VISIT TO REDONTE. 147

eyebrows, and he smiled as he spoke to me. Miss Cuvier is a
most agreeable lady, and opening a book, she asked to read
aloud to us all ; and on she went in a clear, well-accented tone,
from a comic play, well calculated to amuse us for the time,
and during the monotony of sitting for a portrait, which is
always a great bore. Mrs. Cuvier joined us, and I noticed her
expression was one of general sadness, and she listened with a
melancholy air that depressed my own spirits. The Baron soon
expressed himself fatigued, and went out, and I advised Parker
to keep him as short a time as possible. We w r ere in one of
his libraries, and he asked his daughter to show us two portraits
of himself, painted some ten years ago. They were only so
so. Meanwhile the Baron named next Thursday for another
sitting,

" September 20. This morning I had the pleasure of seeing
the venerable Kedonte, the flower- painter par excellence. After
reading Lesueur's note to him, dated five years ago, he looked
at me fixedly, and said, ' Well, sir, I am truly glad to become
acquainted with you ;' and w ithout further ceremony he show r ed
me his best works. His flowers are grouped with peculiar
taste, well drawn and precise in the outlines, and coloured w r ith
a pure brilliancy, which resembles Nature immeasurably better
than I ever saw it before. Kedonte dislikes all that is not pure
Nature ; he cannot bear drawings of stuffed birds or quadrupeds,
and expressed a desire to see a work wherein Nature is deline-
ated in an animated way. He said he dined every Friday at
the Duke of Orleans' , he would take my work there next week,
and obtain his subscription, if not the Duchess's also. He
asked for a prospectus, and invited me to return next Wednes-
day. I looked over hundreds of his drawings, and learned
that he sold them at high prices, some as high as two hundred
and fifty guineas. On my way home I met the secretary of
the king's library, who told me that the Baron de la Boullerie
had given orders to have my work inspected, and if approved,
to subscribe for it. I have found that letters of introduction
are not as useful here as in England. Cuvier, to whom I had
no letter, and to whom my name was unknown before my
arrival, is the only man who has yet invited me to his house.
I wished to go this evening to his scientific soiree, to which he

L 2

148 LIFE OF AUDUBON

invited me, but I did not, because I have been two successive
Saturdays, and I am afraid of intruding, although the rude
awkwardness I formerly felt has worn nearly smooth.

" September 22. This was the grand day appointed by Baron
Cuvier for reading his report on my work at the French
Institute. The French Institute ! Shall I call it superior to
the Royal Academy of London ? I cannot better answer the
interrogation, than by the reports of the presidents of these
institutions on my work. By particular invitation of the Baron,
I was at the Institute at half-past one, and no Baron there.
I sat opposite the clock, and counted the minutes one after
another ; but the clock, insensible to my impatience, moved
regularly, and ticked its time just as if Audubon had never
existed. I uudertook to count the numerous volumes which
filled the compartments of the library, but my eye became
bewildered, and as it reached the distant centre of the hall,
rested on the figure of Voltaire ! Poor Voltaire ! had he not
his own share of troubles ? how was he treated ? Savants
like shadows passed before me, nodded, and proceeded to their
seats, and resting their heads on their hands, looked for more
knowledge in different memoirs. I, Lucy, began journeying to
America, sailed up its rivers, across its lakes, along its coasts,
and up the Mississippi, until I reached Bavou Sara, and leap-
ing on shore, and traversing the magnolia forests, bounded
towards thee, my dearest friend, — when the clock struck, and
suddenly called me to myself in the Royal Institute, patiently
waiting for the Baron.

" The number of savants increased, and my watch and the
clock told that the day was waning. I took a book and read,
but it went into my mind and left no impression. The savants
increased more ami more, and by-and-by among them my quick
eve discerns the Baron, I had been asked fifty times if I were
waiting for him, and had been advised to go to his house, but
1 sat and watched like a sentinel at his post. I heard his
voice and his footstep, and at last saw him, warm, apparently
fatigued, and yet extremely kindly, coming towards me, with
a ' Mv dear sir, I am sorry to know that you have waited so
long here ; I was in my cabinet ; come with me/ During all
this talk, to which I bowed, and followed him, his hand was

BARON CUVIER'S REPORT. 149

driving a pencil with great rapidity, and I discovered that he
was actually engaged in making his report. I thought of La
Fontaine's ' Fable of the Turtle and the Hare/ and of many
other things ; and I was surprised that so great a man, who,
of course, being great, must take care of each of his actions
with a thousand times more care than a common individual,
to prevent falls, when surrounded, as all great men are, by
envy, cowardice, malice, and all other evil spirits, should leave
to the last moment the writing of a report, to every word of
which the ' Forty of France ' would lend a critical ear We
were now in his cabinet ; my enormous book lay before him,
and I shifted swiftly the different plates that he had marked
for examination. His pencil kept constantly moving , he turned
and returned the sheets of his pamphlet with amazing accuracv,
and noted as quickly as he saw all that he saw. We were both
wet with perspiration. When this was done, he invited me to
call on him to-morrow at half-past ten, and went off towards
the council-room.

" September 23. I waited in Cuvier's departmental section
until past eleven, when he came in, as much in a hurry as ever,
and yet as kind as ever — always the perfect gentleman. The
report bad been read, and the Institute, lie said, had subscribed
for one copy , and he told me the report would appear in next
Saturday s ' Globe.' I called on 31. Feuillet, principal librarian
of the Institute, to inquire how I was to receive the subscription.
He is a large, stout man, had on a hunting-cap, and began bv
assuring me that the Institute was in the habit of receiving a
discount on all the works it takes. My upper lip curled, not
with pleasure, but a sneer at such a request , and I told the
gentleman I never made discounts on a work which cost me a
life of trouble and too much expense ever to be remunerated ,
so the matter dropped

"September 24. To-day I was told that Gerard, the great
Gerard, the pupil of my old master David, wished to see me
and my works. I propose to visit him to-morrow.

" September 25. I have trotted from pillar to post through
this big town, from the Palais Royal to the Jardin du Luxem-
bourg, in search of Mons. Le Medeein liertrand, after a copy
of Cuvier's Report , such is man, all avaricious of praise bv

150 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

nature. Three times did I go to the * Globe ' office, from places
three miles ^apart, until at last, wearied and brought to bay, I
gave up the chase. At last I went to the king's library, and
learned from the librarian — a perfect gentleman — that the court*
had inspected my work, and were delighted with it ; and he
told me that kings were not generally expected to pay for
works ; and I gave him to understand that I was able to keep
the work if the king did not purchase.

" To-day I saw the original copy of Cuviers report on my work.
It is quite an eulogium, but not as feelingly written as
Mr. Swainson's ; nevertheless, it will give the French an idea
of my work, and may do good.

" The following is an extract translated from the report : —

" l The Academy of Sciences have requested me to make a verbal
report on the work of Mr. Audubon, laid before it at a former
session, on the " Birds of North America." It may be described
in a few words as the most magnificent monument which has
yet been erected to ornithology. The author, bom in Louisiana,
and devoted from his youth to painting, was twenty-five years
ago a pupil in the school of David. Having returned to his
own country, he thought he could not make a better use of his
talents than by representing the most brilliant productions of
that hemisphere. The accurate observation necessary for such
representations as he wished to make soon rendered him a
naturalist

" * It is in this double capacity of artist and savant that he
produced the work, which has been offered to the inspection of
the Academy You have been struck by the size of the book,
which is equal or superior to the largest of that kind that has
ever been published, and is nearly as large as the double plates
of the description of Egypt. This extraordinary dimension has
enabled him to give specimens of the eagle and vulture of their
natural size, and to multiply those which are smaller in such a
manner as to represent them in every attitude.

" 4 He was thus able to represent on the same plates, and of
the natural size, the plants which these birds most commonly
frequent, and to give the fullest detail of their nests and

" ' The execution of these plates, so remarkable for their size,

BARON CUVIER'S REPORT 151

appears to have succeeded equally well with regard to the
drawing, the engraving, and the colouring. And although
it is difficult in colouring to give perspectives with as much
effect as in painting, properly so called, that is no defect in a
work on natural history. Naturalists prefer the real colour of
objects to those accidental tints which are the result of the
varied reflections of light necessary to complete picturesque re-
presentations, but foreign and even injurious to scientific truth.

" ' Mr. Audubon has already prepared four hundred drawings,
which contain nearly two thousand figures, and he proposes to
publish them successively if he receives sufficient encouragement
from lovers of science. A work conceived and executed on so
vast a plan has but one fault, and doubtless in that respect my
auditors have already anticipated me , it is that its expense
renders it almost inaccessible to the greater part of those to
whom it would be most necessary. It certainly cannot be said
that the price is exorbitant. One number of five plates costs
two guineas ; each plate comes to only ten or twelve francs.
As there will be published but five numbers a year, the annual
expense would not be enormous. It is desirable, at least for
art as well as science, that the great public libraries — and the
wealthy, who love to enrich their collections with works of
luxury — should be willing to secure it.

"'Formerly the European naturalists were obliged to make
known to America the riches she possessed , but now Mitchell,
Harler, and Bonaparte give back with interest to Europe what
America had received. Wilson's history of the " Birds of the
United States " equals in elegance our most beautiful works on
ornithology. If that of Mr. Audubon should be completed,
we shall be obliged to acknowledge that America, in magnifi-
cence of execution, has surpassed the old world.'

"September 30. Mr. Coutant, the great engraver of Paris,
came to see my work to-day. When I opened the book he
stared , and as I turned over the engravings, he exclaimed often,
i Oh, mon Dieu I quel ouvrage !' Old Redonte also visited me,
and brought an answer to my letter from the Due d'Orleans.
At one o'clock I went with my portfolio to the Palais Royal ;
and as I do not see dukes every day, dearest, I will give you
an account of my visit.

152 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" The Palais Royal of the Duke of Orleans is actually the
entrance of the Palais Royal, the public walk to which we go
almost every evening, and which is guarded by many sentinels.
On the right I saw a large, fat, red-coated man, through the
ground window, whom I supposed to be the porter of his Royal
Highness • he opened the door, and I took off my fur cap, and
walked in without ceremony. I gave him my card, and re-
quested him to send it up-stairs. He said Monsiegneur was
not in, but I might go into the antechamber, and I ascended
one of the finest staircases my feet had ever trod. They parted
at the bottom, in a rounding form of about twenty-four feet in
breadth, to meet on the second-floor, on a platform, lighted by
a skylight, showing the beauties of the surrounding walks, and
in front of which were three doors, two of which I tried in vain
to open. The third, however, gave way, and I found myself in
the outer antechamber, with about twelve servants, who all rose
up and stood until I seated myself on a soft, red, velvet-covered
bench. Xot a word was said to me, and I gazed on the men
and place with a strange sensation of awkwardness. The walls
were bare, the floor black and white squares of marble, over
winch a sergeant paced, wearing a broad belt. I waited some
minutes, looking on this dumb show, and wondering how long
it would last, when I accosted the sergeant, and told him I
wished to see the duke, and that I had come here by his order.
He made a profound bow, and conducted me to another room,
where several gentlemen were seated writing. I told one of
them my errand, and he immediately showed me into an im-
mense and elegantly-furnished apartment, and ordered my book
to be brought up. In this room I bowed to two gentlemen
whom I knew belonged to the Legion of Honour, and walked
about, examining the fine marble statues and pictures. A
gentleman soon entered the room, and coming towards me with
an agreeable smile, asked if perchance my name was Audubon.
I bowed, and he replied, * Bless me, we thought you had gone,
and left your portfolio. My uncle has been waiting for you
twenty minutes ; pray, sir, follow me.' We entered another
room, and I saw the duke approaching me, and was introduced
to him by his nephew. I do not recollect ever having seen a
finer man, in form, deportment, and elegant manners, than

MEETS THE DUKE OF ORLEANS. 153

this Duke of Orleans. He had my book brought in, and helped
me to untie the strings and arrange the table, and began
by saying that he felt a great pleasure in subscribing to the work
of an American ; that he had been kindly treated in the United
States, and would never forget it. When the portfolio was
opened, and I held up the plate of the Baltimore oriole, with a
nest swinging amongst the tender twigs of the yellow poplar,
he said, « This surpasses all I have seen, and I am not astonished
now at the eulogium of M. Redonte.' He spoke partly in
English and partly in French, and said much of America, of
Pittsburg, the Ohio, New Orleans, the Mississippi and its steam-
boats ; and then added, ' You are a great and noble nation, a
wonderful nation !' The duke promised to write to the Emperor
of Austria for me, and to the King of Sweden, and other
crowned heads, and to invite them to subscribe, and requested
me to send a note to-day to the Minister of the Interior I re-
mained talking with him and his nephew more than an hour.
I asked him to give me his own signature on my list of sub-
scribers. He smiled, took it, and wrote, in very legible letters,
' Le Due d'Orleans/ I now thought that to remain any longer
would be an intrusion, and thanking him respectfully, I bowed,
shook hands, and retired. As I passed down the servants stared
at me with astonishment, wondering, doubtless, what could
have obtained me so long and intimate an interview with their
master.

"October 1. Called to-day on M. Gerard, of whom France
may boast without a blush. It was ten o'clock when I reached
his hotel ; but as he is an Italian, born at Rome, and retains
the habits of his countrymen, keeps late hours, and seldom
takes his tea before one o' clock in the morning, I found him
just up, and beginning his day's work. When I entered his
rooms they were filled with persons of both sexes, and as soon
as my name was announced, Gerard, a small, well-formed man,
came towards me, took my hand, and said, * Welcome, brother
in arts!' I liked this much, and felt gratified to have broken
the ice so easily, and my perspiration subsided.

" Gerard was all curiosity to sue my drawings, and old Redonte,
who was also present, came to me and spoke so highly of them
before they were opened, that I feared Gerard would be dis-

154 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

appointed. However, the book was opened accidentally at the
plate of the parrots, and Gerard, taking it up without speaking,
looked at it with an eye as critical as my own for several
minutes, put it down, and took up the mocking-birds, and then
offering me his hand, said, ' Mr. Audubon, you are the king of
ornithological painters. We are all children in France or
Europe. Who would have expected such things from the woods
of America Y I received compliments on all sides, and Gerard
talked of nothing but my work, and asked me to give him some
prospectuses to 6end to Italy. He also repeated what Baron
Cuvier had said in the morning, and hoped that the Minister
would order a number of copies for the government I closed
the book, and sauntered around the room, admiring the superb
prints, mostly taken from his own paintings. The ladies were all
engaged at cards, and money did not appear to be scarce in this
part of Paris. Mrs. Gerard is a small, fattish woman, to whom
I made a bow, and saw but for a moment. The ladies were
dressed very finely, quite in a new fashion to me, pointed
corsets before, with some hanging trimmings, and very full
robes of rich and differently-coloured satins and other materials.

kt October 20. Xothing to do, and fatigued with looking at
Paris. Four subscriptions in seven weeks is very slow work. . .

. The stock-pigeon, or cushat, roosts in the trees of the garden
of the Tuileries in considerable numbers. They arrive about
sunset, settle at first on the highest trees and driest naked
branches, then gradually lower themselves to the trunks of the
trees and the thickest parts of the foliage, and remain there all
night. They leave at the break of day, and fly off in a
northerly direction. Blackbirds also do the same, and are ex-
tremely noisy before dark ; some few rooks and magpies are
seen there also. In the Jardin or walks of the Palais Royal the
common sparrows are prodigiously plentiful ; very tame, fed by
ladies and children, and often killed with blowguns by mis-
chievous boys. The mountain finch passes in scattered numbers
over Tans at this season, going northerly. And now, my love,
wouldst thou not believe me once more in the woods, and hard
at it? Alas! I wish I were. What precious time I am losing
in this Europe ! When shall 1 go home?

" October 2*5. I have not written for several davs, because

LEAVES PARIS FOB ENGLAND. 155

I have been waiting, and had no inclination. Meanwhile a
note came from Baron de la Bouillerie, announcing the king's
subscription for six copies , and I have appointed an agent in
Paris, and am now ready to leave. I have bid adieu to Baron
Cuvier and Geoffrey St. Hilaire, and have taken a seat in the
rotunda for Calais and London direct. I have paid twenty francs
in advance, and long for to-morrow, to be on my way to England.
I shall have been absent two months, have expended forty
pounds, and obtained thirteen subscribers."

156 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Return to London — Hard at Work — Sets Sail for America.

*• London, Nov 9. This is an eventful day in the history of my
great work on the Birds of America. Mr. Havell has taken the
drawings which are to form the eleventh number, and it will
be the first number for the year 1829. I wished several
numbers to be engraved as soon as possible, for reasons which,
if known to thee, Lucy, would fill thy heart with joy.

"November 10. I am painting as much as the short days will
allow , but it is so very cold to my southern constitution, that
I am freezing on the side farthest from the fire. I have finished
two pictures for the Duke of Orleans — one of the grouse, which
I regret to part with without a copy, though I have taken the
outline.

u December 23. After so long an absence from thee, my dear
Book, it will be difficult to write up a connected record of
intervening events, but I will try and recall what is worth
recording. My main occupation has been painting every
(lav. I have finished my two large pictures of the Eagle
and the Lamb, and the Dog and the Pheasants, and now,
as usual, can scarce bear to look at them. My amiable pupil,
Miss Hudson, has kept me company, and her pencil has turned
some of my drawings into pictures. I have dined out but once,
with my friend J. (i. Children, of the British Museum, on the
Coronation Day ; and there I met several friends and scientific
acquaintance. The want of exercise, and close application,

CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND. 157

have reduced my flesh very much, and I would have been off
for Manchester, Liverpool, &c., but have had no complete copy
of my work to take with me.

" Deceinber 25. Another Christinas in England ! I dined at
Mr. Goddard's, in the furthest opposite end of London, with a
company mostly American. Sir Thomas Lawrence called to
see my paintings while I was absent. Mr. Havell showed them
to him, and made the following report to me — ' Looking at the
picture of the Eagle and the Lamb, he said, " That is a fine
picture/' He examined it closely, and then turned to the
Pheasants, which I call " Sauve qui peut ;" this he looked at
from different points, and with his face close to the canvas, and
had it rolled to different points, for more light and new views,
but expressed no opinion about it. The Otter came next. He
said, " The animal is very fine." He left, and promised to return
in a few days.' I met him soon after, and he told me he would
call and make selection of a picture to be exhibited at Somerset
House, and would speak to the council about it."

By this time, as the journal shows, Audubon had resolved
to visit America, and had begun to make active preparations
for leaving.

" March 31. It is so long since I have written in my life book,
that I felt quite ashamed on opening it to see that the last date
was Christmas of last year. Fie, Audubon ! Well, I have
made up my mind to go to America, and with some labour and
some trouble perfected all arrangements. I have iriven the
agency of my work to my excellent friend Children, of the
British Museum, who kindly offered to see to it during my
absence. I have settled all my business as well as I could,
taken my passage on board the packet-ship Columbia, Captain
Joseph Delano, to sail from Portsmouth, and paid thirty pounds
for my passage.

"April 1. I went by mail to the sniokv city of Portsmouth ,
have hoisted the anchor, am at sea, and seasick."

158 LIFE OP AUDUBON

CHAPTER XXIX.

America — Friends in New York — Two Episodes: the Great Ego
Harbour and the Great Pike Swamp.

"/The cry of 'land, land, land!' thrice repeated, roused me
from my torpor, and acted like champagne to refresh my
spirits. I rushed on deck, and saw in the distance a deep gray
line, like a wall along the horizon, and toward which the ship
was rolling and cutting her way. My heart swelled with joy,
and all seemed like a pleasant dream at first ; but as soon as the
reality was fairly impressed on my mind, tears of joy rolled
down my cheeks. I clasped my hands, and fell on my knees,
and raising my eyes to heaven — that happy land above — I
offered my thanks to our God, that He had preserved and
prospered me in my long absence, and once more permitted me
to approach these shores so dear to me, and which holds my
heart's best earthly treasures.

ik May 5. New York. I have brought thee, my English book,
all the way across the Atlantic, too sea-sick to hold any con-
verse with thee — sea-sick all the way, until the morning when
I saw my dear native land. But no matter, I have safely
landed. We left England with one hundred and fifty souls,
and put them all ashore at New York, except one poor black
fellow, who thought proper to put an end to his existence by
jumping overboard one dark night. A Mr. Benjamin Smith
subscribed to my work on the passage. He had his family,
right servants, five dogs, and cloth and twine enough to flv
kites the world over — an excellent and benevolent man.

VISIT TO GREAT EGG HARBOUR. 159

" My state-room companion was a colonel from Russia, named
Sir Isaac Coffin, and he did all he could to make the voyage as
pleasant as possible under the circumstances. I was well
received in New York by all my acquaintances, and Dr. Pax-
allis took me to the Collector of the Customs, who, on reading
President Jackson's letters to me, gave free admission to my
books and luggage. My work was exhibited here, and a report
made on it to the New York Lyceum; and I made the
acquaintance of Mr. William Cooper, the friend of Charles
Bonaparte, a fine kind person.

" May 14. I left New York for Philadelphia, in company
with Mr. Thomas Wharton, an excellent, but not remarkably
intellectual man, and took board with Mrs. Bradley, in Arch
Street. There I spent three days, and then removed to
Camden, New Jersey, where I spent three weeks in observing
the habits of the migratory warblers and other birds which
arrive in vast numbers in the spring. Prom there I returned
to Philadelphia to visit the sea-shores of New Jersey."

Here follows his elaborate account of that visit.

"Great Egg Harbour.

" Having made all the necessary preparations to visit the sea-
shores of New Jersey, for the purpose of making myself
acquainted with their feathered inhabitants, I left early in
June. The weather was pleasant, and the country seemed to
smile in the prospect of bright days and gentle gales. Fisher-
men-gunners passed daily between Philadelphia and the
various small seaports, with Jersey waggons laden with fish,
fowls, and other provision, or with such articles as were required
by the families of those hardy boatmen , and I bargained with
one of them to take myself and my baggage to Great Emj
Harbour. One afternoon, about sunset, the vehicle halted at
my lodgings, and the conductor intimated that he was anxious
to proceed as quickly as possible. A trunk, a couple of guns,
and such other articles as are found necessary by persons whose
pursuits are similar to mine, were immediately thrust into the
waggon, and were followed by their owner The conductor
whistled to his steeds, and off we went at a round pace over the
loose and deep sand that in almost every part of this state forms

160 LIFE OF AUDUBON

the basis of the roads. After a while we overtook a whole
caravan of similar vehicles moving in the same direction ; and
when we got near them our horses slackened their pace to a
regular walk, the driver leaped from his seat, I followed his
example, and we presently found ourselves in the midst of a
group of merry waggoners, relating their adventures of the
week, it being now Saturday night. One gave intimation of
the number of ' sheep's-heads ' he had taken to town ; another
spoke of the curlews which yet remained on the sands ; and a
third boasted of having gathered so many dozens of marsh hens'
eggs. I inquired if the fish-hawks were plentiful near Great
Egg Harbour, and was answered by an elderly man, who, with
a laugh, asked if I had ever seen the ' weak fish ' along the
coast without the bird in question. Not knowing the animal he
had named, I confessed my ignorance, when the whole party
burst into a loud laugh, in which, there being nothing better for
it, I joined.

" About midnight the caravan reached a half-way house,
where we rested a while. Several roads diverged from this spot,
and the waggons separated, one only keeping us company.
The night was dark and gloomy, but the sand of the road
indicated our course very distinctly Suddenly the galloping
of horses struck my ear, and on looking back, we perceived that
our waggon must in an instant be in imminent danger. The
driver leaped off, and drew his steeds aside, barely in time to
allow the runaways to pass without injuring us. Off they went
at full speed, and not long after their owner came up panting,
and informed us that they had suddenly taken fright at some
noise proceeding from the woods, but hoped they would soon
stop. Immediately after we heard a crash, then for a few
moments all was silent; but the neighing of the horses pre-
sently assured us that they had broken loose. On reaching the
spot we found the waggon upset, and a few yards further on
were the horses quietly browsing by the road-side.

" The first dawn of morn in the Jerseys, in the month of
.June, is worthy of a better description than I can furnish ; and
therefore I shall only say that the moment the sunbeams
blazed over the horizon, the loud and mellow notes of the
meadow lark saluted our ears. On each side of the road were

GREAT EGG HARBOUR. 161

open woods, on the tallest trees of which I observed at intervals
the nest of a fish-hawk, far above which the white-breasted
bird slowly winged its way as it commenced its early journey to
the sea, the odour of which filled me with delight. In half an
hour more we were in the centre of Great Egg Harbour.

lk There I had the good fortune to be received iuto the house
of a thoroughbred fisherman-gunner, who, besides owning a com-
fortable cot, only a few hundred yards from the shore, had t an
excellent woman for a wife, and a little daughter as playful as a
kitten, though as wild as a seagull. In less than half an hour I
was quite at home, and the rest of the day was spent in
devotion. Oysters, though reckoned out of season at this
period, are as good as ever when fresh from their beds, and my
first meal was of some as large and white as any I have eaten.
The sight of them, placed before me on a clean table, with an
honest industrious family in my company, never failed to afford
more pleasure than the most sumptuous fare under different
circumstances, and our conversation being simple and harmless,
gaiety shone in every face. As we became better acquainted,
I had to answer several questions relative to the object of my
visit. The good man rubbed his hands with joy as I spoke of
shooting and fishing, and of long excursions through the swamps
and marshes around. My host was then, and I hope still is,
a tall, strong-boned, muscular man, of dark complexion, with
eyes as keen as those of the sea eagle. He was a tough walker,
laughed at difficulties, and could pull an oar with any man. As
to shooting, I have often doubted whether he or Mr. Egan, the
worthy pilot of Indian Isle, was best , and rarely indeed have I
seen either of them miss a shot.

"At daybreak on Monday I shouldered my double-barrelled gun,
and my host carried with him a long fowling-piece, a pair of oars,
and a pair of oyster-tongs, while the wife and daughter brought
along a seine. The boat was good, the breeze gentle, and along
the inlets we sailed for parts well known to my companions. To
such naturalists as are qualified to observe many different objects
at the same time, Great Egg Harbour would probably afford as
ample a field as any part of our coast, excepting the Florida Keys.
Birds of many kinds are abundant, as are fishes and testaceous ani-
mals. The forests shelter many beautiful plants, and even on the

M

162 LIKE OF AUDUBON.

dryest sand-bar you may see insects of the most brilliant tints.
Our principal object, however, was to procure certain birds
known there by the name of lawyers ; and to accomplish this we
entered and followed for several miles a winding inlet or bayou,
which led us to the interior of a vast marsh, where, after some
search, we found the birds and their nests. Our seine had been
placed across the channel, and when we returned to it the tide
had run out and left in it a number of fine fishes, some of
which we cooked and ate on the spot. One, which I con-
sidered as a curiosity, was saved and transmitted to Baron
Cuvier. Our repast ended, the seine was spread out to dry,
and we again betook ourselves to the marshes, to pursue our
researches until the return of the tide. Having collected
enough to satisfy us, we took up our oars and returned to the
shore in front of the fisherman's house, where we dragged the
seine several times with success.

" In this manner I passed several weeks along those delight-
ful and healthy shores — one day going to the woods to search the
swamps in which the herons bred, passing another amid the joyous
cries of the marsh hens, and on a third carrying slaughter among
the white-breasted seagulls , by way of amusement sometimes
hauling the fish called the ' sheep's-head ' from an eddy along
the shore , watching the gay terns as they danced in the air, or
plunged into the water to seize the tiny fry. Many a drawing I
made at Egg Harbour, and many a pleasant day I spent along
its shores ; and much pleasure would it give me once more to
visit the good and happy family (Captain Horams) in whose
house I resided there.

" September L Having accomplished my purpose in visiting
the sea-shore of New Jersey, I returned to Philadelphia, and
made preparations to go to the Great Pine Swamp, in North-
umberland County, Pennsylvania.

"The Great Pine Swamp.

" I left Philadelphia at four of the morning by the coach,
with no other accoutrements than I knew to be absolutely
necessary for the jaunt which I iutended to make. These
consisted of a wooden box, containing a small stock of linen,
drawing-paper, my journal, colours and pencils, together with

THE GREAT PINE SWAMP. 163

twenty-five pounds of shot, some flints, a due quantum of cash,
my gun, ' Tear Jacket/ and a heart as true to nature as ever.

" Our coaches are none of the best, nor do they move with
the velocity of those of some other countries. It was eight, and
a dark night, when I reached Mauch Chunk, now so celebrated
in the Union for its rich coal-mines, and eighty-eight miles
distant from Philadelphia. I had passed through a diversified
country, part of which was highly cultivated, while the rest was
yet in a state of nature, and consequently much more agreeable
to me. On alighting I was shown to the travellers' room, and on
asking for the landlord, saw coming towards me a fine-looking
young man, to whom I made known my wishes. He spoke
kindly, and offered to lodge and board me at a much lower rate
than travellers who go there for the very simple pleasure of
being dragged on the railway. In a word, I was fixed in four
minutes, and that most comfortably. No sooner had the
approach of day been announced by the cocks of the little
village, than I marched out with my gun and note-book, to
judge for myself of the wealth of the country After traversing
much ground, and crossing many steep hills, I returned, if not
wearied, at least much disappointed at the extraordinary
scarcity of birds. So I bargained to be carried in a cart to the
central parts of the Great Pine Swamp ; and although a heavy
storm was rising, ordered my conductor to proceed. The
weather had become tremendous, and we were thoroughly
drenched. We winded round many a mountain, and at last
crossed the highest. But my resolution being fixed, the boy
was obliged to continue his driving. Having already travelled
fifteen miles or so, we left the turnpike and struck up a narrow
and bad road, that seemed merely cut out to enable the people
of the swamp to receive the necessary supplies from the village
which I had left. Some mistakes were made, and it was almost
dark when a post directed us to the habitation of a Mr. Jedediah
Irish, to whom I had been recommended. We now rattled
down a steep declivity, edged on one side by almost perpen-
dicular rocks, and on the other by a noisy stream, which seemed
grumbling at the approach of strangers. The ground was so
overgrown by laurels and tall pines of different kinds, that
the whole.presented only a mass of darkness.

M 2

104 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" At length we got to the house, the door of which was
already opened, the sight of strangers being nothing uncommon
in our woods, even in the most remote parts. On entering I
was presented with a chair, while my conductor was shown the
way to the stable ; and on expressing a wish that I should be
permitted to remain in the house for some weeks, I was gratified
by receiving the sanction of the* good woman to my proposal,
although her husband was then from home. As I immediately
fell talking about the nature of the country, and if birds were
numerous in the neighbourhood, Mrs. Irish, more au fait to
household affairs than ornithology, sent for a nephew of her
husband, who soon made his appearance, and in whose favour
I became at once prepossessed. He conversed like an educated
pei-son, saw that I was comfortably disposed of, and finally bade
me good-night, in such a tone as made me quite happy.

" The storm had rolled away before the first beams of the
morning sun shone brightly on the wet foliage, displaying all
its richness and beauty. My ears were greeted by the notes,
always sweet and mellow, of the wood-thrush, and other
songsters. Before I had gone many steps the woods echoed to
the report of my gun, and I picked from among the leaves a
lovely bird long sought for, but till then sought for in vain.
I needed no more, and standing still for a while, I was soon
convinced that the Great Pine Swamp harboured many other
objects interesting to me. The young man joined me, bearing
his rifle, and offered to accompany me through the woods, all of
which he well knew. But I was anxious to transfer to paper
the form and beauty of the little bird I had in my hand ; and
requesting him to break a twig of blooming laurel, we returned
to the house, speaking of nothing else than the picturesque
beauty of the country around.

" A few days passed, during which I became acquainted with
my hostess and her sweet children, and made occasional rambles,
but spent the greater portion of my time in drawing. One
morning, as I stood near the window of my room, I remarked a
tall and powerful man alight from his horse, loose the girth of
his saddle, raise the latter with one hand, pass the bridle over
the head of the animal with the other, and move towards the
house, while the horse betook himself to the little brook to

MR. JEDEDIAH IRISH. 105

drink. I heard some movement in the room below, and again
the same tall person walked towards the mills and stores, a few
hundred yards from the house. In America, business is the
first object in view at all times, and right it should be so.
Soon after, my hostess entered my room, accompanied by the
fine-looking woodsman, to whom, as Mr, Jedediah Irish, I was
introduced. Reader, to describe to you the qualities of that
excellent man, were vain; you should know him as I do, to
estimate the value of such men in our sequestered forests.
He not only made me welcome, but promised all his assistance
in forwarding my views. The long walks and long talks we
have had together I never can forget, nor the many beautiful
birds which we pursued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison,
excellent bear's flesh, and delightful trout that daily formed my
food, methinks I can still enjoy And then what pleasure I
had in listening to him, as he read his favourite poems oi
Burns, while my pencil was occupied in smoothing and softening
the drawing of the bird before me. Was not this enough to
recall to my mind the early impressions that had been made
upon it by the description of the golden age, which I here found
realized? The Lehigh about this place forms numerous short
turns between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, as well
as, below the falls, deep pools, which render this stream a most
valuable one for mills of any kind. Not many years before this
date my host was chosen by the agent of the Lehigh Coal
Company as their millwright, and manager for cutting down
the fine trees which covered the mountains around. He was
young, robust, active, industrious, and persevering. He marched
to the spot where his abode now is, with some workmen, and by
dint of hard labour first cleared the road mentioned above, and
reached the river at the centre of a bend, where he fixed on
erecting various mills. The pass here is so narrow that it looks
as if formed by the bursting asunder of the mountain, both
sides ascending abruptly, so that the place where the settlement
was made is in many parts difficult of access, and the road then
newly cut was only sufficient to permit men and horses to come
to the spot where Jedediah and his men were at work. So great
in fact were the difficulties of access, that, as he told me, point-
ing to a spot about 150 feet above us, they for many months

166 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

slipped from it their barrelled provisions, assisted by ropes, to
their camp below. But no sooner was the first saw-mill erected,
than the axemen began their devastation. Trees one after
another were, and are yet constantly heard falling during the
days, and in calm nights the greedy mills told the sad tale
that in a century the noble forests around should exist no more.
Many mills were erected, many dams raised, in defiance of the
impetuous Lehigh. One full third of the trees have already
been culled, turned into boards, and floated as far as Philadel-
phia. In such an undertaking the cutting of the trees is not all.
They have afterwards to be hauled to the edge of the mountains
bordering the river, launched into the stream, and led to the
mills, over many shallows and difficult places. Whilst I was in
the Great Pine Swamp, I frequently visited one of the principal
places for the launching of logs. To see them tumbling from
such a height, touching here and there the rough angle of a
projecting rock, bounding from it with the elasticity of a foot-
ball, and at last falling with awful crash into the river, forms a
sight interesting in the highest degree, but impossible for me
to describe. Shall 1 tell you that I have seen masses of these
logs heaped above each other to the number of five thousand ?
I may so tell you, for such I have seen. My friend Irish
assured me that at some seasons these piles consisted of a
much greater number, the river becoming in these places
completely choked up. When freshets or floods take place,
then is the time chosen for forwarding the logs to the different
mills. This is called a ' frolic/ Jedediah Irish, who is generally
the leader, proceeds to the upper leap with the men, each
provided with a strong wooden handspike and a short-handled
axe. They all take to the water, be it summer or winter, like
so many Newfoundland spaniels. The logs are gradually de-
tached, and after a time are seen floating down the dancing
stream, here striking against a rock, and whirling many times
round, there suddenly checked in dozens by a shallow, over
which they have to be forced with the handspikes. Now they
arrive at the edge of a dam, and when the party has arrived at
the last, which lies just where my friend Irish's camp was first
formed, the drenched leader and his men, about sixty in number,
make their way home, find there a healthful repast, and spend

THE RIVER LEHIGH. 167

the evening and a portion of the night in dancing and frolicking
in their own simple manner, in the most perfect amity, seldom
troubling themselves with the idea of the labour prepared for
them on the morrow. That morrow now come, one sounds a
horn from the door of the storehouse, at the call of which they
all return to their work. The sawyers, the millers, the rafters,
and raftsmen are all immediately busy. The mills all are
going, and the logs, which a few months before were the
supporters of broad and leafy tops, are now in the act of being
split asunder. The boards are then launched into the stream,
and rafts are formed of them for market.

" During the summer and autumnal months, the Lehigh, a
small river of itself, soon becomes extremely shallow, and to
float the rafts would prove impossible, had not art managed to
provide a supply of water for this express purpose. At the
breast of the lower dam is a curiously-constructed lock, which
is opened at the approach of the rafts. They pass through this
lock with the rapidity of lightning, propelled by the water that
had been accumulated in the dam, and which is of itself gene-
rally sufficient to float them to Mauch Chunk ; after which,
entering regular canals, they find no other impediments, but are
conveyed to their ultimate destination. Before population had
greatly advanced in this part of Pennsylvania, game of all
descriptions found in that range was extremely abundant. The
elk did not disdain to browse on the shoulders of the mountains
near the Lehigh. Bears and the common deer must have been
plentiful, as at the moment when I write, many of both kinds
are seen and killed by the resident hunters. The wild turkey,
the pheasant, and the grouse, are tolerably abundant , and as to
trout in the streams — ah ! reader, if you are an angler, do go
there and try for yourself. For my part, I can only say that I
have been made weary with pulling up from the rivulets the
sparkling fish, allured by the struggles of the common grass-
hopper.

" A comical affair happened with some bears, which I shall
relate to you, good reader. A party of my friend Irish's
raftsmen, returning from Mauch Chunk one afternoon, through
sundry short cuts over the mountains, at the season when the
huckleberries are ripe and plentiful, were suddenly apprised of

168 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the proximity of some of these animals, by their snuffing the
air. No sooner was this perceived than, to the astonishment of
the party, not fewer than eight bears, I was told, made their
appearance. Each man being provided with his short-handled
axe, faced about and willingly came to the scratch ; but the
assailed soon proved the assailants, and with claw and tooth
drove off the men in a twinkling. Down they all rushed from
the mountain ; the noise spread quickly ; rifles were soon pro-
cured and shouldered , but when the spot was reached, no bears
were to be found , night forced the hunters back to their homes,
and a laugh concluded the affair.

" I spent six weeks in the Great Pine Forest — swamp it cannot
be called — where I made many a drawing. Wishing to leave
Pennsylvania, and to follow the migratory flocks of our birds to
the south, I bade adieu to the excellent wife and rosy children
of my friend, and to his kind nephew. Jedediah Irish, shoulder-
ing his heavy rifle, accompanied me, and trudging directly
across the mountains, we arrived at Mauch Chunk in good time
for dinner. At Mauch Chunk, where we both spent the night,
Mr. White, the civil engineer, visited me, and looked at my
drawings which I had made at the Great Pine Forest. The
news he gave me of my sons, then in Kentucky, made me still
more anxious to move in their direction ; and long before day-
break I shook hands with the good man of the forest, and found
myself moving towards the capital of Pennsylvania, having as
my sole companion a sharp frosty breeze. Left to my thoughts,
I felt amazed that such a place as the Great Pine Forest should
be so little known to the Philadelphians, scarcely any of whom
could direct me towards it.

" Night came on as I was thinking of such things, and I was
turned out of the coach, in the streets of the fair city, just as
the clock struck ten. I cannot say my bones were much rested,
but not a moment was to be lost. So I desired a porter to take
up my little luggage, and leading him towards the nearest wharf,
I found myself soon after gliding across the Delaware, towards
iny former lodgings in the Jerseys,"

CHAPTER XXX.

The Meeting with his Wife and Sons — Return with his Wife to
England — Provincial Canvass — The Ornithological Biography —
Assisted by W McGillivray — Publication of the Work — Keviews
— Immense Sum Realized and Expended — Sails again for America.

After remaining a few days at his lodgings, Audubon started
off to his wife and children, who were then residing in the south
and west ; Victor at Louisville, Kentucky, and Mrs. Audubon
and John at Mr. Garrett Johnson's, in Mississippi, about one
hundred and fifty miles above New Orleans.

"I crossed the mountains to Pittsburg, in the mail-coach,
with my dog and gun, and calling on my wife's relations, and
one of my old partners, Mr. Thomas Pears, I proceeded down
the Ohio in a steamboat to Louisville. On entering the
counting-house of my relative, Mr. G. W Bakewell, I saw my
son Victor at a desk, but perhaps would not have recognized
him had he not known me at once. And the pleasure I
experienced on pressing him to my breast was increased when I
discovered how much my dear boy had improved, as I had not
seen him for five years. My son John Woodhousu I also found
at Mr. Berthond's, and he had also grown and improved. After
spending a few days at Louisville, I took passage on another
steamer going down the Mississippi, and in a few days landed
at Bayou Sara, and was soon at the house of Mr. Johnson, and
came suddenly on my dear wife • we were both overcome with
emotion, which found relief in tears."

He remained three mouths with his wife, but was still actively

170 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

employed. He hunted the woods for birds and animals, and
brought them home alive or freshly killed, to draw from. There
are several exquisite unfinished deer-heads, in his great portfolio
of unfinished drawings, which were begun at that time. He
drew also, at this time, the picture of the u Black Vulture
Attacking the Herd of Deer/' several large hawks, and some
beautiful squirrels. Having added considerably to his collection,
he began again to think of returning to England, to increase the
drawings already in the process of publication there.

" Our plans," he writes, addressing his sons, " were soon
arranged. Your mother collected the moneys due her, and
on the first of January, eighteen hundred and thirty we started
for New Orleans, taking with us the only three servants yet
belonging to us, namely, Cecilia, and her two sons, Reuben
and Lewis. We stayed a few days at our friend Mr. Brand's,
with whom we left our servants, and on the seventh of January
took passage in the splendid steamer Philadelphia for Louis-
ville, paying sixty dollars fare. We were fourteen days getting
to Louisville, having had some trouble with the engine. I
passed my time there at Mr. Berthond's and your uncle
W. Bakewell's, and amused myself bunting and stuffing birds
until the seventh of March, when we took a steamer for
Cincinnati, and thence to Wheeling, and so on to Washington
in the mail-coach. Congress was in session, and I exhibited
my drawings to the House of Representatives, and received
their subscription as a body. I saw the President, Andrew
Jackson, who received me with great kindness, as he did your
mother also afterwards. I became acquainted with the Hon.
Edward Everett, Baron Krudener, and other distinguished
persons, and we left for Baltimore. There my drawings were
exhibited, and I obtained three subscribers, and left for Phila-
delphia, where we remained one week. I saw my friends
Harlan, Mr. Murtrie, and Sully, and went to New York, from
whence we sailed in the packet-ship Pacific, Captain K. Croker,
for England.

4k After a passage of twenty-five days, on which nothing
happened worthy of record, we had crossed the Atlantic and
arrived safely in Liverpool

" In England everything had gone well, and although my

ARRIVAL IN EDINBURGH. 171

list of subscribers had not increased, it had not much diminished.
During my absence I had been elected a fellow of the Royal
Society of London, for which I believe I am indebted to Lord
Stanley and J. S. Children, Esq., of the British Museum, and on
the sixth of May I took my seat in the great hall, and paid my
entrance fee of fifty pounds, though I felt myself that I had not
the qualifications to entitle me to such an honour."

Soon after his arrival in England, he found that subscribers
did not pay up as regularly as he expected, and money being
needed to push forward the engraving of the " Birds of America,"
he again resorted to his pencil and brush, and painted birds and
quadrupeds, for all of which he found ready sale at satisfactory
prices. Besides this he was occupied in filling up the ground-
work of many of his drawings, and introducing plants and trees
which had at first been given only in outline. His stay at
London however was not. long. Mrs. Audubon having joined
him there after a few weeks, not liking a residence in the city,
travelled with him on his journeys to obtain new subscribers.

" We visited Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, York, Hull,
Scarborough, Whitby, Newcastle, and received several sub-
scriptions at the latter place ; and my former friends, Mr.
A damson and the Kev Mr. Turner, were quite kind to us, as
also was the family of the Earl of Ravensworth. On our wav
to Edinburgh we stopped a few days and were hospitably enter-
tained at Pursel House, by Mr Selby.

" October 13, 1830. We reached Edinburgh safely, and took
lodgings at my old boarding-house, with Mrs. Dickie, ^here we
were made very comfortable. ,,

At this period Audubon began to prepare his " Ornithological
Biography of the Birds of America," a work containing nearly
three thousand pages, and published by Mr. Black of Edinburgh.

"I applied to Mr. James Wilson, to ask if he knew of any
person who would undertake to correct my ungrammatical
manuscripts, and to assist me in arranging the more scientific
part of the 'Biography of the Birds.' He gave me a card
with the address of Mr. W. McGillivray, spoke well of him
and of his talents, and away to Mr. McGillivray I went. Ho
had long known of me as a naturalist. I made known my
business, and a bargain was soon struck. He agreed to assist

172 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

me, and correct my manuscripts for two guineas per sheet of
sixteen pages, and I that day began to write the first volume.

" A few days after I began writing on the Biography, it was
known in Edinburgh that I had arrived, and Professors Jameson,
Graham, and others whom I had known, called on me ; and I
found at the ' fourteenth hour/ that no less than three editions
of ' Wilson's Ornithology ' were about to be published, one by
Jameson, one by Sir W. Jardine, and another by a Mr. Brown.
Most persons would probably have been discouraged by this
information, but it only had a good effect on me, because since
I have been in England I have studied the character of English-
men as carefully as I studied the birds in America. And I
know full well, that in England novelty is always in demand,
and that if a thing is well known it will not receive much
support. Wilson has had his day, thought I to myself, and now
is my time. I will write, and I will hope to be read ; and not
only so, but I will push my publication with such unremitting
vigour, that my book shall come before the public before
Wilson's can be got out.

" Writing now became the order of the day. I sat at it as
soon as I awoke in the morning, and continued the whole long
day, and so full was my mind of birds and their habits, that in
my sleep I continually dreamed of birds. I found Mr. McGillivray
equally industrious, for although he did not rise so early in the
morning as I did, he wrote much later at night (this I am told
is a characteristic of all great writers) ; and so the manuscripts
went on increasing in bulk, like the rising of a stream after
abundant rains, and before three months had passed the first
volume was finished. Meanwhile your mother copied it all to
send to America, to secure the copyright there.

" I made an arrangement with Mr. Patrick Neill, the printer,
who undertook the work, for I was from necessity my own
publisher. I offered this famous book to two booksellers, neither
of whom would give me a shilling for it, and it was fortunate
that they would not , and most happy is the man who can, as I
did, keep himself independent of that class of men called the
' gentlemen of the trade.' Poor Wilson, how happy he would
have been, if he had had it in his power to bear the expenses of
his own beautiful work !

REVIEWS OP HIS BOOK. 173

« March 13, 1831. My book is now on the eve of being
presented to the world. The printing will be completed in a few
days, and I have sent copies of the sheets to Dr. Harlan and
Mr. McMurtrie, at Philadelphia, and also one hundred pounds
sterling to Messrs. T. Walker and Sons, to be paid to Dr.
Harlan to secure the copyright, and have the book published
there.

"March 20, 1831. Made an agreement with Mr. J. B. Kidd,
a young painter whom I have known for the last four years, to
copy some of my drawings in oil, and to put backgrounds to
them, so as to make them appear like pictures. It was our
intention to send tbem to the exhibition for sale, and to divide
the amount between us. He painted eight, and then I pro-
posed, if he would paint the one hundred engravings which
comprise my first volume of the ' Birds of America/ I would
pay him one hundred pounds.

" April 15. We left Edinburgh this day, and proceeded towards
London by the way of Newcastle, York, Leeds, Manchester, and
Liverpool. At the latter place we spent a few days, and
travelled on that extraordinary road called the railway, at the
rate of twenty-four miles an hour. On arriving at London I
found it urgent for me to visit Paris, to collect monies due me
by my agent (Pitois) there.

" Several reviews of my work have appeared , one in * Black-
wood's Magazine ' is particularly favourable. The editor, John
Wilson of Edinburgh, is a clever good fellow, and I wrote to
thank him. Dr. Tuke, an Irishman of lively manners, brought
the editors of the 4 Atlas ' to see my Birds, and they have praised
also. We have received letters from America of a cheering
kind, and which raised my dull spirits, but in spite of all this
I feel dull, rough in temper, and long for nothing so much as
my dear woods. I have balanced my accounts with the ' Birds of
America/ and the whole business is really wonderful; forty
thousand dollars have passed through my hands for the com-
pletion of the first volume. Who would believe that a lonely
individual, who landed in England without a friend in the whole
country, and with only sufficient pecuniary means to travel
through it as a visitor, could have accomplished such a task as
this publication? Who would believe that once in London

174 LIFE OF AUDUBON

Audubon had only one sovereign left in his pocket, and did not
know of a single individual to whom he could apply to borrow
another, when he was on the verge of failure in the very
beginning of his undertaking ; and above all, who would believe
that he extricated himself from all his difficulties, not by borrow-
ing money, but by rising at four o'clock in the morning, work-
ing hard all day, and disposing of his works at a price which a
common labourer would have thought little more than sufficient
remuneration for his work ? To give you an idea of my actual
difficulties during the publication of my first volume, it will be
sufficient to say, that in the four years required to bring that
volume before the world, no less than fifty of my subscribers,
representing the sum of fifty-six thousand dollars, abandoned
me ! And whenever a few withdrew I was forced to leave
London, and go to the provinces to obtain others to supply their
places, in order to enable me to raise the money to meet the
expenses of engraving, colouring, paper, printing, &c. ; and that
with all my constant exertions, fatigues, and vexations, I find
myself now having but one hundred and thirty standing names
on my list.

" England is most wealthy, and among her swarms of inhabi-
tants there are many whom I personally know, and to whom, if
I were to open my heart, there would be a readiness to help me
for the sake of science ; but my heart revolts from asking such
a favour, and I will continue to trust in that Providence which
has helped me thus far."

The sixth volume of the journal abruptly ends with the above
paragraph. But intimations are given in the last chapter of
Audubon's intention to return to America as soon as possible.
He knew of regions which he had not explored, where he felt
confident he could make large additions of new birds to his
collection ; and anxious to enrich his store, after making the
same careful preparations as before to have his work go on
during his absence, he sailed once more for his native land.

CHAPTER XXXL

Return to America — First Episode in East Florida.

On September 3, 1831, Audubon landed in New York. After
spending a few days with relatives and friends he went to Boston,
and was hospitably received by his friends. There he remained
but a short time, having resolved to spend the winter in East
Florida.

All the most interesting incidents of what he called a rather
unprofitable expedition were woven by Audubon into the striking
episodes given in this and subsequent chapters.

" Soon after landing at St. Augustine, in East Florida, I formed
an acquaintance with Dr. Simmons, Dr. Pocher, Judge Smith,
the Misses Johnson, and many other individuals, my intercourse
with whom was as agreeable as it was beneficial to me. While
in this part of the peninsula I followed my usual avocations,
although with little success, it being then winter. I had letters
from the secretaries of the navy and treasury of the United
States, to the commanding officers of vessels of war in the
revenue service, directing them to afford me any assistance in
their power, and the schooner Shark having come to St. Augus-
tine, on her way to the St. John's river, I presented my creden-
tials to her commander, Lieutenant Piercy, who readily, and
with politeness, received me and my assistants on board* We
soon after set sail, with a fair breeze.

" The strict attention to duty on board even this small vessel of
war afforded matter of surprise to me. Everything went ou with

176 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the regularity of a chronometer : orders were given, answered to,
and accomplished, before they ceased to vibrate on the ear. The
neatness of the crew equalled the cleanliness of the white planks
of the deck ; the sails were in perfect condition, and built as the
Shark was for swift sailing, on she went bowling from wave to
wave. I thought that, while thus sailing, no feeling but that of
pleasure could exist in our breasts. Alas ! how fleeting are our
enjoyments. When we were almost at the entrance of the river the
wind changed, the sky became clouded, and before many minutes
had elapsed the little bark was lying to, ' like a duck,' as her
commander expressed himself. It blew a hurricane • let it blow,
reader At the break of day we were again at anchor within the
bar of St. Augustine. Our next attempt was successful. Not
many hours after we had crossed the bar we perceived the star-
like glimmer of the light in the great lantern at the entrance
into the St. John's river This was before daylight ; and as the
crossing of the sand-banks or bars which occur at the mouths
of all the streams of this peninsula is difficult, and can be accom-
plished only when the tide is up, one of the guns was fired as a
signal for the government pilot. The good man it seemed was
unwilling to leave his couch, but a second gun brought him in
his canoe alongside. The depth of the channel was barely
sufficient. My eyes, however, were not directed towards the
waters, but on high, where flew some thousands of ' snowy
pelicans/ which had fled affrighted from their resting grounds.
How beautifully they performed their broad gyrations, and how
matchless, after a while, was the marshalling of their files as they
flew past us !

" On the tide we proceeded apace. Myriads of cormorants
covered the face of the waters, and over it the fish-crows
innumerable were already arriving from their distant roosts.
We landed at one place to search for the birds whose charm-
ing melodies had engaged our attention, and here and there
we shot some young eagles, to add to our store of fresh pro-
vision. The riviT did not seem to me equal in beauty to the
fair Ohio; the shores were in many places low and swampy,
to the great delight of the numberless herons that moved
along in gracefulness, and the grim alligators that swam in
sluggish sullcnness. In going up a bayou we caught a great

EXPLORING THE WOODS. 177

number of the young of the latter, for the purpose of making
experiments upon them. After sailing a considerable way,
during which our commander and officers took the soundings, as
well as the angles and bearings of every nook and crook of the
sinuous stream, we anchored one evening at a distance of fully
one hundred miles from the mouth of the river. The weather,
although it was the 12th of February, was quite warm, the
thermometer on board standing at 75°, and on shore at 90 l
The fog was so thick that neither of the shores could be seen,
and yet the river was not a mile in breadth. The 'blind
mosquitoes ' covered every object, even in the cabin, and so won-
derfully abundant were these tormentors, that they more than
once extinguished the candles whilst I was writing my journal,
which I closed in despair, crushing between the leaves more than
a hundred of the little wretches. Bad as they are, however,
these blind mosquitoes do not bite. As if purposely to render
our situation doubly uncomfortable, there was an establishment
for jerking beef on the nearer shore to the windward of our
vessel, from which the breeze came laden with no sweet odours.
In the morning when I arose the country was still covered with
thick fogs, so that although I could plainly hear the notes of
the birds on shore, not an object could I see beyond the bowsprit,
and the air was as close and sultry as on the previous evening.

"Guided by the scent of 'jerker's works,' we went on shore,
where we found the vegetation already far advanced. The
blossoms of the jessamine, ever pleasing, lay steeped in dew ;
the humming-bee was collecting her winter store from the
snowy flowers of the native orange , and the little warblers
frisked about the twigs of the smilax. Now, amid the tall pines
of the forest, the sun's rays began to force their way, and as the
dense mists dissolved in the atmosphere the bright luminary
shone forth. We explored the woods around, guided by some
friendly ' live oakers,' who had pitched their camp in the
vicinity. After a while the Shark again displayed her sails,
and as she silently glided along, we espied a Seminole Indian
approaching us in his canoe. The poor dejected son of the
woods, endowed with talents of the highest order, although
rarely acknowledged by the proud usurpers of his native soil,
has spent the night in fishing, and the morning in procuring

N

178 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the superb feathered game of the swampy thickets, and with
both he comes to offer them for our acceptance. Alas ! thou
fallen one, descendant of an ancient line of free-born hunters,
would that I could restore to thee thy birthright, thy natural
independence, the generous feelings that were once fostered in
thy brave bosom ! But the irrevocable deed is done, and I can
merely admire the perfect symmetry of his frame, as he dex-
terously throws on our deck the trout and turkeys which he has
captured. He receives a recompense, and without a smile or
bow, or acknowledgment of any kind, off he starts with the
speed of an arrow from his own bow.

" Alligators were extremely abundant, and the heads of the
fishes which they had snapped off lay floating around on the dark
waters. A rifle bullet was now and then sent through the eye
of one of the largest, which, with a tremendous splash of its tail,
expired. One morning we saw a monstrous fellow lying on the
shore. I was desirous of obtaining him, to make an accurate
drawing of his head, and, accompanied by my assistant and two
of the sailors, proceeded cautiously towards him. When within
a few yards, one of us fired, and sent through his side an ounce
ball, which tore open a hole large enough to receive a man's hand
He slowly raised his head, bent himself upwards, opened his huge
jaws, swung his tail to and fro, rose on his legs, blew in a fright-
ful manner, and fell to the earth. My assistant leaped on shore,
and, contrary to my injunctions, caught hold of the animal's
tail, when the alligator, awakening from its trance, with a last
effort crawled slowly towards the water, and plunged heavily
into it. Had he thought of once flourishing his tremendous
weapon, there might have been an end of his assailant's life ;
but he fortunately went in peace to his grave, where we left
him, as the water was too deep. The same morning, another
of equal size was observed swimming directly for the bows of
our vessel, attracted by the gentle rippling of the water there.
One of the officers who had watched him fired, and scattered
his brains through the air, when he tumbled and rolled at a
fearful rate, blowing all the while most furiously. The river
was bloody for yards around, but although the monster passed
close by the vessel, we could not "secure him, and after a while
he sank to the bottom.

JOURNEY THROUGH A PINE BARREN. 170

" Early one morning J hired a boat and two men, with a view
of returning to St. Angustine by a short cut. Our baggage
being placed on board, I bade adieu to the officers and crew, and
off we started. About four in the afternoon we arrived at the
short cut, forty miles distant from our point of departure, and
where we had expected to procure a waggon, but were dis-
appointed ; so we laid our things on the bank, and leaving one
of my assistants to look after them, I set out, accompanied by
the other and my Newfoundland dog. We had eighteen miles
to go, and as the sun was only two hours high, we struck off at
a good rate. Presently we entered a pine barren. The country
was as level as a floor ; our path, although narrow, was well
beaten, having been used by the Seminole Indians for ages ; and
the weather was calm, and now and then a rivulet occurred, from
which we quenched our thirst, while the magnolias and other
flowering plants on its banks relieved the dull uniformity of the
woods. When the path separated into two branches, both seem-
ingly leading the same way, I would follow^ one, while my com-
panion took the other, and unless we m^t^again in a short time,
one of us would go across the intervening forest. The sun went
down behind a cloud, and the south-east breeze that sprung up
at this moment sounded dolefully among the tall pines. Along
the eastern horizon lay a bed of black vapour, which gradually
rose, and soon covered the heavens. The air felt hot and
oppressive, and we knew that a tempest was approaching Plato
was now our guide, the white spots on his skin being the only
objects that we could discern amid the darkness, and as if
aware of his utility in this respect, he kept a short way before
us on the trail. Had we imagined ourselves more than a few
miles from the town, we would have made a camp, and remained
under its shelter for the night ; but conceiving that the distance
could not be great, we resolved to trudge along. Large drops
began to fall from the murky mass overhead ; thick impene-
trable darkness surrounded us, and, to my dismay, the dog
refused to proceed. Groping with my hands on the ground, I
discovered that several trails branched out at the spot where
he lay down, and when I had selected one he went on. Vivid
flashes of lightning streamed across the heavens, the wind
increased to a gale, and the rain poured down upon us like a

n 2

180 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

torrent. The water soon rose on the level ground, so as almost
to cover our feet, and we slowly advanced, fronting the tempest.
Here and there a tall pine on fire presented a magnificent
specrtacle, illumining the trees around it, and surrounded with
a halo of dim light, abruptly bordered with the deep black of
the night. At one time we passed through a tangled thicket of
low trees, at another crossed a stream flushed by the heavy
rains, and again proceeded over the open barrens. How long we
thus, half lost, groped our way, is more than I can tell you, but
at length the tempest passed over, and suddenly the clear sky
became spangled with stars. Soon after we smelt the salt
marshes, and walking directly towards them — like pointers
advancing on a covey of partridges — we at last, to our great
joy, descried the light of the beacon near St. Augustine. My
dog began to run briskly around, and having met with ground
on which he had hunted before, and taking a direct course, led
us to the ^reat causeway that crosses the marshes at the back
of the town. We refreshed ourselves with the produce of the
first orange-tree that we met with, and in half an hour more
arrived at our hotel. Drenched with rain, steaming with per-
spiration, and covered to the knees with mud, you may imagine
what figures we cut in the eyes of the good people whom we
found snuglv enjoying themselves in the sitting-rooni. Next
morning Major Gates, who had received me with much kind-
ness, sent a waggon with mules and two trusty soldiers for my
companion and the luggage/'

CHAPTER XXXIL

Second Florida Episode: The Live Oakers.

" The greater part of the forests of East Florida principally
consists of what in that country are called 'pine barrens/
In these districts the woods are rather thin, and the only trees
that are seen in them are tall pines, of rather indifferent quality,
beneath which is a growth of rank grass, here and there mixed
with low bushes and sword palmettoes. The soil is of a sandy
nature, mostly flat, and consequently either covered with water
during the rainy season, or parched in the summer and autumn,
although you meet at times with ponds of stagnant water, where
the cattle — which are abundant — allay their thirst, and around
which resort the various kinds of game found in these wilds.
The traveller who has pursued his course for many miles over
the barrens, is suddenly delighted to see in the distance the
appearance of a dark i hummock ' of live oaks and other trees,
seeming as if they had been planted in the wilderness. As he
approaches, the air feels cooler and more salubrious, the song
of numerous birds delights his ear, the herbage assumes a more
luxuriant appearance, the flowers become larger and brighter,
and a grateful fragrance is diffused around. These objects
contribute to refresh his mind, as much as the sight of the
waters of some clear spring, gliding among the undergrowth,
seems already to allay his thirst Overhead festoons of innu-
merable vines, jessamines, and bignonias, link each tree with
those around it, their slender stems being interlaced as if in

182 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

mutual affection. No sooner in the shade of these beautiful
woods has the traveller finished his mid-day repast, than he
perceives small parties of men, lightly accoutred, and each
bearing an axe, approaching towards his resting-place. They
exchange the usual civilities, and immediately commence their
labours, for they too have just finished their meal. I think I
see them proceeding to their work. Here two have stationed
themselves on the opposite sides of the trunk of a noble and
venerable live oak. Their keen-edged and well-tempered axes
seem to make no impression on it, so small are the chips that
drop at each blow around the mossy and wide-spreading roots.
There one is ascending the stem of another, of which, in its fall,
the arms have stuck among the tangled tops of the neighbour-
ing trees. See how cautiously he proceeds, bare-footed, and
with a handkerchief round his head ; now he has climbed to
the height of about forty feet from the ground ; he stops, and
squaring himself with the trunk on which he so boldly stands,
he wields with sinewy arms his trusty blade, the repeated blows
of which — although the tree be as tough as it is large — will
boon sever it in two. He has changed sides, and his back is
turned to you. The trunk now remains connected by only a
thin strip of wood. He places his feet on the part which is
lodged, and shakes it with all his might Now swings the
huge log under his leaps, now it suddenly gives way, and as it
strikes upon the ground, its echoes are repeated through the
hummock, and every wild turkey within hearing utters his
gobble of recognition. The woodcutter, however, remains
' collected and composed,' but the next moment he throws his
axe to the ground, and assisted by the nearest grape-vine, slides
down, and reaches the earth in an instant Several men ap-
proach and examine the prostrate trunk. They cut at both
extremities, and sound the whole of the bark, to enable them
to judge if the tree has been attacked by white rot If such
has unfortunately been the case, there, for a century or more,
this huge log will remain, till it gradually crumbles ; but if
not, and if it is free of injury or ' wind-shakes/ while there is
iio appearance of the sap having already ascended, and its pores
are altogether sound, they proceed to take its measurement.
Its shape ascertained, and the timber that is fit for use laid out

"LIVE OAKS." 183

by the aid of models, which — like fragments of the skeleton of
a ship — show the forms and sizes required, the ' hewers % com-
mence their labours.

" Thus, reader, perhaps every known hummock in the Floridas
is annually attacked; and so often does it happen that the
white rot, or some other disease, has deteriorated the quality of
the timber, that the woods may be seen strewn with trunks that
have been found worthless, so that every year these valuable
oaks are becoming scarcer. The destruction of the young
trees of this species, caused by the fall of the great trunks, is
of course immense ; and as there are no artificial plantations of
these trees in our country, before long a good-sized live oak
will be so valuable, that its owner will exact an enormous price
for it, even while it yet stands in the wood. In my opinion,
formed on personal observation, live-oak hummocks are not
quite as plentiful as they are represented to be ; and of this I
will give you one illustration.

" On the 25th of February, 1832, I happened to be far up St.
John's River, East Florida, in company of a person employed
by our government in protecting the 'live oaks' of that
section of the country, and who received a good salary for his
trouble. While we were proceeding along one of the banks of
that most singular river, my companion pointed out some large
hummocks of dark-leaved trees on the opposite side, which he
said were entirely formed of live oaks. I thought differently,
and as our controversy on the subject became a little warm, I
proposed that our men should row us to the place, where we
might examine the leaves and timber, and so decide the point.
We soon landed, but after inspecting the woods, not a single
tree of the species did we find, although there were thousands
of large 'swamp oaks.' My companion acknowledged his
mistake, and I continued to search for birds.

" One dark evening, as I was seated on the banks of the same
river, considering what arrangements I should make for the
night — as it began to rain in torrents — a man, who happened to
see me, came up and invited me to go to his cabin, which he
said was not far off. I accepted this kind offer, and followed
him to his humble dwelling. There I found his wife, several
children, and a number of men, who, as my host told me, were,

184 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

like himself, 'live oakers.' Supper was placed on a large
table, and on being desired to join the party, I willingly as-
sented, doing my best to diminish the contents of the tin pans
and dishes set before the company by the active and agreeable
housewife. We then talked of the country, its climate and
productions, until a late hour, when we laid ourselves down on
bear-skins, and reposed till daybreak.

" I longed to accompany these hardy woodcutters to the hum-
mock, where they were engaged in preparing live oak timber for
a man-of-war. Provided with axes and guns, we left the house
to the care of the wife and children, and proceeded for several
miles through a pine barren, such as I have attempted to
describe. One fine old turkey was shot, and when we arrived
at the shanty, put up near the hummock, we found another
party of woodcutters waiting our arrival before eating their
breakfast, already prepared by a negro man, to whom the
turkey was consigned, to be roasted for part of that day's dinner.
Our repast was an excellent one, and vied with a Kentucky
breakfast. Beef, fish, potatoes, and other vegetables, were
served up with coffee in tin cups, and plenty of biscuit. Every
man seemed hungry and happy, and the conversation assumed
the most humorous character. The sun now rose above the
trees, and all excepting the cook proceeded to the hummock,
on which I had been gazing with great delight, as it promised
rare sport. My host, I found, was the chief of the party ; and
although he had an axe, he made no other use of it than for
stripping here and there pieces of bark from certain trees, which
he considered of doubtful soundness. He was not only well
versed in his profession, but generally intelligent, and from
him I received the following account, which I noted at the time.

%< The men employed in cutting the live oak, after having
discovered a good hummock, build shanties of small logs, to
retire to at night and feed in by day. Their provisions consist
of beef, pork, potatoes, biscuit, rice, flour, and fish, together with
excellent whiskey. They are mostly hale, strong, and active
men, from the eastern parts of the Union, and receive excellent
wages, according to their different abilities. Their labours are
only of a few months' duration. Such hummocks as are found
uiair navigable streams are first chosen, and when it is abso-

CUTTING THE "LIVE OAKS/' 185

lutely necessary, this timber is hauled five or six miles to the
nearest water-course, where, although it sinks, it can, with com-
parative ease, be shipped to its destination. The best time for
cutting the ' live oak ' is considered to be from the first of
December to the first of March, or while the sap is completejy
down. When the sap is flowing the tree is ' bloom/ and more
apt to be ' shaken/ The white rot, which occurs so frequently
in the live oak, and is perceptible only by the best judges,
consists of round spots, about an inch and a half in diameter,
On the outside of the bark, through which, at that spot, a hard
stick may be driven several inches, and generally follows the
heart up or down the trunk of the tree. So deceiving are these
spots and trees to persons unacquainted with this defect, that
thousands of trees are cut and abandoned. The great number
of trees of this sort strewn in the woods would tend to make a
stranger believe that there is much more good oak in the
country than there really is ; and perhaps, in reality, not more
than one fourth of the quantity usually reported is to be pro-
cured. The ' live oakers ' generally revisit their distant homes
in the middle and eastern states, where they spend the summer,
returning to the Floridas at the approach of winter. Some,
however, who have gone there with their families, remain for
years in succession, although they suffer much from the climate,
by which their once good constitutions are often greatly im-
paired. This was the case with the individual above mentioned,
from whom I subsequently received much friendly assistance in
my pursuits.''

186 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXXni.

Third Florida Episode: The Lost One.

" A ' live oaker ' employed on the St. John's River, in East
Florida, left his cabin — situated on the banks of that stream —
and, with an axe on his shoulder, proceeded towards the swamp,
in which he had several times before plied his trade of felling
and squaring the giant trees that afford the most valuable
timber for naval architecture and other purposes. At the
season which is the best for this kind of labour, heavy fogs not
unfrequently cover the country, so as to render it difficult for
one to see farther than thirty or forty yards in any direction.
The woods, too, present so little variety, that every tree seems
the mere counterpart of every other; and the grass, when it
has not been burnt, is so tall, that a man of ordinary stature
cannot see over it ; whence it is necessary for him to proceed
with great caution, lest he should unwittingly deviate from the
ill-defined trail which he follows. To increase the difficulty,
several trails often meet, in which case — unless the explorer be
perfectly acquainted with the neighbourhood — it would be well
for him to lie down and wait until the fog should disperse.
The live oaker had been jogging onwards for several hours, and
became aware that he must have travelled considerably more
than the distance between his cabin and the ' hummock ' which
he desired to reach. To his alarm, at the moment when the fog
disj>ersed, he saw that the sun was at its meridian height, and he
could not recognize a single object around him. Young, healthy,

THE LOST ONE. 187

and active, he imagined that he had walked with more than
usual speed, and had passed the place to which he was bound.
He accordingly turned his back upon the sun, and pursued a dif-
ferent route, guided by a small trail. Time passed, and the sun
headed his course ; he saw it gradually descend in the west, but all
around him continued as if enveloped with mystery. The huge
gray trees spread their giant boughs over him, the rank grass
extended on all sides, not a living being crossed his path ; all
was silent and still, and the scene was like a dull and dreary
dream of the land of oblivion. He wandered like a forgotten
ghost that had passed into the land of spirits, without yet
meeting one of his kind with whom to hold converse.

" The condition of a man lost in the woods is one of the most
perplexing that could be imagined by a person who has not
himself been in a like predicament. Every object he sees he at
first thinks he recognizes ; and while his whole mind is bent on
searching for more that may gradually lead to his extrication,
he goes on committing greater errors the farther he proceeds.
This was the case with the live oaker. The sun was now setting
with a fiery aspect, and by degrees it sunk in its full circular
form, as if giving warning of a sultry to-morrow Myriads of
insects, delighted at its departure, now filled the air on buzzing
wings. Each piping frog arose from the muddy pool in which
it had concealed itself, the squirrel retired to its hole, the crow
to its roost, and, far above, the harsh croaking voice of the
heron announced that, full of anxiety, it was wending its way
to the miry interior of some distant swamp. Now the woods
began to resound to the shrill cries of the owl and the breeze,
as it swept among the columnar stems of the forest trees, laden
with heavy and chilling dew. Alas ! no moon, with her silvery
light, shone on the dreary scene, and the lost one, wearied and
vexed, laid himself down on the damp ground. Prayer is
always consolatory to man in every difficulty or danger, and the
woodsman fervently prayed to his Maker, wished his family a
happier night than it was his lot to experience, and with a
feverish anxiety waited the return of day. You may imagine
the length of that cold, dull, moonless night, ^'ith the dawn
of day came the usual fogs of those latitudes. The poor man
started on his feet, and with a sorrowful heart pursued a course

188 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

which he thought might lead him to some familiar object,
although, indeed, he scarcely knew what he was doing. No
longer had he the trace of a track to guide him, and yet, as the
sun rose, he calculated the many hours of daylight he had
before him, and the farther he went, continued to walk the
faster. But vain were all his hopes : that day was spent in
fruitless endeavours to regain the path that led to his home,
and when night again approached, the terror that had been
gradually spreading over his mind — together with the nervous
debility induced by fatigue, anxiety, and hunger — rendered him
almost frantic. He told me that at this moment he beat his
breast, tore his hair, and, had it not been fpr the piety with
which his parents had in early life imbued his mind, and which
had become habitual, would have cursed his existence.

" Famished as he now was, he laid himself on the ground, and
fed on the weeds and grass that grew around him. That night
was spent in the greatest agony and terror. 'I knew my
situation/ he said to me. 'I was fully aware that, unless
Almighty God came to my assistance, I must perish in those
uninhabited woods. I knew that I had walked more than fifty
miles, although I had not met with a brook from which I
could quench my thirst, or even allay the burning heat of my
parched lips and bloodshot eyes.

" ' I knew that if I could not meet with some stream I must
die, for my axe was my only weapon ; and although deer and
bears now and then started within a few yards or even feet of
me, not one of them could I kill , and although I was im the
midst of abundance, not a mouthful did I expect to procure, to
satisfy the cravings of my empty stomach. Sir, may God pre-
serve you from ever feeling as I did the whole of that day V
For several days after no one can imagine the condition in
which he was, for when he related to me this painful adventure,
he assured me he had lost all recollection of what had happened.
' God,' he continued, ' must have taken pity on me, one day,
for as I ran wikHy through those dreadful pine barrens I met
with a tortoise. I gazed upon it with delight and amazement,
and although I knew that, were I to follow it undisturbed, it
would lead me to some water, my hunger and thirst would not
allow me to refrain from satisfying both by eating its flesh and

KILLING A RACCOON. 189

drinking its blood. With one stroke of my axe the beast was
cut in two ; in a few moments I despatched all but the shell.
Oh, sir, how much I thanked God, whose kindness had put the
tortoise in my way ! I felt greatly renewed. I sat down at the
foot of a pine, gazed on the heavens, thought of my poor wife
and children, and again and again thanked my God for my life,
for now I felt less distracted in mind, and more assured that
before long I must recover my way, and get back to my home.'
The lost one remained and passed the night at the foot of the
same tree under which his repast had been made. Refreshed
by a sound sleep, he started at dawn to resume his weary march.
The sun rose bright, and he followed the direction of his
shadows. Still the dreariness of the woods was the same, and
he was on the point of giving up in despair, \then he observed
a raccoon lying squatted in the grass. Raising his axe, he drove
it with such violence through the helpless animal, that it
expired without a struggle. What he had done with the
turtle he now did with the raccoon, the greater part of which he
actually devoured at one meal. With more comfortable feel-
ings he then resumed his wanderings — his journey I cannot say
— for although in the possession of all his faculties, and in broad
daylight, he was worse off than a lame man groping his way in
the dark out of a dungeon, of which he knew not where the
door stood. Days one after another passed — nay, weeks in
succession. He fed now on cabbage trees, then on frogs and
snakes. All that fell in his way was welcome and savoury.
Yet- he became daily more emaciated, and at length he could
scarcely crawl ; forty days had elapsed, by his own reckoning,
when he at last reached the banks of the river. His clothes in
tatters, his once bright axe dimmed with rust, his face begrimed
with beard, his hair matted, and his feeble frame little better
than a skeleton covered with parchment, there he laid himself
down to die. Amid the perturbed dreams of his fevered fancy,
he thought he heard the noise of oars far away on the silent
river. He listened, but the sounds died away on his ear. It
was indeed a dream, the last glimmer of expiring hope, and
now the light of life was about to be quenched for ever. But
again the sound of oars awoke him from his lethargy. He
listened so eagerly that the hum of a fly could not have escaped

190 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

his ear. They were indeed the measured beats of oars ; and
now, joy to the forlorn soul ! the sound of human voices thrilled
to his heart, and awoke the tumultuous pulses of returning
hope. On his knees did the eye of God see that poor man, by
the broad, still stream, that glittered in the sunbeams, and
human eyes soon saw him too, for round that headland covered
with tangled brushwood boldly advances the little boat, pro-
pelled by its lusty rowers. The lost one raises his feeble voice
on high ; it was a loud shrill scream of joy and fear. The
rowers pause, and look around. Another, but feebler scream,
and they observe him. It comes — his heart flutters, his sight
is dimmed, his brain reels, he gasps for breath ! It comes — it
has run upon the beach, and the lost one is found.

" This is no tale of fiction, but the relation of an actual occur-
rence, which might be embellished, no doubt, but which is better
in the plain garb of truth. The notes by which I recorded it
were written in the cabin of the once lost ' live oaker,' about
four years after the painful incident occurred. His amiable wife
and loving children were present at the recital, and never shall
I forget the tears that flowed from them as they listened to it,
albeit it had long been more familiar to them than a tale thrice
told. It only remains for me to say that the distance between
the cabin and the live oak hummock to which the woodsman was
bound scarcely exceeded eight miles, while the part of the river
at which he was found was thirty-eight miles from his house.
Calculating his daily wanderings at ten miles, we may believe
that they amounted in all to four hundred. He must there-
fore have rambled in a circuitous direction, which people gene-
rally do in such circumstances. Nothing but the great strength
of his constitution and the merciful aid of his Maker could have
supported him for so long a time."

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Fourth Flobida Episode : Sprixg Garden.

" Having heard many wonderful accounts of a certain spring
near the sources of the St. John's River, in East Florida, I
resolved to visit it, in order to judge for myself. On the
6th of January, 1832, 1 left the plantation of my friend John
Bulow, accompanied by an amiable and accomplished Scotch
gentleman, an engineer employed by the planters of those
districts in erecting their sugar-house establishments. We
were mounted on horses of the Indian breed, remarkable for
their activity and strength, and were provided with guns and
some provision. The weather was pleasant, but not so our way,
for no sooner had we left the ' Kings Road,' which had been
cut by the Spanish government for a goodly distance, than we
entered a thicket of scrubby oaks, succeeded by a still denser
mass of low palmettoes, which extended about tliree miles, and
among the roots of which our nags had great difficulty in
making good their footing.

" After this we entered the pine barrens, so extensively die-
tributed in this portion of Florida. The sand seemed to be all
sand, and nothing but sand, and the palmettoes at times so covered
the narrow Indian trail which we followed, that it required all the
instinct or sagacity of ourselves and our horses to keep it. It
seemed to us as if we were approaching the end of the world.
The country was perfectly flat, and, so far as we could survey it,
presented the same wild and scraggy aspect. My companion, who

192 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

had travelled there before, assured me that at particular seasons of
the year he had crossed the barrens when they were covered with
water fully knee-deep — when, according to his expression, they
' looked most awful ;' and I readily believed him, as we now and then
passed through muddy pools which reached the saddle-girths of
our horses. Here and there large tracts covered with tall grasses,
and resembling the prairies of the western wilds, opened to our
view. Wherever the country happened to be sunk a little
beneath the general level, it was covered with cypress-trees,
whose spreading arms were hung with a profusion of Spanish
moss. The soil in such cases consisted of black mud, and was
densely covered with bushes, chiefly of the magnolia family.
We crossed in succession the heads of three branches of Haw
Creek, of which the waters spread from a quarter to half a mile
in breadth, and through which we made our way with extreme
difficulty. While in the middle of one, my companion told me
that once, when in the very spot where he then stood, his horse
chanced to place his fore-feet on the back of a large alligator,
which, not well pleased at being disturbed in his repose, sud-
denly raised his head, opened his monstrous jaws, and snapped
off a part of the lip of his affrighted pony. You may imagine
the terror of the poor beast, which, however, after a few plunges,
resumed its course, and succeeded in carrying its rider through
in safety. As a reward for this achievement it was ever after
honoured with the appellation of * Alligator/

"We had now travelled about twenty miles, and the sun
having reached the zenith, we dismounted to partake of some
refreshment. From a muddy pool we contrived to obtain
enough of tolerably clear water to mix with the contents of a
bottle, the like of which I would strongly recommend to every
traveller in these swampy regions. Our horses, too, found
something to grind among the herbage that surrounded the
little pool ; but as little time was to be lost, we quickly re-
mounted and resumed our disagreeable journey, during which
we had at no time proceeded at a rate exceeding two miles and
a half in the hour. All at once, however, a wonderful change
took place ; the country became more elevated and undulating,
the timber was of a different nature, and consisted of red and
live oaks, magnolias, and several kinds of pine. Thousands of

ARRIVAL AT COLONEL REES* 193

' mole-hills/ or the habitations of an animal here called the
' salamander/ and Goffers burrows, presented themselves to the
eye, and greatly annoyed our horses, which every now and then
sank to the depth of a foot and stumbled, at the risk of break-
ing their legs, and what we considered fully as valuable — our
necks. We now saw beautiful lakes of the purest water, and
passed along a green space having a series of them on each side
of us. These sheets of water became larger and more numerous
the farther we advanced, some of them extending to a length of
several miles, and having a depth of from two to twenty feet of
clear water ; but their shores being destitute of vegetation we
observed no birds near them. Many tortoises, however, were
seen basking in the sun, and all as we approached plunged into
the water. Not a trace of man did we see during our journey,
scarcely a bird, and not a single quadruped, not even a rat ; nor
can one imagine a poorer and more desolate country than that
which lies between the Halifax River, which we had left in the
morning, and the undulated grounds at which we had now arrived.

" But at length we perceived the tracks of living beings, and
soon after saw the huts of Colonel Bees' negroes. Scarcely
could ever African traveller have approached the city of Tim-
buctoo with more excited curiosity than we felt in approaching
this plantation. Our Indian horses seemed to participate in
our joy, and trotted at a smart rate towards the principal build-
ing, at the door of which we leaped from our saddles, just as the
sun was # withdrawing his ruddy light. Colonel Rees was at
home, and received us with great kindness. Refreshments were
immediately placed before us, and we spent the evening in
agreeable conversation.

"The next day I walked over the plantation, examining the
country around, and found the soil of good quality, it having
been reclaimed from swampy ground, of a black colour, rich,
and very productive. The greater part of the cultivated land
was on the borders of a lake which communicated with others
leading to St. John's River, distant about seven miles, and
navigable so far by vessels not exceeding fifty or sixty tons.
After breakfast our amiable host showed us the way to the cele-
brated spring, the sight of which afforded me pleasure sufficient
to counterbalance the tediousness of my journey.

o

194 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" This spring presents a circular basin, having a diameter of
about sixty feet, from the centre of which the water is thrown
up with great force, although it does not rise to a height of more
than a few inches above the general level. A kind of whirl-
pool is formed, on the edges of which are deposited vast quan-
tities of shells, with pieces of wood, gravel, and other substances,
which have coalesced into solid masses, having a very curious
appearance. The water is quite transparent, although of a dark
colour, but so impregnated with sulphur, that it emits an odour
which to me was very disagreeable, and highly nauseous. Its
surface lies fifteen or twenty feet below the level of the wood-
land lakes in the neighbourhood, and its depth in the autumnal
months is about seventeen feet when the water is lowest. In
all the lakes the same species of shells as are thrown up by the
spring occur in abundance ; and it seems more than probable
that it is formed of the water collected from them by infil-
tration, or forms the subterranean outlet of some of them.
The lakes themselves are merely reservoirs containing the
residue of the waters which fall during the rainv seasons, and
contributing to supply the waters of the St. John's Kiver, with
which they communicate by similar means. This spring pours
its waters into ' Bees' Lake/ through a deep and broad channel
called Spring Garden Creek. This channel is said to be in some
places fully sixty feet deep, but it becomes more shallow as you
advance towards the entrance of the lake, at which you are
surprised to find yourself on a mud flat covered only by about
fifteen inches of water, under which the depositions from the
spring lie to a depth of four or five feet in the form of the
softest mud, while under this again is a bed of fine white sand.
When this mud is stirred up by the oars of your boat or other-
wise, it appears of a dark-green colour, and smells strongly of
sulphur. At all times it sends up numerous bubbles of air,
which probably comes of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. The
mouth of this curious spring is calculated to be two and a half
feet square, and the velocity of its waters during the rainy
season is three feet per second. This would render the discharge
per hour about 499-500 gallons.

44 Colonel Rees showed us the remains of another spring of the
same kind, which had dried up from some natural cause.

DEXTER'S LAKE. 195

" My companion the engineer having occupation for another
day, I requested Colonel Kees to accompany me in his boat
towards the river St. John, which 1 was desirous of seeing, as
well as the curious country in its neighbourhood. He readily
agreed, and after an early breakfast next morning, we set out,
accompanied by two servants to manage the boat. As we
crossed ' Kees' Lake ' I observed that its north-eastern shores
were bounded by a deep swamp, covered by a rich growth of
tall cypresses, while the opposite side presented large marshes
and islands ornamented by pines, live oaks, and orange-trees.

" With the exception of a very narrow channel, the creek was
covered with nympheaB, and in its waters swam numerous
alligators, while ibises, gallinules, ankingas, coots, and cormorants
were pursuing their avocations on its surface or along its
margins. Over our heads the fish-hawks were sailing, and on
the broken trees around we saw many of their nests. We
followed Spring Garden Creek for about two miles and a half,
and passed a mud-bar before we entered ' Dexter's Lake.' The
bar was stuck full of iinios in such profusion, that each time the
negroes thrust their hands into the mud they took up several.
According to their report these shell-fish are quite unfit for
food. In this lake the water had changed its hue, and assumed
a dark chestnut colour, although it was still transparent.
The depth was uniformly five feet, and the extent of the lake
was about eight miles by three. Having crossed it, we followed
the creek, and soon saw the entrance of ' Woodruff's Lake,'
which empties its still darker waters into the St. John's River.
I here shot a pair of curious ibises, which you will find described
in my fourth volume of ornithology, and landed on a small island
covered with wild orange-trees, the luxuriance and freshness of
which were not less pleasing to the sight than the perfume of
their flowers was to the smell. The group seemed to me like a
rich bouquet formed by nature to afford consolation to the weary
traveller cast down by the dismal scenery of swamps, and pools,
and rank grass around him. Under the shade of these beautiful
evergreens, and amidst the golden fruits that covered the ground,
while the humming-birds fluttered over our heads, we spread
our cloth on the grass, and, with a happy and thankful heart,
I refreshed myself with the bountiful gifts of an ever-careful

o 2

196 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Providence. Colonel Rees informed me that this charming
retreat was one of the numerous terra incognita of this region
of lakes, and that it should henceforth bear the name of
* Audubon's Isle.'

" In conclusion, let me inform you that the spring has now
been turned to good account by my generous host, Colonel Bees,
who, aided by my amiable companion the engineer, has directed
its current so as to turn a mill which suffices to grind the whole
of his sugar-cane."

19T

CHAPTER XXXV.

Fourth Florida Episode: Deer Hunting.

" The different modes of destroying deer are probably too well
understood and too successfully practised in the United States ;
for notwithstanding the almost incredible abundance of these
beautiful animals in our forests and prairies, such havoc is
carried on amongst them, that in a few centuries they will pro-
bably be as scarce in America as the great bustard now is in
Britain.

" We have three modes of hunting deer, each varying in some
slight degree in the different states and districts. The first is
termed i still hunting/ and is by far the most destructive. The
second is called ' fire-light hunting/ and is next in its exter-
minating effects. The third, which may be looked upon as a
mere amusement, is named ' driving.' Although many deer
are destroyed by this latter method, it is not by any means so
pernicious as the others. These methods I shall describe sepa-
rately.

" ' Still hunting ' is followed as a kind of trade by most
of our frontier men. To be practised with success, it requires
great activity, an expert management of the rifle, and a thorough
knowledge of the forest, together with an intimate acquaintance
with the habits of the deer, not only at different seasons of the
year, but also at every hour of the day, as the hunter must be
aware of the situations which the game prefers, and in which it
is most likely to be found at any particular time. I inight here

198 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

present you with a full account of the habits of our deer, were
it not my intention to lay before you, at some future period, in
the form of a distinct work, the observations which I have made
on the various quadrupeds of our extensive territories.

"We shall suppose that we are now about to follow the
true hunter, as the still hunter is also called, through the
interior of the tangled woods, across morasses, ravines, and
such places, where the game may prove more or less plenti-
ful, even should none be found there in the first instance.
AVe shall allow our hunter all the agility, patience, and care
which his occupation requires, and will march in his rear,
as if we were spies watching all his motions. His dress, you
observe, consists of a leathern hunting-shirt, and a pair of
trousers of the same material. His feet are well moccasined ;
he wears a belt round his waist ; his heavy rifle is resting on
his brawny shoulder; on one side hangs his ball-pouch, sur-
mounted by the horn of an ancient buffalo, once the terror of
the herd, but now containing a pound of the best gunpowder.
His butcher-knife is scabbarded in the same strap ; and behind
is a tomahawk, the handle of which has been thrust through
his girdle. He walks with so rapid a step that probably few
men besides ourselves, that is, myself and my kind reader, could
follow him, unless for a short distance, in their anxiety to
witness his ruthless deeds. He stops, looks at the flint of his
gun, its priming, and the leather cover of the lock, then glances
his eye towards the sky, to judge of the course most likely to
lead him to the game.

44 The heavens are clear, the red glare of the sun gleams
through the lower branches of the lofty trees, the dew hangs in
pearly drops at the top of every leaf. Already has the emerald
hue of the foliage been converted into the more glowing tints of
our autumnal months. A slight frost appears on the fence
rails of his little corn-field.

" As he proceeds he looks to the dead foliage under his feet, in
search of the well-known traces of a buck's hoof. Now he bends
toward the ground, on which something has attracted his atten-
tion. See, he alters his course, increases his speed, and will
soon reach the opposite hill. Now he moves with caution, stops
at almost every tree, and peeps forward, as if already within

SHOOTING A BUCK. 199

shooting distance of his game. He advances again ; but now
very slowly. He has reached the declivity, upon which the
sun shines in all its glowing splendour; but mark him, he
takes the gun from his shoulder, has already thrown aside the
leather covering of the lock, and is wiping the edge of his flint
with his tongue. Now he stands like a monumental figure,
perhaps measuring the distance that lies between him and
the game which he has in view. His rifle is slowly raised,
the report follows, and he runs. Let us run also. Shall I
speak to him, and ask him the result of this first essay ?
'Pray, friend, what have you killed?' for to say, 'What
have you shot at?' might imply the possibility of his having
missed, and so might hurt his feelings. ' Nothing but a
buck/ 'And where is it?* 'Oh, it has taken a jump
or so, but I settled it, and will soon be with it. My ball
struck, and must have gone through his heart.' We arrived
at the spot where the animal had laid itself down on the
grass, in a thicket of grape-vines, sumachs, and spruce-bushes,
where it intended to repose during the middle of the dav.
The place is covered with blood, the hoofs of the deer have
left deep prints in the ground, as it bounced in the agonies
produced by its wound ; but the blood that lias gushed from
its side discloses the course which it has taken. We soon reach
the spot. There lies the buck, its tongue out, its eve dim, its
breath exhausted , it is dead. The hunter draws his knife, cuts
the buck's throat almost asunder, and prepares to skin it. For
this purpose he hangs it upon the branch of a tree. When the
skin is removed, he cuts off the hams, and abandoning the rest
of the carcass to the wolves and vultures, reloads his gun, flings
the venison, enclosed by the skin, upon his back, secures it with
a strap, and walks off in search of more game, well knowing
that in the immediate neighbourhood another at least is to be
found.

" Had the weather been warmer, the hunter would have sought
for the buck along the shadowij side of the hills. Had it been
the spring season, he would have led us through some thick
cane brake, to the margin of some remote lake, whore you would
have seen the deer immersed to his head in the water, to save
his body from the tormenting mosquitoes. Had winter over-

200 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

spread the earth with a covering of snow, he would have
searched the low, damp woods, where the mosses and lichens, on
which at that period the deer feeds, abound, the trees being
generally crusted with them for several feet from the ground.
At one time he might have marked the places where the deer
clears the velvet from his horns by rubbing them against the
low stems of bushes, and where he frequently scrapes the earth
with his fore-hoofs ; at another he would have betaken himself
to places where percimons and crab-apples abound, as beneath
these trees the deer frequently stops to munch their fruits.
During early spring our hunter would imitate the bleating of
the doe, and thus frequently obtain both her and the fawn ; or,
like some tribes of Indians, he would prepare a deer's head,
placed on a stick, and creeping with it amongst the tall grass of
the prairies, would decoy the deer within reach of his rifle.
But, kind reader, you have seen enough of the c still hunter/
Let it suffice for me to add that, by the mode pursued by him,
thousands of deer are annually killed, many individuals shooting
these animals merely for the skins, not caring for even the most
valuable portions of the flesh, unless hunger or a near market
induces them to carry off the hams.

'* The mode of destroying deer by fire-light, or, as it is
named in some parts of the country, forest-light, never fails
to produce a very singular feeling in him who witnesses
it for the first time. There is something in it which at
times appears awfully grand. At other times a certain degree
of fear creeps over the mind, and even affects the physical
powers of him who follows the hunter through the thick under-
growth of our woods, having to leap his horse over hundreds
of huge fallen trunks, at one time impeded by a straggling
grape-vine crossing his path, at another squeezed between two
stubborn saplings, whilst their twigs come smack in his face, as
his companion has forced his way through them. Again, he
every now and then runs the risk of breaking his neck by being
suddenly pitched headlong on the ground, as his horse sinks into
a hole covered over with moss. But I must proceed in a more
regular manner, and leave you, kind reader, to judge whether
such a mode of hunting would suit your taste or not.

'The hunter has returned to his camp or his house, has rested,

KILLING DEER BY FIRE-LIGHT 201

and eaten his game. He has procured a quantity of pine-knots
filled with resinous matter, and has an old frying-pan, that, for
aught I know to the contrary, may have been used by his great-
grandmother, in which the pine-knots are to be placed when
lighted. The horses stand saddled at the door. The hunter comes
forth, his rifle slung on his shoulder, and springs upon one of
them, while his son or a servant mounts the other, with the frying-
pan and the pine-knots. Thus accoutred, they proceed towards
the interior of the forest When they have arrived at the spot
where the hunt is to begin, they strike fire with a flint and steel,
and kindle the resinous wood. The person who carries the fire
moves in the direction judged to be the best. The blaze illu-
minates the near objects, but the distant parts seem involved in
deepest obscurity.

"The hunter who bears the gun keeps immediately in front,
and after a while discovers before him two feeble lights, which
are produced by the reflection of the pine fire from the eyes of
an animal of the deer or wolf kind. The animal stands quite
-still. To one unacquainted with this strange mode of hunting,
the glare from its eyes might bring to his imagination some
lost hobgoblin that had strayed from its usual haunts. The
hunter, however, nowise intimidated, approaches the object,
sometimes so near as to discern its form, when, raising the rifle
to his shoulder, he fires and kills it on the spot. He then dis-
mounts, secures the skin and such portions of the flesh as he
may want, in the manner already described, and continues his
search through the greater part of the night, sometimes to the
dawn of day, shooting from five to ten deer, should these animals
be plentiful. This kind of hunting proves fatal, not to the deer
alone, but also sometimes to wolves, and now and then to a horse
or a cow which may have strayed far into the woods.

" Now, kind reader, prepare to mount a generous, full-blood
Virginia hunter, see that your gun is in complete order, for
hark to the sound of the bugle and horn, and the mingled
clamour of a pack of harriers. Your friends are waiting you
under the shade of the wood, and we must together go driving
the light-footed deer. The distance over which one has to
travel is seldom felt when pleasure is anticipated as the result, so
galloping we go pell-mell through the woods to some well-known

202 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

place, where many a fine buck Las drooped its antlers under
the ball of the hunter's rifle. The servants, who are called the
drivers, have already begun their search, their voices are heard
exciting the hounds, and unless we put spurs to our steeds, we
may be too late at our stand, and thus lose the first opportunity
of shooting the fleeting game as it passes by. Hark again ! The
dogs are in chase, the horn sounds louder and more clearly.
Hurry, hurry on ! or we shall be sadly behind. Here we are
at last , dismount, fasten your horse to this tree, place yourself
by the side of that large yellow poplar, and mind you do not
shoot me. The deer is fast approaching ; I will to my own
stand, and he who shoots him dead wins the prize. The deer
is heard coming ; it has inadvertently cracked a dead stick with
its hoof, and the dogs are now so near it that it will pass in a
moment. There it comes ! How beautifully it bounds over
the ground ! What a splendid head of horns ! How easy the
attitudes, depending, as it seems to do, on its own swiftness for
safety ! All is in vain, however ; a gun is fired, the animal
plunges, and doubles with incomparable speed. There he goes,
he passes another stand, from which a second shot, better directed
than the first, brings him to the ground. The dogs, the servants,
the sportsmen, are now rushing forward to the spot. The
hunter who has shot it is congratulated on his skill or good
luck, and the chase begins again in some other part of the
woods.

" A few lines of explanation may be required to convey a clear
idea of this mode of hunting. Deer are fond of following and re-
tracing the paths which they have formerly used, and continue to
do so even after they have been shot at more than once. Their
tracks are discovered by persons on horseback in the woods, or
a deer is observed crossing a road, a field, or a small stream.
When this has been noticed twice, the deer may be shot from
the places called stands by the sportsman, who is stationed
there and waits for it, a line of stands being generally formed
so as to cross the path which the game will follow. The person
who ascertains the usual pass of the game, or discovers the parts
where the animal feeds or lies down during the day, gives inti-
mation to his friends, who then prepare for the chase. The
servants start the deer with the hounds, and, by good manage-

SHOOTING FROM STANDS. 203

uient, generally succeed in making it run the course that will
soonest bring it to its death. But should the deer be cautious,
and take another course, the hunters, mounted on swift horses,
gallop through the woods to intercept it, guided by the sound
of the horns and the cry of the dogs, and frequently succeed in
shooting it. This sport is extremely agreeable, and proves suc-
cessful on almost every occasion."

204 LIKE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Fifth Florida Episode: Sandy Islakd.

" I left you abruptly, perhaps uncivilly, reader, at the dawn of
day on Sandy Island, which lies just six miles from the extreme
point of South Florida. I did so because I was amazed at the
appearance of things around me, which, in fact, looked so dif-
ferent then from what they seemed at night, that it took some
minutes' reflection to account for the change. When we laid
ourselves down on the sand to sleep, the waters almost bathed
our feet ; when we opened our eyes in the morning, they were
at an immense distance. Our boat lay on her side, looking not
unlike a whale reposing on a mud-bank , the birds in myriads
were probing their pasture-ground. There great flocks of ibises
led apart from equally large collections of 'god wits,' and thou-
sands of herons gracefully paced along, ever and anon thrusting
their javelin bills into the body of some unfortunate fish con-
fined in a small pool of water. Of fish-crows I could not estimate
the number, but from the havoc they made among the crabs,
I conjecture that these animals must have been scarce by the
time of next ebb. Frigate pelicans chased the jager, which
himself had just robbed a poor gull of its prize ; and all the
gallinules ran with spread wings from the mud-banks to the
thickets of the island, so timorous had they become when they
perceived us. Surrounded as we were by so many objects that
allured us, not one could we yet attain, so dangerous would it
have been to venture on the mud ; and our pilot having assured

COOKING BREAKFAST. 205

us that nothing could be lost by waiting, spoke of our eating,
and on this hint told that he would take us to a part of the
island where ' our breakfast would be abundant, although un-
cooked.' Off we went, some of the sailors carrying baskets,
others large tin pans and wooden vessels such as they use for
eating their meals in. Entering a thicket of about an acre in
extent, we found on every bush several nests of the ibis, each
containing three large and beautiful eggs, and all hands fell to
gathering. The birds gave way to us, and ere long we had a
heap of eggs, that promised delicious food. Nor did we stand
long in expectation ; for, kindling a fire, we soon prepared, in
one way or other, enough to satisfy the cravings of our hungry
maws. Breakfast ended, the pilot, looking at the gorgeous
sunrise, said, ' Gentlemen, prepare yourselves for fun ; the tide
is a-coming/ Over these mud flats a foot or two of water is
quite sufficient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest
heron or flamingo ; and the tide seems to flow at once over the
whole expanse. Each of us, provided with a gun, posted himself
behind a bush, and no sooner had the water forced the winged
creatures to approach the shore, than the work of destruction
commenced. When it at length ceased, the collected mass of
birds of different kinds looked not unlike a small haycock.
Who could not with a little industry have helped himself to
a few of their skins ? Why, reader, surely no one as fond of
these things as 1 am. Every one assisted in this, and even the
sailors themselves tried their hand at the work. Our pilot,
good man, told us he was no hand at such occupations, and
would go after something else. So taking l Long Tom ' and his
fishing-tackle, he marched off quietly along the shores. About
an hour afterwards we saw him returning, when he looked
quite exhausted ; and on our inquiring the cause, said, ' There
is a dew -fish yonder, and a few balacoudas, but I am not able
to bring them, or even to haul them here , please send the
sailors after them/ The fishes were accordingly brought, and
as I had never seen a i dew-fish/ I examined it closely, and
took an outline of its form, which some days hence you may
perhaps see. It exceeded a hundred pounds in weight, and
afforded excellent eating. The balacouda is also a good fish,
but at times a dangerous one, for, according to the pilot, on

206 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

more than one occasion g some of these gentry ' had followed
him, when waist-deep in the water in pursuit of a more valuable
prize, until in self-defence he had to spear them, fearing that
the * gentleman * might at one dart cut off his legs, or some
other nice bit with which he was unwilling to part. Having
filled our cask from a fine well, long since dug in the sand of
Cape Sable, either by Seminole Indians or pirates, no matter
which, we left Sandy Isle about full tide, and proceeded home-
wards, giving a call here and there at different keys, with the
view of procuring rare birds, and also their nests and eggs. We
had twenty miles- to go 4 as the birds fly,' but the tortuosity of
the channels rendered our course fully a third longer. The sun
was descending fast, when a black cloud suddenly obscured the
majestic orb. Our sails swelled by a breeze that was scarcely
felt by us, and the pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather
gunwale, told us that we were ' going to get it.' One sail was
hauled in and secured, and the other was reefed, although the
wind had not increased. A low murmuring noise was heard,
and across the cloud that now rolled along in tumultuous masses
shot vivid flashes of lightning. Our experienced guide steered
directly across a flat towards the nearest land. The sailors
passed their quids from one cheek to the other, and our pilot
having covered himself with his oil jacket, we followed his
example. ' Blow, sweet breeze,' cried he at the tiller, 'and we'll
reach land before the blast overtakes us ; for, gentlemen, it is a
furious cloud yon/ A furious cloud indeed was the one which
now, like an eagle on outstretched wings, approached so swiftly,
that one might have deemed it in haste to destroy us. We
were not more than a cable's length from the shore, when with
imperative voice the pilot calmly said to us, k Sit quite still,
gentlemen, for I should not like to lose you overboard just now ;
the boat can't upset, my word for that, if you will but sit still ;
here we have it !' Reader, persons who have never witnessed
a hurricane, such as not unfrequently desolates the sultry
climates of the south, can scarcely form an idea of their terrific
grandeur. One would think that, not content with laying waste
all on land, it must needs sweep the waters of the shallows quite
dry to quench its thirst. No respite for a moment does it
afibrd to the objects within the reach of its furious current.

A HURRICANE. 207

Like the scythe of the destroying angel, it cuts everything by
the roots, as it were, with the careless ease of the experienced
mower. Each of its revolving sweeps collects a heap that
might be likened to the full sheaf which the husbandman flings
by his side. On it goes, with a wildness and fury that are
indescribable ; and when at last its frightful blasts have ceased,
nature, weeping and disconsolate, is left bereaved of her beauti-
ful offspring. In instances, even a full century is required
before, with all her powerful energies, she can repair her loss.
The planter has not only lost his mansion, his crops, and his
flocks, but he has to clear his lands anew, covered and entangled
as they are with the trunks and branches of trees, that are
everywhere strewn. The bark overtaken by the storm is cast
on the lee-shore, and if any are left to witness the fatal results
they are the i wreckers ' alone, who, with inward delight, gaze
upon the melancholy spectacle. Our light bark shivered like a
leaf the instant the blast reached her sides. We thought she
had gone over , but the next instant she was on the shore, and
now, in contemplation of the sublime and awful storm, I gazed
around me. The waters drifted like snow , the tough mangroves
hid their tops amid their roots, and the loud roaring of the
waves driven among them blended with the howl of the tempest
It was not rain that fell; the masses of water flew in a hori-
zontal direction, and where a part of my body was exposed, I
felt as if a smart blow had been given me on it. But enough •
in half an hour it was over. The 1 pure blue sky once more
embellished the heavens, and although it was now quite night,
we considered our situation a good one. The crew and some of
the party spent the night on board ; the pilot, myself, and one of
my assistants took to the heart of the mangroves, and having
found high land, we made a fire as well as we could, spread a
tarpaulin, and fixing our insect-bars over us, soon forgot in sleep
the horrors that had surrounded us. Next day the Marion pro-
ceeded on her cruize, and in a few more days, having anchored
in another safe harbour, we visited other keys, of which I will,
with your leave, give you a short account

" The deputy collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of his
pilot for a few weeks, and I was the more gratified by this, that
besides knowing him to be a good man and a perfect sailor, I

208 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

was now convinced that he possessed a great knowledge of the
habits of birds, and could without loss of time lead me to their
haunts. We were a hundred miles or so farther to the south.
Gay May, like a playful babe, gambolled on the bosom of his
mother nature, and everything was replete with life and joy.
The pilot had spoken to me of some birds which I was very
desirous of obtaining. One morning, therefore, we went in two
boats to some distant isle, where they were said to breed. Our
difficulties in reaching that key might to some seem more ima-
ginary than real, were I faithfully to describe them. Suffice it
for me to tell you that, after hauling our boats and pushing
them with our hands for upwards of nine miles over the flats,
we at last reached the deep channel that usually surrounds each
of the mangrove isles. We were much exhausted by the labour
and excessive heat, but we were now floating on deep water,
and by resting under the shade of some mangroves, we were
soon refreshed by the breeze that gently blew froin the gulf

" The heron which I have named ' Ardea occidentals ' was
seen moving majestically in great numbers, the tide rosg
and drove them away, and as they came towards us, to alight
and rest for a while on the tallest trees, we shot as many as I
wished. I also took under my charge several of their young
alive. At another time we visited the ' Mule Keys ;* there the
prospect was in many respects dismal enough. As I followed
their shores, I saw bales of cotton floating in all the coves, while
spars of every descriptiorflay on the beach, and far off on the
reefs I could see the last remains of a lost ship, her dismasted
hulk. Several schooners were around her ; they were ' wreckers.'
I turned me from the sight with a heavy heart. Indeed, as I
slowly proceeded, I dreaded to meet the floating or cast-ashore
bodies of some of the unfortunate crew Our visit to the 4 Mule
Keys ' was in no way profitable, for besides meeting with but a
few birds, in two or three instances I was, while swimming in
the deep channel of a mangrove isle, much nearer a large shark
than I wish ever to be again."

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Sixth Florida Episode: The Wreckers of Florida*

" Long before I reached the lovely islets that border the south-
eastern shores of the Floridas, the accounts I had heard of
c The Wreckers ' had deeply prejudiced me against them. Often
had I been informed of the cruel and cowardly methods which
it was alleged they employed to allure vessels of all nations to
the dreaded reefs, that they might plunder their cargoes, and
rob their crews and passengers of their effects. I therefore
could have little desire to meet with such men under any
circumstances, much less to become liable to receive their aid ;
and with the name of ' wrecker ' there were associated in my
mind ideas of piratical depredation, barbarous usage, and even
murder. One fair afternoon, while I was standing on the
polished deck of the United States revenue cutter, the Marion,
a sail hove in sight, bearing in an opposite course, close-hauled
to the wind. The gentle sway of her masts, as she rocked to
and fro in the breeze, brought to my mind the wavings of the
reeds on the fertile banks of the Mississippi. By and by tho
vessel, altering her course, approached us. The Marion, like a
sea bird with extended wings, swept through the waters, gently
inclining to either side, while the unknown vessel leaped as it
were from wave to wave, like the dolphin in eager pursuit of
his prey. In a short time we were gliding side by si#e, and the
commander of the strange schooner saluted our captain, who
promptly returned the compliment. What a beautiful vessel,

210 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

we all thought, how trim, how clean rigged, and how well
manned. She swims like a duck, and now, with a broad sheer,
off she makes for the reefs, a few miles under our lee. There
in that narrow passage, well known to her commander, she
rolls, tumbles, and dances like a giddy thing, her copper sheathing
now gleaming, and again disappearing under the waves. But
the passage is made, and now, hauling on the wind, she resumes
her former course, and gradually recedes from the view.
Reader, it was a Florida wrecker. When at the Tortugaa, I
paid a visit to several vessels of this kind, in company with my
friend Robert Day, Esq. We had observed the regularity and
quickness of the men then employed at their arduous tasks, and
as we approached the largest schooner, I admired her form, so
well adapted to her occupation, her great breadth of beam, her
light draught, the correctness of her water line, the neatness of
her painted sides, the smoothness of her well-greased masts, and
the beauty of her rigging. We were welcomed on board with
all the frankness of our native tars. Silence and order pre-
vailed on her decks. The commander and the second officer
led us into a spacious cabin, well lighted, and furnished with
every convenience for fifteen or more passengers. The former
brought me his collection of marine shells, and whenever I
pointed to one that I had not seen before, offered it with so
much kindness, that I found it necessary to be careful in ex-
pressing my admiration of any particular shell. He had also
many eggs of rare birds, which were all handed over to i»e f
with an assurance that before the month should expire a new
set could easily be procured ; for, said he, ' we have much idle
time on the reefs at this season.' Dinner was served, and we
partook of their fare, which consisted of fish, fowl, and other
materials. These rovers were both from down east, were stout
active men, cleanly and smart in their attire. In a short time
we were all extremely social and merry. They thought my visit
to the Tortugas in quest of birds was rather a curious fancy,
but notwithstanding, they expressed their pleasure while looking
at some of my drawings, and offered their services in procuring
specimens. Expeditions far and near were proposed, and on
settling that one of them was to take place on the morrow, we
parted friends. Early next morning several of these kind men

FLORIDA WRECKERS. 211

accompanied me to * a small key called Booby Island, about ten
miles distant from the lighthouse. Their boats were well
manned, and rowed with long and steady Btrokes, such as
whalers and men-of-war's men are wont to draw. The captain
sang, and at times, by way of frolic, ran a race with our own
beautiful bark. The Booby Isle was soon reached, and our
sport there was equal to any we had elsewhere. They were
capital shots, had excellent guns, and knew more about boobies
and noddies than nine-tenths of the best naturalists in the
world.

" But what will you say when I tell you that the ' Florida
wreckers' are excellent at a deer hunt, and that at certain
seasons, 'when business is slack/ they are wont to land on
some extensive key, and in a few hours procure a supply of
delicious venison. Some days after the same party took me on
an expedition in quest of sea shells. There we were all in the
water at times to the waist, and now and then much deeper.
Now they would dip like ducks, and on emerging would hold
up a beautiful shell* This occupation they seemed to enjoy
above all others. The duties of the Marion having been per-
formed, intimation of our intended departures reached the
wreckers. An invitation was sent me to go and see them on
board their vessel, which I accepted. Their object on this
occasion was to present me with some superb corals, shells, live
turtles of the hawk-billed species, and a great quantity of eggs.
Not a picayune would they receive in return, but putting some
letters in my hands, requested me to be so good as to put them
in the mail at Charleston, adding that they were for their
wives down east. So anxious did they appear to be to do all
they could for me, that they proposed to sail before the
Marion, and meet her under weigh, to give me some birds that
were rare on the coast, and of which they knew the haunts.
Circumstances connected with the service prevented this how-
ever, and with sincere regret, and a good portion of friendship,
I bade these excellent fellows adieu. How different, thought I,
is often the knowledge of things acquired from personal obser-
vation, from that obtained by report. I had never before seen
Florida wreckers, nor has it since been my fortune to fall in
with any ; but my good friend Dr. Benjamin Strobe!, having

r 2

212 LTFE OF AUDOBON.

furnished ine with a graphic account of a few days he spent
with them, I shall present you with it in his own words.

" ' On the 12th day of September, while lying in harbour at
Indian Key, we were joined by five wrecking vessels. Their
licenses having expired, it was necessary to go to Key West, to
renew them. We determined to accompany thera the next
morning, and here it will not be amiss for .me to say a few words
respecting these far-famed wreckers, their captains and crews.
From all that I had heard, I expected to see a parcel of dirty,
pirate-looking vessels, officered and manned by a set of black*
whiskered fellows, who carried murder in their very looks. I
was agreeably surprised on discovering that the vessels were
fine large sloops and schooners, regular clippers, kept in first-
rate order. The captains generally were jovial, good-humoured
sons of Neptune, who manifested a disposition to be polite and
hospitable, and to afford every facility to persons passing up
and down the reefs. The crews were hearty, well-dressed, and
honest-looking men. On the 18th, at the appointed hour, we
all set sail together, that is, the five wrecktte and the schooner
Jane. As our vessel was not noted for fast sailing, we accepted
an invitation to go on board of a wrecker. The fleet got under
weigh about eight o'clock in the morning, the wind light but
fair, the water smooth, and the day fine. I can scarcely find
words to express the pleasure and gratification which I this day
experienced. The sea was of a beautiful, soft, pea-green colour,
smooth as a sheet of glass, and as transparent, its surface
agitated only by our vessels as they parted its bosom, or by the
pelican in pursuit of his prey, which, rising for a considerable
distance in the air, would suddenly plunge down with distended
mandibles, and secure his food. The vessels of our little fleet*
with every sail set that could catch a breeze, and the white
foam curling round the prows, glided silently along, like islands
of flitting shadows, on an immovable sea of light. Several
fathoms below the surface of the water, and under us, we
saw great quantities of fish diving and sporting amongst the
sea grass, sponges, sea feathers, and corals, with which the
bottom was covered. On our right hand the Florida Keys,
as we made them in the distance, looked like specks upon the
water, but as we neared them, rose to view as if by enchantment,

THE BAY OP HONDA. 213

clad in the richest livery of spring, each variety of colour and
hue rendered soft and delicate by a clear sky and brilliant sun
overhead All was like a fairy scene , my heart leaped up in
delighted admiration, and I could not but exclaim, in the
language of Scott,

Those seas behold,

Round thrice an hundred islands rolled.

The trade winds played around us with balmy and refreshing
sweetness , and to give life and animation to the scene, we had a
contest for the mastery between all the vessels of the fleet, while
a deep interest was excited in this or that vessel, as she shot
ahead or fell astern. About three o'clock of the afternoon we
arrived off the Bay of Honda. The wind being light, and no
prospect of leaching Key West that night, it was agreed we should
make a harbour here. We entered a beautiful basin, and came
to anchor about four o'clock. Boats were launched, and several
hunting parties formed. We landed, and were soon on the
scent, some going in search of shells, others of birds. An
Indian who had been picked up somewhere along the coast by
some wrecker, and who was employed as a hunter, was sent on
shore in search of venison. Previous to his leaving the vessel
a rifle was loaded with a single ball, and put into his hands.
After an absence of several hours he returned with two deer,
which he had killed at a single shot. He watched until they
were both in range of his gun, side by side, when he fired and
brought them down. All hands having returned, and the fruits
of our excursion being collected, we had wherewithal to make
an abundant supper. Most of the game was sent on board of
the larger vessel, where we proposed supping. Our vessels
were all lying within hail of each other, and as soon as the
moon arose, boats were seen passing from one to the other, and
all were busily and happily engaged in exchanging civilities.
One would never have supposed that these men were pro-
fessional rivals, so apparent was the good feeling that prevailed
amongst them. About nine o'clock we started for supper. A
number of persons had already collected, and as soon as we
arrived on board the vessel, a German sailor, who played
remarkably well on the violin, was summoned to the quarter-

214 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

deck, when all hands with a good will cheerily danced to lively
airs until supper was ready. The table was laid in the cabin,
and groaned under its load of venison, wild ducks, pigeons,
curlews, and fish. Toasting and singing succeeded the supper,
and among other curious matters introduced, the following song
was sung by the German fiddler, who accompanied his voice
with his instrument. He was said to be the author of the song.
1 say nothing of the poetry, but merely give it as it came on
my ear. It is certainly very characteristic.

THE WRECKERS* SONG.

Come all ye good people one and all,

Come listen to my song ;
A few remarks I have to make,

Which won't be very long.
Tis of our vessel, stout and goot,
As ever yet was built of woot ;
Along the reef where the breakers roar,
De wreckers on de Florida shore.

Key Tavernier's our rendezvous,

At anchor there we lie ;
And see the vessels in the Gulf

Carelessly passing by.
When night comes on we dance and sing,
Whilst the current some vessel is floating in ;
When daylight comes, a ship's on shore,
Among de rocks where de breakers roar.

When daylight dawns we're under weigh,

And every sail is set ;
And if the wind it should prove light,

Why then our sails we wet.
To gain her first each eager strives,
To save de cargo and de people's lives ;
Amongst de rocks, where de breakers roar,
De wreckers on the Florida shore.

When we get 'longside, we find she's bilged,

We know veil vat to do;
Save de cargo dat we can,

De sails and rigging too.
Den down to Key West we soon vill go,
When quickly our salvage we shall know ;
When every ting it is fairly sold,
Our money down to us it is told.

THE WRECKERS' SOKU. 215

Den one week's cruise we'll have on shore,

Before we do sail again ;
And drink success to the sailor lads

Dat are ploughing of de main.
And when you are passing by this way,
On the Florida Reef should you chance to stray,
Why, we will come to you on the shore,
Amongst de rocks where de breakers roar.

"' Great emphasis was laid upon particular words by tlie
singer, who had a broad German accent. Between the verses
he played a symphony, remarking, " Gentlemens, I makes dat
myself." The chorus was trolled by twenty or thirty voices,
which in the stillness ot the night produced no unpleasant
effect.' "

216 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTEK XXXVIII.

Seventh Flobida Episode: The Turtlers op Flobida.

" The Tortugas are a group of islands lying about eighty miles
from Key West, and the last of those that seem to defend the
peninsula of the Floridas. They consist of five or six extremely
low uninhabitable banks, formed of shelly sand, and are resorted
to principally by that class of men called wreckers and turtlera.
Between these islands are deep channels, which although
extremely intricate, are well known to those adventurers, as
well as to the commanders of the revenue cutters whose duties
call them to that dangerous coast. The great coral reef or wall
lies about eight miles from these inhospitable isles, in the
direction of the Gulf, and on it many an ignorant or careless
navigator has suffered shipwreck. The whole ground around
them is densely covered with corals, sea fans, and other pro-
ductions of the deep, amid which crawl innumerable testaceous
animals; while shoals of curious and beautiful fishes fill the
limpid waters above them. Turtles of different species resort
to these banks, to deposit their eggs in the burning sand, and
clouds of sea fowl arrive every spring for the same purpose.
These are followed by persons called ' eggers/ who, when their
cargoes are completed, sail to distant markets to exchange their
ill-gotten ware for a portion of that gold on the acquisition of
which all men seem bent.

"The Marion having occasion to visit the Tortugas, I
gladly embraced the opportunity of seeing those celebrated

A GLORIOUS SUNSET 217

islets. A few hours before sunset the joyful cry of ' land '
announced our approach to them, but as the breeze was
fresh, and the pilot was well acquainted with all the windings
of the channels, we held on, % and dropped anchor before
twilight. If you have never seen the sun setting in those
latitudes, I would recommend you to make a voyage for
the purpose, for I much doubt if, in any other portion of the
world, the departure of the orb of day is accompanied with
such gorgeous appearances. Look at the great red disc,
increased to triple its ordinary dimensions. Now it has partially
sunk beneath the distant line of waters, and with its still
remaining half irradiates the whole heavens with a flood of
light, purpling the far-off clouds that hover over the western
horizon. A blaze of refulgent glory streams through the
portals of the west, and the masses of vapour assume the
semblance of mountains of molten gold. But the sun has now
disappeared, and from the east slowly advances the grey curtain
which night draws over the world. The night-hawk is flapping
his noiseless wings in the gentle sea breeze ; the terns, safely
landed, have settled on their nests , the frigate pelicans are
seen wending their way to distant mangroves ; and the brown
gannet, in search of a resting-place, has perched on the yard of
the vessel. Slowly advancing landward, their heads alone above
the water, are observed the heavily-laden turtles, anxious to
deposit their eggs in the well-known sands. On the surface of
the gently rippling stream I dimly see their broad forms as they
toil along, while at intervals may be heard their hurried
breathings, indicative of suspicion and fear. The moon with
her silvery light now illumines the scene, and the turtle having
landed, slowly and laboriously drags her heavy body over the
sand, her ' flappers ' being better adapted for motion in water
than on the shore. Up the slope however she works her way,
and see how industriously she removes the sand beneath her,
casting it out on either side. Layer after layer she deposits her
e gg8> arranging them in the most careful manner, and with her
hind paddles brings the sand over them. The business is
accomplished, the spot is covered over, and with a joyful heart
the turtle swiftly retires toward the shore and launches into
the deep.

218 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

"But the Tortugas are not the only breeding-places of
the turtle : these animals, on the contrary, frequent many other
keys as well as various parts of the coast of the mainland*
There are four different species* which are known by the names
of the green turtle, the hawk-billed turtle, the logger-head turtle,
and the trunk turtle. The first is considered the best as an
article of food, in which capacity it is well known to most
epicures. It approaches the shores, and enters the bays, inlets,
and rivers, early in the month of April, after having spent the
winters in the deep waters. It deposits its eggs in convenient
places, at two different times, in May, and once again in June.
The first deposit is the largest, and the last the least, the total
quantity being at an average about two hundred and forty.
The hawk-billed turtle, whose shell is so valuable as an article
of commerce, being used for various purposes in the arts, is the
next with respect to the quality of its flesh. It resorts to the
outer keys only, where it deposits its eggs in two sets, first in
July and again in August, although it crawls the beaches much
earlier in the season, as if to look for a safe place. The average
number of its eggs is about three hundred. The logger-head
visits the Tortugas in April, and lays from that period until
late in June three sets of eggs, each set averaging a hundred
and seventy. The trunk turtle, which is sometimes of an
enormous size, and which has a pouch like a pelican, reaches
the shores latest. The shell and fish are so soft that one may
push the finger into them almost as into a lump of butter.
This species is therefore considered as the least valuable, and
indeed is seldom eaten, unless by the Indians, who ever alert
when the turtle season commences, first carry off the eggs
which it lays in the season, and afterwards catch the turtles
themselves. The average number of eggs which it lays at two
sets may be three hundred and fifty.

" The logger-head and the trunk turtles are the least cautious
in choosing the places in which to deposit their eggs, whereas
the two other species select the wildest and most secluded spots.
The green turtle resorts either to the shores of the Maine,
between Cape Sable and Cape Florida, or enters Indian, Halifax,
and other large rivers or inlets, froiti which it makes its retreat
as speedily as possible, and betakes itself to the open sea.

TURTLES DEPOSITING THEIR EGGS. 219

Great numbers, however, are killed by the turtlers and Indians,
as well as by various species of caruivorous animals, as cougars,
lynxes, bears, and wolves. The hawk-bill, which is still more
wary, and is always the most difficult to surprise, keeps to the
sea islands. All the species employ nearly the same method
in depositing their eggs in the sand, and as I have several times
observed them in the act, I am enabled to present you with a
circumstantial account of them.

" On first nearing the shores, and mostly on fine calm moon-
light nights, the turtle raises her head above the water, being
still distant thirty or forty yards from the beach, looks around
her, and attentively examines the objects on the shore. Should
she observe nothing likely on the shore to disturb her intended
operations, she emits a loud hissing sound, by which such of her
enemies as are unaccustomed to it are startled, and so are apt
to remove to another place, although unseen by her. Should
she hear any noise, or perceive indications of danger, she
instantly sinks and goes off to a considerable distance; but
should everything be quiet, she advances slowly towards the
beach, crawls over it, her head raised to the full stretch of her
neck, and when she has reached a place fitted for her purpose
she gazes all round in silence. Finding 'all well/ she pro-
ceeds to form a hole in the sand, which she effects by removing
it from under her body with her hind flappers, scooping it out
with so much dexterity that the sides seldom if ever fall in.
The sand is raised alternately with each flapper, as with a large
ladle, until it has accumulated behind her, when supporting
herself with her head and fore part on the ground fronting her
body, she, with a spring from each flapper, sends the sand
around her, scattering it to the distance of several feet. In
this manner the hole is dug to the depth of eighteen inches, or
sometimes more than two feet. This labour I have seen per-
formed in the short period of nine minutes. The eggs are then
dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers to the
number of a hundred and fifty, or sometimes two hundred. The
whole time spent in this part of the operation may be about
twenty minutes. She now scrapes the loose sand back over the
eggs, and so levels them and smooths the surface, that few
persons on seeing the spot could imagine anything had been

220 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

done to it. This accomplished to her mind, she retreats to the
water with all possible despatch, leaving the hatching of the
eggs to the heat of the sand. When a turtle, a logger-head for
example, is in the act of dropping her egg, she will not move,
although one should go up to her, or even seat himself on her
back, for it seems that at this moment she finds it necessary to
proceed at all events, and is unable to intermit her labour.
The moment it is finished, however, off she starts, nor would it
then be possible for one, unless he were as strong as Hercules, to
turn her over and secure her. To upset a turtle on the shore
one is obliged to fall on his knees, and placing his shoulder
behind her fore-arm, gradually raise her up by pushing with
great force, and then with a jerk throw her over. Sometimes it
requires the united strength of several men to accomplish this,
and if the turtle should be of very great size, as often happens
on that coast, even handspikes are employed. Some turtlers
are so daring as to swim up to them while lying asleep on the
surface of the water, and turn them over in their own element,
when, however, a boat must be at hand to enable them to secure
their prize. Few turtles can bite beyond the reach of their
fore-legs, and few when they are once turned over, can, without
assistance, regain their natural position. But notwithstanding
this, their flappers are generally secured by ropes, so as to
render their escape impossible. Persons who search for turtle
eggs are provided with a light stiff cane or gun-rod, with which
they go along the shores, probing the sand near the tracks of
the animal, which, however, cannot always be seen on account
of the winds and heavy rains that often obliterate them. The
nests are discovered not only by men but also by beasts of prey,
and the eggs are collected or destroyed on the spot in great
numbers.

" On certain parts of the shore hundreds of turtles are known
to deposit their eggs within the space of a mile. They form a
new hole each time they lay, and the second is generally dug
near the first, as if the animal were quite unconscious of what
had befallen it. It will readily be understood that the numerous
eggs seen in a turtle on cutting it up could not be all laid
the same season. The whole number deposited by an individual
in one summer may amount to four hundred ; whereas if the

SPEED OP THE TURTLE. 221

animal be caught on or near her nest, as I have witnessed, the re-
maining eggs, all small, without shells, and as it were threaded
like so many beads, exceed three thousand. In an instance
where I found that number, the turtle weighed nearly four
hundred pounds.

" The young, soon after being hatched, and when yet scarcely
larger than a dollar, scratch their way through their sandy
covering, and immediately betake themselves to the water.
The food of the green turtle consists chiefly of marine plants,
more especially the grass-wrack (Zostera marina), which they cut
near the roots, to procure the most tender and succulent parts.
Their feeding-grounds, as I have elsewhere said, are easily dis-
covered by floating masses of these plants on the flats or along
the shores to which they resort. The hawk-billed species feeds
on seaweeds, crabs, and various kinds of shell-fish and fishes ;
the logger-head mostly on the fish of conch-shells, of large size,
which they are enabled, by means of their powerful beak, to
crush to pieces with apparently as much ease as a man cracks
a walnut. One which was brought on board the Marion, and
placed near the fluke of one of her anchors, made a deep in-
dentation in that hammered piece of iron that quite surprised me.
The trunk-turtle feeds on mollusca, fish, Crustacea, sea-urchins,
and various marine plants. All the species move through the
water with surprising speed ; but the green and hawk-billed in
particular remind you by their celerity, and the ease of their
motions, of the progress of a bird in the air. It is therefore no
easy matter to strike one with a spear, and yet this is often
done by an accomplished turtler. While at Key West and
other islands on the coast, where I made the observations here
presented to you, I chanced to have need to purchase some
turtles to feed my friends on board the Lady of the Green
Mantle — not my friends, her gallant officers, or the brave tars
who formed her crew, for all of them had already been satiated
with turtle soup ; but my friends the herons, of which I had a
goodly number in coops, intending to carry them to John Bach-
man of Charleston, and other persons for whom I felt a sincere
regard. So I went to a * crawl/ accompanied by Dr. Benjamin
Strobel, to inquire about prices, when to my surprise I found
the smaller the turtles, i above ten pounds weight/ the dearer

222 LIFE OP AUDUBON

they were, and that I could have purchased one of the logger-
head kind, that weighed more than seven hundred pounds, for
little more money than another of only thirty pounds.

" While I gazed on the turtle I thought of the soups the con-
tents of its shell would have furnished for a lord-mayors dinner,
of the numerous eggs which its swollen body contained, and of
the curious carriage which might be made of its shell — a car in
which Venus herself might sail over the Caribbean Sea, pro-
vided her tender doves lent their aid in drawing the divinity,
and provided no shark or hurricane came to upset it The
turtler assured me that, although the great monster was in
fact better meat than any other of a less size, there was no
disposing of it, unless indeed it had been in his power to have
sent it to some very distant market. I would willingly have
purchased it, but I knew that if killed the flesh could not keep
much longer than a day, and on that account I bought eight or
ten small ones, which ' my friends * really relished exceedingly,
and which served to support them for a long time. Turtles
such as I have spoken of are caught in various ways on the
coasts of the Floridas, or in estuaries or rivers. Some turtlers
are in the habit of setting great nets across the entrance of
streams, so as to answer the purpose either at the flow or at the
ebb of the waters. These nets are formed of very large meshes,
into which the turtles partially get entangled. Others harpoon
them in the usual manner , but in my estimation, no method is
equal to that employed by Mr. Egan, the pilot, of Indian Isle.

" That extraordinary turtler had an iron instrument which he
called a ' peg/ and which at each end had a point, not unlike
what nailmakers call a brad, it being four-cornered, but flattish,
and of a shape somewhat resembling the beak of an ivory-billed
woodpecker, together with a neck and shoulder. Between the
two shoulders of this instrument a fine tough line, fiftv or more
fathoms in length, was fastened by one end, being passed through
a hole in the centre of the peg, and the line itself was carefully
coiled up and placed in a convenient part of the canoe. One
extremity of this peg enters a sheath of iron that loosely
attaches it to a long wooden spear, until a turtle has been
pierced through the shell by the other extremity. He of the
canoe paddles away as silently as possible whenever he espies

SPEARING TURTLES. 223

a turtle basking on the water, until he gets within a distance of
ten or twelve yards, when he throws the spear so as to hit the
animal about the place which an entomologist would choose,
were it a large insect, for pinning to a piece of cork. As soon
as the turtle is struck, the wooden handle separates from the
peg, in consequence of the looseness of its attachment. The
smart of the wound urges on the animal as if distracted, and it
appears that the longer the peg remains in its shell, the more
firmly fastened it is, so great a pressure is exercised upon it
by the shell of the turtle, which being suffered to run like a
whale, soon becomes fatigued, and is secured by hauling in the
line with great care. In this manner, as the pilot informed me
eight hundred green turtles were caught by one man in twelve
months.

" Each turtle has its ' crawl,' which is a square wooden build-
ing or pen, formed of logs, which are so far separated as to allow
the tide to pass freely through, and stand erect in the mud.
The turtles are placed in this enclosure, fed, and kept there till
sold. There is, however, a circumstance relating to their habits
which I cannot omit, although I have it not from mv own ocular
evidence, but from report. When I was in Florida several of
the turtlers assured me, that any turtle taken from the deposit-
ing ground, and carried on the deck of a vessel several hundred
miles, would, if then let loose, certainly be met with at the same
spot, either immediately after, or in the following breeding
season. Should this prove true, and it certainly may, how
much will be enhanced the belief of the student in the uni-
formity and solidity of nature's arrangements, when he finds
that the turtle, like a migratory bird, returns to the same
locality, with perhaps a delight similar to that experienced
by the traveller who, after visiting different countries, once
more returns to the bosom of his cherished family."

224 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Ik America: Episode in New Brunswick.

In the beginning of August, Audubon, accompanied by his wife
and two sons, went on a journey to the State of Maine, to
examine the birds in the most unfrequented parts; and the
following episodes contain the naturalist's own summary of that
visit. They travelled in a private conveyance through Maine,
going towards the British provinces, and the country was. ex-
plored at leisure as they travelled.

Journey in New Brunswick.

" The morning after that we had spent with Sir Archibald
Campbell and his delightful family, saw us proceeding along the
shores of St. John's Kiver in the British province of New Bruns-
wick. As we passed the government house our hearts bade its
generous inmates adieu; and as we left Frederickton behind,
the recollection of the many acts of kindness which we had
received from its inhabitants came powerfully on our minds*
Slowly advancing over the surface of the translucent stream, we
still fancied our ears saluted by the melodies of the unrivalled
band of the 43rd Regiment. In short, with the remembrance of
the kindness experienced, the feeling of expectations gratified,
the hope of aiding to our knowledge, and the possession of
heflth and vigour, we were luxuriating in happiness. The
Favourite, the bark in which we were, contained not only my
family, but nearly a score aud a half of individuals of all

THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER. 225

descriptions ; so that the crowded state of her cabin soon began
to prove rather disagreeable. The boat itself was a mere scow,
commanded by a person of rather uncouth aspect and rude
manners. Two sorry nags he had fastened to the end of a long
tow-line, on the nearer of which rode a negro youth less than
half clad, with a long switch in one hand and the joined bridles
in the other, striving with all his might to urge them on at the
rate of something more than two miles an hour How fortunate
it is for one to possess a little knowledge of a true traveller !
Following the advice of a good, and somewhat aged one, we had
provided ourselves with a large basket, which was not altogether
empty when we reached the end of our agreeable excursion.
Here and there the shores of the river were beautiful ; the space
between it and the undulating hills that bounded the prospect
being highly cultivated, while now and then its abrupt and rocky
banks assumed a most picturesque appearance. Although it
was late in September, the mowers were still engaged in cutting
the grass, and the gardens of the farmers showed patches of
green peas. The apples were yet green, and the vegetation in
general reminded us that we were in a northern latitude.
Gradually and slowly we proceeded, until in the afternoon we
landed to exchange our jaded horses. We saw a house on an
eminence, with groups of people assembled around it, but no
dinner could be obtained, because, as the landlord told us, an
election was going on. So the basket was had recourse to, and
on the green sward we refreshed ourselves with its contents.
This done, we returned to the scow, and resumed our stations.
As is usual in such cases, in every part of the world that I have
visited, our second set of horses was worse than the first.
However, on we went , but to tell you how often the tow-line
gave way would not be more amusing to you than it was annoy-
ing to us. Once our commander was in consequence plunged
into the stream, but after some exertion he succeeded in gaining
his gallant bark, when he consoled himself by giving utterance
to a volley of blasphemies, which it would ill become me to
repeat, as it would be disagreeable to you to hear We slept
somewhere that night ; it does not suit my views to tell you
where. Before day returned to smile on the Favourite, we
proceeded. Some rapids we came to, when every one, glad to

226 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

assist her, leaped on shore, and hugged a la cordeUe. Some
miles further we passed a curious cataract, formed by the waters
of the Pakioke.

" There Sambo led his steeds up the sides of a high bank,
when, lo ! the whole party came tumbling down like so many
hogsheads of tobacco rolled from a store-house to the banks of
the Ohio, He at the steering oar, ' Hoped the black rascal had
broken his neck,' and congratulated himself in the same breath
for the safety of his horses, which presently got on their feet.
Sambo, however, alert as an Indian chief, leaped on the naked
back of one, and, showing his teeth, laughed at his masters
curses. Shortly after this, we found our boat very snugly
secured on the top of a rock, midway in the stream, just op-
posite the mouth of Eel River. Next day ai noon — none injured,
but all chop-fallen — we were landed at Woodstock Village, yet
in its infancy. After dining there, we procured a cart and an
excellent driver, and proceeded along an execrable road towards
Houlton, in Maine, glad enough, after all our mishaps, at finding
ourselves in our own country. But before I bid farewell to the
beautiful river of St John, I must tell you that its navigation
seldom exceeds eight months each year, the passage during the
rest being performed on the ice, of which we were told that last
season there was an unusual quantity ; so much indeed as to
accumulate, by being jammed at particular spots, to the height
of nearly fifty feet above the ordinary level of the river, and
that when it broke loose in the spring the crash was awful. All
the low grounds along the river were suddenly flooded, and even
the elevated plain on which Frederickton stands was covered
to the depth of four feet Fortunately, however, as on the
greater streams of the Western and Southern districts, such an
occurrence seldom takes place.

" Major Clarke, commander of the United States garrison,
received us with remarkable kindness. The next day was spent
in a long, though fruitless, ornithological excursion ; for although
we were accompanied by officers and men from the garrison,
not a bird did any of our party procure that was of any use to
us. We remained a few days, however ; after which, hiring a
cart, two horses, and a driver, we proceeded in the direction of
Bangor. Houlton is a neat village, consisting of some fifty

FROM BANGOR TO HODLTON. 227

houses. The fort is well situated, and commands a fine view of
Mars Hill, which is about thirteen miles distant. A custom-
house has been erected here, the place being on the boundary
line of the United States and the British provinces. The road,
which was cut by the soldiers of this garrison, from Bangor to
Houlton, through the forests, is at this moment a fine turnpike
of great breadth, almost straight in its whole length, and per-
haps the best now in the Union. It was incomplete, however,
for some miles, so that our travelling over that portion was slow
and disagreeable. The rain, which fell in torrents, reduced the
newly-raised earth to a complete bed of mud , and at one time
our horses became so completely mired that, had we not been
extricated by two oxen, we must have spent the night near the
spot. Jogging along at a very slow pace, we were overtaken by
a gay waggoner, who had excellent horses, two of which a little
1 siller ' induced him to join to ours, and we were taken to a
tavern at the i cross roads,' where we spent the night in
comfort. While supper was preparing, I made inquiry re-
specting birds, quadrupeds, and fishes, and was pleased to hear
that all of these animals abounded in the neighbourhood.
Deer, bears, trouts, and grouse, were quite plentiful, as was
the great grey owl. When we resumed our journey next
morning Nature displayed all her loveliness, and autumn,
with her mellow tints, her glowing fruits, and her rich fields of
corn, smiled in placid beauty. Many of the fields had not yet
been reaped ; the fruits of the forests and orchards hung cluster-
ing around us ; and as we came in view of the Penobscot River,
our hearts thrilled with joy. Its broad transparent waters here
spread out their unruffled surface, there danced along the rapids,
while canoes filled with Indians swiftly glided in every direc-
tion, raising before them the timorous waterfowl, that had
already flocked in from the north. Mountains, which you well
know are indispensable in a beautiful landscape, reared their
majestic crests in the distance. The Canada jay leaped paily
from branch to twig; the kingfisher, as if vexed at being
suddenly surprised, rattled loudly as it swiftly flew off; and the
fish-hawk and eagle spread their broad wings over the waters.
All around was beautiful, and we gazed on the scene with
delight as, seated on a verdant bank, we refreshed our frames

Q 2

228 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

from our replenished stores. A few rare birds were procured
here, and the rest of the road being level and firm, we trotted
on at a good pace for several hours, the Penobscot keeping
company with us. Now we came to a deep creek, of which the
bridge was undergoing repairs, and the people saw our vehicle
approach with much surprise. They, however, assisted us with
pleasure, by placing a few logs across, along which our horses,
one after the other, were carefully led, and the cart afterwards
carried. These good fellows were so averse to our recompensing
them for their labour that, after some altercation, we were
obliged absolutely to force what we deemed a suitable reward
upon them. Next day we continued our journey along the
Penobscot, the country changing its aspect at every mile ; and
when we first descried Old Town, that village of saw-mills
looked like an island covered with manufactories. The people
here are noted for their industry and perseverance, and any
one possessing a mill, and attending to his saws and the floats
ing of the timber into his dams, is sure to obtain a competency
in a few years.

" Speculations in land covered with pine, lying to the north of
this place, are carried on to a great extent, and to discover a
good tract of such ground many a miller of Old Town under-
takes long journeys. Reader, with your leave, I will here
introduce one of them.

"Good luck brought us into acquaintance with Mr. Gillies,
whom we happened to meet in the course of our travels, as he
was returning from an exploring tour. About the first of
August he formed a party of sixteen persons, each carrying
a knapsack and an axe. Their provisons consisted of two
hundred and fifty pounds of pilot bread, one hundred and fifty
pounds of salted pork, four pounds of tea, two large loaves of sugar,
and some salt. They embarked in light canoes, twelve miles
north of Bangor, and followed the Penobscot as far as Wassata-
quoik River, a branch leading to the north-west, until they
reached the Seboois Lakes, the principal of which lie in a
line, with short portages between them. Still proceeding
north-west, they navigated these lakes, and then turning west,
carried their canoes to the great lake ' Baamchenunsgamook ;'
thence north to ' Wallaghasquegantook ' Lake ; then along

LOOKING FOR "LUMBER LANDS/ 220

a small stream to the upper ' Umsaskiss ' Pond, when they
reached the Albugash Kiver, which leads into the St. John's, in
about latitude 47° 3'. Many portions of that country had not
been visited before even by the Indians, who assured Mr. Gillies
of this fact. They continued their travels down the St. John's
to the grand falls, where they met with a portage of half a
mile, aud, having reached Medux-mekcag Creek, a little above
Woodstock, the party walked to Houlton, having travelled
twelve hundred miles, and described almost an oval over the
country by the time they returned to Old Town on the
Penobscot. While anxiously looking for i lumber lands/ they
ascended the eminences around, then climbed the tallest trees,
and, by means of a great telescope, inspected the pine woods in
the distance. And such excellent judges are these persons of
the value of the timber which they thus observe, when it is
situated at a convenient distance from water, that they never
afterwards forget the different spots at all worthy of their
attention. They had observed only a few birds and quadrupeds,
the latter principally porcupines. The borders of the lakes
and rivers afforded them fruits of various sorts, and abundance
of cranberries, while the uplands yielded plenty of wild white
onions and a species of black plum. Some of the party con-
tinued their journey in canoes down the St. John's, ascended
Eel River, and the lake of the same name to Matunemheag
Eiver, due south-west of the St. John's, and, after a few portages,
fell into the Penobscot. I had made arrangements to accom-
pany Mr. Gillies on a journey of this kind, when I judged it
would be more interesting, as well as useful to me, to visit the
distant country of Labrador.

" The' road which we followed from Old Town to Bangor was
literally covered with Penobscot Indians returning from market.
On reaching the latter beautiful town, we found very comfort-
table lodgings in an excellent hotel, and next day proceeded
by the mail to Boston."

The following chapter gives some further knowledge of
what Audubon saw during his journey through the interior
of Maine.

230 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XL.

Episodes is Maine: The Maine Lumbermen.

" The men who are employed in cutting down the trees, and
conveying the logs to the saw-mills or the places for shipping,
are, in the State of Maine, called ' lumberers/ Their labours
may be said to begin before winter has commenced, and, while
the ground is yet uncovered by any great depth of snow, they
leave their homes to proceed to the interior of the pine forests,
which in that part of the country are truly magnificent, and
betake themselves to certain places already well known to them.
Their provisions, axes, saws, and other necessary articles, to-
gether with the provender for their cattle, are conveyed by oxen
on heavy sleds. Almost at the commencement of their march
they are obliged to enter the woods ; and they have frequently
to cut a way for themselves for considerable spaces, as the
ground is often covered with the decaying trunks of immense
trees, which have fallen either from age or in consequence of
accidental burnings. These trunks, and the undergrowth which
lies entangled in their tops, render many places almost impass-
able even to men on foot Over miry ponds they are sometimes
forced to form causeways, this being, under all the circum-
stances, the easiest mode of reaching the opposite side. Then,
reader, is the time for witnessing the exertions of their fine
large cattle. No rods do their drivers use to pain their flanks ;
no oaths or imprecations are ever heard to fall from the lips of
these most industrious and temperate men ; for in them, as

TREATMENT OF THE OXEN 231

indeed in most of the inhabitants of our Eastern States, educa-
tion and habit have tempered the passions and reduced the
moral constitution to a state of harmony — nay, the sobriety
that exists in many of the villages of Maine I have often con-
sidered as carried to excess, for on asking for brandy, rum, or
whiskey, not a drop could I obtain ; and it is probable there
was an equal lack of spirituous liquors of every other kind. Now
and then I saw some good old wines, but they were always
drank in careful moderation. But to return to the management
of the oxen. Why, reader, the lumberers speak to them as if
they were rational beings : few words seem to suffice, and their
whole strength is applied to the labour, as if in gratitude to
those who treat them with so much gentleness and humanity.

" While present, on more than one occasion, at what Americans
call ' ploughing matches/ which they have annually in many
of the States, I have been highly gratified, and in particular at
one — of which I still have a strong recollection — and which
took place a few miles from the fair and hospitable city of
Boston. There I saw fifty or more ploughs drawn by as many
pairs of oxen, which performed their work with so much accu-
racy and regularity, without the infliction of whip or rod, but
merely guided by the verbal mandates of the ploughmen, that
I was perfectly astonished. After surmounting all obstacles,
the lumberers, with their stock, arrive at the spot which they
have had in view, and immediately commence building a camp.
The trees around soon fall under the blows of their axes, and,
before many days have elapsed, a low habitation is reared and
fitted within for the accommodation of their cattle, while their
provender is secured on a kind of loft, covered with broad
shingles or boards. Then their own cabin is put up ; rough
bedsteads, manufactured on the spot, are fixed in the corners ,
a chimney, composed of a frame of sticks plastered with mud,
leads away the smoke ; the skins of bears or deer, with some
blankets, form their bedding , and around the walls are hung
their changes of homespun clothing, guns, and various neces-
saries of life. Many prefer spending the night on the sweet-
scented hay and corn blades of their cattle, which are laid on
the ground. All arranged within, the lumberers set around
their camp their ' dead falls,' large ' steel traps,' and ' spring

232 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

guns/ in suitable places to procure some of the bears that ever
prowl around such establishments. Now the heavy clouds of
November, driven by the northern blast, pour down the snow
in feathery flakes. The winter has fairly set in, and seldom do
the sun's gladdening rays fall on the woodcutter 8 hut In warm
flannels his body is enveloped, the skin of a racoon covers his
head and brow, his moose-skin leggings reach the girdle that
secures them round his waist, while on broad mocassins, or
snow-shoes, he stands from the earliest dawn till night hacking
away at the majestic pines that for a century past have em-
bellished the forest. The fall of these valuable trees no longer
resounds on the ground ; and as they tumble here and there,
nothing is heard but the rustling and crackling of their branches,
their heavy trunks sinking into the deep snow. Thousands of
large pines thus cut down every winter afford room for the
younger trees, which spring up profusely to supply the wants
of man. Weeks and weeks have elapsed, the earth's pure
white covering has become thickly and firmly crusted by the
increasing intensity of the cold, the fallen trees have all been
sawn into measured logs, and the long repose of the oxen has
fitted them for hauling them to the nearest frozen stream. The
ice gradually becomes covered with the accumulating mass of
timber, and, their task completed, the lumberers wait impatiently
for the breaking up of winter. At this period they pass the
time in hunting the moose, the deer, and the bear, for the
benefit of their wives and children ; and as these men are most
excellent woodsmen, great havoc is made among the game ;
many skins, sables, martins, and musk rats, they have procured
during the intervals of their labour, or under night The snows
are now giving way as the rains descend in torrents, and the
lumberers collect their utensils, harness their cattle, and prepare
for thuir return. This they accomplish in safety. From being
lumberers, they become millers, and with pleasure each applies
the prating file to his saws. Many logs have already reached
the dams on the swollen waters of the rushing streams, and the
task commences, which is carried on through the summer, of
cutting them up into boards. The great heat of the dog-davs
has parched the ground; every creek has become a shallow,
except here and there where, in a deep hole, the salmon and

FLOATING TIMBER. 233

the trout have found a retreat the sharp slimy angles of
multitudes of rocks project, as if to afford resting-places to the
wood ducks and herons that breed on the borders of these
streams. Thousands of ' saw-logs ' remain in every pool, be-
neath and above each rapid or fall. The millers dam has been
emptied of its timber, and he must now resort to some expedient
to procure a fresh supply. It was my good fortune to witness
the method employed for the purpose of collecting the logs
that had not reached their destination, and I had the more
pleasure that it was seen in company with my little family
I wish, for your sake, reader, that I could describe in an ade-
quate manner the scene which I viewed ; but although not so
well qualified as I could wish, rely upon it that the desire which
I feel to gratify you will induce me to use all my endeavours
to give you an idea of it. It was the month of September.

"At the upper extremity of Dennisville, which is itself a
pretty village, are the saw-mills and ponds of the hospitable
Judge Lincoln and other persons. The creek that conveys the
logs to these ponds, and which bears the name of the village,
is interrupted in its course by many rapids and narrow embanked
gorges. One of the latter is situated about half a mile above
the mill-dam, and is so rocky and rugged in the bottom and
sides as to preclude the possibility of the trees passing along it
at low water, while, as I conceived, it would have given no slight
labour to an army of woodsmen or millers to move the thousands
of large logs that had accumulated in it. They lay piled in
confused heaps to a great height along an extent of several
hundred yards, and were in some places so close as to have
formed a kind of dam. Above the gorge there is a large
natural reservoir, in which the head waters of the creek settle,
while only a small portion of these ripple through the gorge
below, during the latter weeks of summer and in early autumn,
when their streams are at the lowest. At the neck of this
basin the lumberers raised a temporary barrier with the refuse
of their sawn logs. The boards were planted nearly upright,
and supported at their tops by a strong tree extended from side
to side of the creek, which might there be about forty feet in
breadth. It was prevented from giving way under the pressure
of the rising waters by having strong abutments of wood laid

234 LIFE OP AUDUBON

against its centre, while the ends of these abutments were
secured by wedges, which could be knocked off when necessary
The temporary dam was now finished. Little or no water
escaped through the barrier, and that in the creek above it
rose in the course of three weeks to its top, which was about
ten feet high, forming a sheet that extended upwards fully a
mile from the dam. My family were invited early one morn-
ing to go and witness the extraordinary effect which would be
produced by the breaking down of the barrier, and we all
accompanied the lumberers to the place. Two of the men, on
reaching it, threw off their jackets, tied handkerchiefs round
their heads, and fastened to their bodies a long rope, the end of
which was held by three or four others, who stood ready to
drag their companions ashore, in case of danger or accident.
The two operators, each bearing an axe, walked along the abut-
ments, and, at a given signal, knocked out the wedges. A
second blow from each sent off the abutments themselves, and
the men, leaping with extreme dexterity from one cross log to
another, sprung to the shore with almost the quickness of
thought. Scarcely had they effected their escape from the
frightful peril that threatened them, when the mass of waters
burst forth with a horrible uproar. All eyes were bent to-
wards the huge heaps of logs in the gorge below. The tumult-
uous burst of the waters instantly swept away every object that
opposed their progress, and rushed in foaming waves among the
timber that everywhere blocked up the passage. Presently a
slow heavy 'motion was perceived in the mass of logs ; one
might have imagined that some mighty monster lay convul-
sively writhing beneath them, struggling, with a fearful energy,
to extricate himself from the crushing weight. As the waters
rose this movement increased ; the mass of timber extended in
all directions, appearing to become more and more entangled
each moment ; the logs bounced against each other, thrusting
aside, submerging or raising into the air, those with which they
came in contact. It seemed as if they were waging a war of
destruction, such as the ancient authors describe the efforts of
the Titans, the foaming of whose wrath might, to the eye of
the painter, have been represented by the angry curlings of the
waters, while the tremulous and rapid motions of the logs.

FORCE OP THE WATERS. 235

which at times reared themselves almost perpendicularly,
might by the poet have been taken for the shakings of the con-
founded and discomfited giants. Now the rushing element filled
up the gorge to the brim. The logs, once under way, rolled,
reared, tossed, and tumbled amid the foam, as they were carried
along. Many of the smaller trees broke across ; from others,
great splinters were sent up, and all were in some degree seamed
and scarred. Then, in tumultuous majesty, swept along the
mangled wreck the current being now increased to such a
pitch, that the logs, as they were dashed against the rocky
shores, resounded like the report of distant artillery, or the
angry rumblings of the thunder. Onward it rolls, the emblem
of wreck and ruin, destruction and chaotic strife. It seemed to
me as if I witnessed the rout of a rash army, surprised, over-
whelmed, and overthrown : the roar of the cannon, the groans
of the dying, and the shouts of the avengers, were thundering
through my brain ; and amid the frightful confusion of the
scene there came over my spirit a melancholy feeling, which
had not entirely vanished at the end of many days. In a few
hours almost all the timber that had lain heaped in the rocky
gorge was floating in the great pond of the millers, and as we
walked homewards we talked of the force of the waters."

230 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XL1.

Visit to the Bay of Fxjndy.

While visiting Eastport, Audubon made a trip to the Bay of
Fundy and some of its neighbouring islands, in search of the
birds which resort there ; and the following episode is his own
graphic account of that journey : —

"The Bay of Fundy.

" It was in the month of May that I sailed in the United
States revenue cutter the Swiftsure, engaged in a cruise in the
Bay of Fundy Our sails were quickly unfurled, and spread
out to the breeze.

" The vessel seemed to fly over the liquid element, as the
sun rose in full splendour, while the clouds that floated here
and there formed, with their glowing hues, a rich contrast with
the pure azure of the heavens above us. We approached apace
the island of Grand Manan, of which the stupendous cliffs
gradually emerged from the deep, with the majestic boldness of
her noblest native chief. Soon our bark passed beneath its
craggy head, covered with trees which, on account of the
height, seemed scarcely larger than shrubs. The prudent raven
spread her pinions, launched from the cliff, and flew away
before us ; the golden eagle, soaring aloft, moved majestically
along in wide circles , the guillemots sat on their eggs upon
the sheivy precipices, or, plunging into the water, dived and

WHITE-HEAD ISLAND. 237

rose again at a great distance ; the broad-breasted eider duck
covered her egga among the grassy tufts ; on a naked rock the
seal lazily basked, its sleek sides glistening in the sunshine ;
while shoals of porpoises were swiftly gliding through the waters
around us, showing by their gambols that, although doomed to
the deep, their life was not devoid of pleasure. Far away stood
the bold shores of Nova Scotia, gradually fading in the distance,
of which the grey tints beautifully relieved the wing-like sails
of many a fishing-bark. Cape after cape, forming eddies and
counter-currents far too terrific to be described by a landsman,
we passed in succession, until we reached a deep cove near the
shores of White-head Island, which is divided from Grand
Manan by a narrow strait, where we anchored secure from every
blast that could blow. In a short time we found ourselves
under the roof of Captain Frankland, the sole owner of the isle,
of which the surface contains about fifteen hundred acres. He
received us all with politeness, and gave us permission to seek
out its treasures, which we immediately set about doing, for I
was anxious to study the habits of certain gulls that breed there
in great numbers. As Captain Coolidge, our worthy com-
mander, had assured me, we found them on their nests on
almost every tree of a wood that covered several acres. What
a treat, reader, was it to find birds of this kind lodged on fir-
trees, and sitting comfortably on their eggs !

" Their loud cackling notes led us to their place of resort,
and ere long we had satisfactorily observed their habits, and
collected as many of themselves and their eggs as we considered
sufficient. In our walks we noticed a rat, the only quadruped
found in the island, and observed abundance of gooseberries,
currants, rasps, strawberries, and huckleberries. Seating our-
selves on the summit of the rocks, in view of the vast Atlantic,
we spread out our stores and refreshed ourselves with our
simple fare. Now we followed the objects of our pursuit
through the tangled woods, now carefully picked our steps
over the spongy grounds. The air was filled with the melodious
concerts of birds, and all Nature seemed to smile in quiet
enjoyment. We wandered about until the setting sun warned
us to depart, when, returning to the house of the proprietor, we
sat down to an excellent repast, and amused ourselves with

238 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

relating anecdotes and forming arrangements for the morrow.
Our captain complimented us on our success when we reached
the Swiftsure, and in due time we betook ourselves to our
hammocks. The next morning, a strange sail appearing in the
distance, preparations were instantly made to pay her com-
mander a visit. The signal-staff of 'White-head Island*
displayed the British flag, while Captain Frankland and his
men stood on the shore, and as we gave our sails to the wind,
three hearty cheers filled the air, and were instantly responded
to by us. The vessel was soon approached, but all was found
right with her, and, squaring our yards, onward we sped,
cheerily bounding over the gay billows, until our captain set
us ashore at Eastport. At another time my party was received
on board the revenue cutter's tender, the Fancy, a charming
name for so beautiful a craft. We set sail towards evening.
The cackling of the ' old wives/ that covered the bay, filled me
with delight, and thousands of gulls and cormorants seemed a£
if anxious to pilot us into 'Head Harbour Bay,' where we
anchored for the night. Leaping on the rugged shore, we
made our way to the lighthouse, where we found Mr. Snelling,
a good and honest Englishman, from Devonshire. His family
consisted of three wild-looking lasses, beautiful, like the most
finished productions of Nature. In his lighthouse, snugly en-
sconced, he spent his days in peaceful forgetfulness of the world,
subsisting principally on the fish of the bay. When day broke,
how delightful it was to see fair Nature open her graceful eye-
lids, and present herself arrayed in all that was richest and
purest before her Creator ! Ah ! reader, how indelibly are
such moments engraved upon my soul ! with what ardour have
I at 6uch times gazed around me, full of the desire of being
enabled to comprehend all that I saw! How often have I
longed to converse with the feathered inhabitants of the forest,
all of which seemed then intent on offering up their thanks to
the object of my own adoration ! But the wish could not be
gratified, although I now feel satisfied that I have enjoyed as
much of the wonders and beauties of Nature as it was proper
for me to enjoy. The delightful trills of the winter wren rolled
through the underwood, the red squirrel smacked time with
his chops, the loud notes of the robin sounded clearly from the

CATCHING WATER FOWL. 239

tops of the trees, the rosy grosbeak nipped the tender blossoms
of the maples, and high overhead the loons passed in pairs,
rapidly wending their way toward far-distant shores. Would
that I could have followed in their wake ! The hour of our
departure had come, and, as we sailed up the bay, our pilot—
who had been fishing for cod — was taken on board. A few of
his fish were roasted on a plank before the embers, and formed
the principal part of our breakfast. The breeze was light, and
it was not until afternoon that we arrived at Point Lepreaux
Harbour, where every one, making choice of his course, went in
search of curiosities or provender. Now, reader, the little
harbour in which, if you wish it, we shall suppose we still are
is renowned for a circumstance which I feel much inclined to
endeavour to explain to you. Several species of ducks, that in
myriads cover the waters of the Bay of Fundy, are at times
destroyed in this particular spot in a very singular manner.
When July has come, all the water birds that are no longer
capable of reproducing remain, like so many forlorn bachelors
and old maids, to renew their plumage along the shores. At
the period when these poor birds are unfit for flight, troops of
Indians make their appearance in light bark canoes, paddled by
their squaws and papooses. They form their flotilla into an
extended curve, and drive before them the birds , not in silence,
but with simultaneous horrific yells, at the same time beating
the surface of the water with their long poles aud paddles,
Terrified by the noise, the birds swim a long way before them,
endeavouring to escape with all their might. The tide is high,
every cove is filled, and into the one where we now are thousands
of ducks are seen entering. The Indians have ceased to shout,
and the canoes advance side by side. Time passes on, the tide
swiftly recedes as it rose, and there are the birds left on the
beach. See with what pleasure each wild inhabitant of the
forest seizes his stick, the squaws and younglings following with
similar weapons ! Look at them rushing on their prey, falling
on the disabled birds, and smashing them with their cudgels,
until all are destroyed! In this manner upwards of five
hundred wild fowls have often been procured in a few hours.
Three pleasant days were spent about Point Lepreaux, when
the Fancy spread her wings to the breeze. In one harbour we

240 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

fished for shells, with a capital dredge, and in another searched
along the shore for eggs. The Papamaqnody chief is seen
gliding swiftly over the deep in his fragile bark. He has
observed a porpoise breathing. Watch him, for now he is close
upon the unsuspecting dolphin. He rises erect; aims his
musket • smoke rises curling from the pan, and rushes from the
iron tube, when soon after the report reaches the ear : mean-
time, the porpoise has suddenly turned back downwards ; it is
dead The body weighs a hundred pounds or more, but this, to
the^ tough-fibred son of the woods, is nothing ; he reaches it
with his muscular arms, and, at a single jerk — while with his
legs he dexterously steadies the canoe — he throws it length-
wise at his feet. Amidst the highest waves of the Bay of
Fundy, these feats are performed by the Indians during the
whole of the season, when the porpoises resort thither.

" You have often, no doubt, heard of the extraordinary tides
of this bay ; so had I, but, like others, I was loth to believe
that the reports were strictly true. So I went to the pretty
town of Windsor, in Nova Scotia, to judge for myself.

" But let us leave the Fancy for awhile, and fancy ourselves
at Windsor. Late one day in August, my companions and I
were seated on the grassy and elevated bank of the river, about
eighty feet or so above its bed, which was almost dry, and
extended for nine miles below like a sandy wilderness. Many
vessels lay on the high banks, taking in their cargo of gypsum.
We thought the appearance very singular, but we were too late
to watch the tide that evening. Next morning we resumed
our station, and soon perceived the water flowing towards us,
and rising with a rapidity of which we had previously seen no
example. We planted along the steep declivity of the bank a
number of sticks, each three feet long, the base of one being placed
on a level witli the top of that below it, and when about half flow
the tide reached their tops, one after another, rising three feet
in ten minutes, or eighteen in the hour, and at high water the
surface was sixty-five feet above the bed of the river. On look*
ing for the vessels which we had seen the previous evening, we
were told that most of them had gone with the night tide.
But now we are again on board the Fancy ; Mr. Claredge stands
near the pilot, who sits next to the man at the helm. On we

A RESCUE. 241

move swiftly, for the breeze has freshened ; many islands we
pass in succession ; the wind increases to a gale. With reefed
sails we dash along, and now rapidly pass a heavily-laden sloop,
gallantly running across our course with undiminished sail,
when suddenly we see her upset. Staves and spars are floating
around, and presently we observe three men scrambling up her
sides, and seating themselves on the keel, where they make
signals of distress to us. By this time we have run to a great
distance; but Claredge, cool and prudent, as every seaman
ought to be, has already issued his orders to the helmsman and
crew, and, now near the wind, we gradually approach the
sufferers. A line is thrown to them, and next moment we are
alongside the vessel. A fisher's boat, too, has noticed the
disaster, and, with long strokes of her oars, advances, now rising
on the curling wave, and now sinking out of sight. By our
mutual efforts the men are brought on board, and the sloop is
slowly towed into a safe harbour. In an hour after my party
was safely landed at Eastport, where, on looking over the
waters, and observing the dense masses of vapours that veiled
the shore, we congratulated ourselves at having escaped from
the Bay of Fundy"

n

242 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XLII.

Return to Boston — Wanderings in the Neighbourhood — Voyage to
Labrador in the Schooner Ripley — Misadventures at Little
River — Seal and Mud Islands — The Gut of Canseau

From Frederickton Audubon returned in a private conveyance
to Houlton, thence along the United States military road to
Bangor, and thence by public stages to Boston, where he
arrived early in October. Finding that it would improve his
great work on the " Birds" to remain another year in America,
and visit parts of the country yet unexplored by him, Audubon
determined to send his eldest son Victor to England, to
superintend the engraving, and to look after his general
interests there. Victor Audubon accordingly sailed from New
York for Liverpool, toward the end of October, while his father
remaiued in Boston during that and the following winter,
actively engaged in making drawings of new birds which he
had discovered, and also in redrawing and greatly improving
some of his older drawings. He also made frequent excursions
into the surrounding country, " Here," says the Journal, u I was
witness to the melancholy death of the great Spurzheim f and was
mvself suddenly attacked by a short but severe illness, which
greatly alarmed my family : but thanks to Providence and my
medical friends, Parkman, Shattuck, and Warren, I was soon
enabled to proceed with my labour — a sedentary life and too
close application being the cause assigned for my indisposition. I
resolved to set out again in quest of fresh materials for my pencil

SAILS FOR LABRADOR. 243

and pen. My wishes directing me to Labrador, I returned
eastward with my youngest son, and had the pleasure of being
joined by four young gentlemen, all fond of natural history,
and willing to encounter the difficulties and privations of the
voyage — George Shattuck, Thomas Lincoln, William Ingalls,
and Joseph Coolidge."

The schooner Ripley was chartered at Boston for fifteen
hundred dollars for the trip to Labrador. The journal contain-
ing the narrative begins at Eastport.

" June 4, 1843. The day has been fine, and I dined with
Captain Childs, commanding the United States troops here.
We had a pleasant dinner, but I am impatient to be under
weigh for Labrador. The vessel is being prepared for our
reception and departure ; and we have concluded to ship two
extra sailors, and a boy, to be a sort of major-domo, to clean our
guns, hunt for nests and birds, and assist in skinning them, &c.
While rambling in the woods this morning I discovered a crow's
nest with five young ones in it, and as I climbed the tree the
parents came to the rescue of their children, crying loudly and
with such perseverance, that in fifteen minutes more than fifty
pairs of these birds had joined in their vociferations, although I
saw only a single pair when I began to climb the tree.

"June 6. We sailed from Eastport about one o'clock p.m.,
and the whole male population seemed to have turned out to
witness our departure, just as if no schooner of the size of the
Eipley had ever gone from this mighty port to Labrador ,
our numerous friends came with the throng, and we all shook
hands as if we were never to meet again ; and as we pushed oft'
with a trifling accident or so, the batteries of the garrison and
the cannon of the revenue cutter in the stream saluted us with
stout, loud, and oft-repeated reports. Captain Coolidge accom-
panied us, and was, indeed, our pilot, until we passed Lubec.
The wind was light and ahead, and yet with the assistance of
the tide we drifted twenty-five miles down to Little River
during the night.

"June 7. This morning found us riding at anchor near some
ugly-looking rocks, the sight of which caused our captain to try
to get out of their way, and the whole morning was spent in
trying to get into Little River, but the men were unable to tow

\\ 2

244 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

us in. We landed for a few minutes and shot a hermit thrush,
but the wind sprang up, and we returned to the vessel and tried
to put out to sea ; we were for a time in danger of drifting upon
the rocks, but the wind increased, and we made our way out to
sea. Suddenly, however, the fog came drifting in, and was so
thick that we could hardly see the bowsprit, and the night was
spent in direful apprehension of some impending evil ; although,
about twelve, squalls of wind decided in our favour, and when
day dawned the wind was blowing fresh from the north, and we
were driving on the waters, all sea-sick, and crossing that worst
of all dreadful bays, the Bav of Fundy.

" June 8. We sailed between Seal and 3Iud Islands. In the
latter the procellaria (a species of gull) breed abundantly;
their nests are dug in the sand to the depth of two feet or more,
and the whole island is covered with them, looking like rat
holes. Thev lav three white ejrjrs."

The next two davs recorded in the Journal describe the winds
and sights, and birds which were seen as the voyagers scudded
from Cape Sable to the Gut of Canseau, so named by the early
French voyagers, because they found vast quantities of wild
geese there. The wind was fair, and the captain of the
Ripley wished to continue his course to Labrador. But
Audubon, anxious to explore every part of the coast along
which thev were sailing, persuaded the captain to come to
anchor in a harbour in the Gut of Canseau, of the same name.
Here he found twenty sail of Labrador fishermen at anchor, and
obtained the information which enabled him to write the follow-
ing episode.

CHAPTER XLII.

Episode : Cod-Fishing in Labrador.

" Although I had seen, as I thought, abundance of fish along
the coasts of the Floridas, the numbers which I found in
Labrador quite astonished me. Should your surprise while
reading the following statements be as great as mine was while
observing the facts related, you will conclude, as I have often
done, that Nature's means for providing small animals for the
use of large ones, and vice versa, are as ample as is the grandeur
of that world which she has so curiously constructed. The coast
of Labrador is visited by European as well as American fisher-
men, all of whom are, I believe, entitled to claim portions of
fishing ground, assigned to eacli nation by mutual understanding.
For the present, however, I shall confine my observations to
those who chiefly engage in this department of our commerce.
Eastport in Maine sends out every year a goodly fleet of
schooners and ' pick-axes ' to Labrador, to procure cod, mackerel,
halibut, and sometimes herring, the latter being caught in the
intermediate space. The vessels from that port, and others in
Maine and Massachusetts, sail as soon as the warmth of spring
has freed the gulf of ice, that is from the beginning of May to
that of June.

" A vessel of one hundred tons or so is provided with a crew of
twelve men, who are equally expert as sailors and fishers, and
for every couple of these hardy tars a Hampton boat is provided,
which is lashed on the deck or hung in stays. Their provision
is simple, but of good quality, and it is very seldom any spirits
are allowed, beef, pork, and biscuit, with water, being all they
take with them. The men are supplied with warm clothing,

246 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

water-proof oil jackets and trousers, large boots, broad-brimmed
hats with a round crown, and stout mittens, with a few shirts.
The owner or captain furnishes them with lines, hooks, and nets,
and also provides the bait best adapted to insure success. The
hold of the vessel is filled with casks of various dimensions, some
containing salt, and others for the oil that may be procured.
The bait generally used at the beginning of the season consists
of mussels, salted for the purpose ; but as soon as the capelings
reach the coast, they are substituted to save expense ; and, in
many instances, the flesh of gannets and other sea-fowl is em-
ployed. The wages of fishermen vary from sixteen to thirty
dollars per month, according to the qualifications of the indi-
vidual. The labour of these men is excessively hard, for, unless
on Sunday, their allowance of rest in the twenty-four hours
seldom exceeds three. The cook is the only person who feres
better in this respect, but he must also assist in curing the fish,
lie has breakfast, consisting of coffee, bread, and meat, ready
for the captain and the whole crew, by three o'clock every
morning except Sunday Each person carries with him his
dinner ready cooked, which is commonly eaten on the fishing
ground. Thus, at three in the morning, the crew are prepared
for their day's labour, and ready to betake themselves to their
boats, each of which has two oars and lug-sails. They all depart
at once, and either by rowing or sailing, reach the banks to
which the fishes are known to resort The little squadron drop
their anchors at short distances from each other, in a depth of
from ti*n to twenty feet, and the business is immediately com-
menced. Each man has two lines, and each stands in one end
of the boat, the middle of which is boarded off to hold the fish.
The baited lines have been dropped into the water, one on each
side of the boat ; their leads have reached the bottom ; a fish has
taken the hook, and after giving the line a slight jerk, the
fisherman hauls up his prize with a continued pull, throws the
fish athwart a small round bar of iron placed near his back,
which forces open the mouth, while the weight of the body,
however small the fish may be, tears out the hook. The bait is
still good, and over the side the line again goes, to catch
another fish, while that on the left is now drawn up, and the
same course pursued. In this manner, a fisher busily plying at

COD-FISHING. 247

each end, the operation is continued, until the boat is so laden
that her gunwale is brought within a few inches of the surface,
when they return to the vessel in harbour, seldom distant more
than eight miles from the banks. During the greater part of
the day the fishermen have kept up a constant conversation, of
which the topics are the pleasures of finding a good supply of
cod, their domestic affairs, the political prospects of the nation,
and other matters similarly connected. Now the repartee of
one elicits a laugh from the other ; this passes from man to
man, and the whole flotilla enjoy the joke. The men of one
boat strive to outdo those of the others in hauling up the
greatest quantity of fish in a given time, and this forms another
source of merriment. The boats are generally filled about the
same time, and all return together. Arrived at the vessel, each
man employs a pole armed with a bent iron, resembling the
prong of a hay-fork, with which he pierces the fish and throws
it with a jerk on deck, counting the number thus discharged
with a loud voice. Each cargo is thus safely deposited, and the
boats instantly return to the fishing ground, when, after anchor-
ing, the men eat their dinner and begin anew. There, good
reader, with your leave, I will let them pursue their avocations
for awhile, as 1 am anxious that you should witness what is doing
on board the vessel. The captain, four men, and the cook have,
in the course of the morning, erected long tables fore and aft of
the main hatchway. They have taken to the shore most of the
salt barrels, and have placed in a row their lari^e empty casks to
receive the livers. The hold of the vessel is quite clear, except
a corner, where is a large heap of salt And now the men,
having dined precisely at twelve, are ready with their large
knives. One begins with breaking off the head of the fish, a
slight pull of the hand and a gash with the knife effecting this
in a moment. He slits up the belly, with one hand pushes it
aside to his neighbour, then throws overboard the head and
begins to doctor another ; the next man tears out the entrails,
separates the liver, which he throws into a cask, and casts the
rest overboard. A third person dexterously passes his knife
beneath the vertebrae of the fish, separates them from the flesh,
heaves the latter through the hatchway, and the former into the
water. Now, if you will peep into the hold, you will see the

248 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

last stage of the process, the salting and packing. Six ex-
perienced men generally manage to head, gut, bone, salt, and
pack all the fish caught in the morning, by the return of the
boats with fresh cargoes, when all hands set to work and clear
the deck of the fish. Thus their labours continue until twelve
o'clock, when they wash their faces and hands, put on clean
clothes, hang their fishing apparel on the shrouds, and, betaking
themselves to the forecastle, are soon in a sound sleep.

" At three next morning comes the captain from his berth,
rubbing his eyes, and in a loud voice calling, ' All hands, ho !'
Stiffened in limb, and but half awake, the crew quickly appear
on deck. Their fingers and hands are so cramped and swollen
by pulling the lines that it is difficult for them even to straighten
a thumb ; but this matters little at present, for the cook, who
had a good nap yesterday, has risen an hour before them, and
prepared their coffee and eatables. Breakfast despatched, they
exchange their clean clothes for the fishing apparel, and leap
into their boats, winch had been washed the previous night, and
again the flotilla bounds to the fishing ground. As there may
be not less than 100 schooners or pick-axes in the harbour,
300 boats resort to the banks each day ; and as each boat may
procure 2,000 cod per diem, when Saturday night comes, about
6o0,000 fishes have been brought to the harbour. This having
caused some scarcity on the fishing grounds, and Sunday being
somewhat of an idle day, the captain collects the salt ashore,
and sets sail for some other convenient harbour, which he expects
to reach before sunset. If the weather be favourable the men
get a good deal of rest during the voyage, and on Monday
things go on as before. I must not omit to tell you, reader,
that while proceeding from one harbour to another the vessel
lias passed near a rock which is the breeding place of myriads
of puffins. She has laid to for an hour or so, while part of the
crew have lauded and collected a store of eggs, excellent as a
substitute for cream, and not less so when hard boiled as food
lor the fishing grounds. I may as well inform you also how
these adventurous fellows distinguish the fresh eggs from the
others. They fill up some large tubs with water, throw in a
quantity of egg , and allow them to remain a minute or so,
when those which come to the surface are tuseed overboard, and

SALTING COD-FISH. 249

even those that manifest any upward tendency share the same
treatment. All that remain at bottom, you may depend upon
it, good reader, are perfectly sound, and not less palatable than
any that you have ever eaten, or that your best guinea-fowl has
just dropped in your barn-yard ; but let us return to the cod-fish.
The fish already procured and salted is taken ashore at the new
harbour by part of the crew, whom the captain has marked as
the worst hands at fishing. There on the bare rocks, or elevated
scaffolds of considerable extent, the salted cods are laid side by
side to dry in the sun. They are turned several times a day,
and in the intervals the men bear a hand on board at clearing
and stowing away the daily produce of the fishing banks.
Towards evening they return to the drying grounds, and put up
the fish in piles resembling so many haystacks, disposing those
towards the top in such a manner that the rain cannot injure
them, and placing a heavy stone on the summit to prevent their
being thrown down, should it blow hard during the night.
You see, reader, that the life of a Labrador fisherman is not one
of idleness. The capelings have approached the shores, and in
myriads enter every basin and stream to deposit their spawn,
for now July is come, the cods follow them as the bloodhound
follows his prey, and their compact masses literally line the
shores. The fishermen now adopt another method. They have
brought with them long and deep seines, one end of which is,
by means of a line, fastened to the shore, while the other is in
the usual manner drawn out in a broad sweep, to inclose as
great a space as possible, and hauled on shore by means of a
capstan. Some of the men in boats support the corked part of
the net, and beat the water to frighten the fishes within towards
the land; while others, armed with poles, enter the water, hook
the fishes, and fling them on the beach, the net being gradually
drawn closer as the number of fishes diminish. What do you
think, reader, as to the number of cods secured in this manner
at a single haul ?— twenty or thirty thousand. You mav form
some notion of the matter when I tell you that the young
gentlemen of my party, while going along the shores, caught
cod-fish alive with their hands, and trouts of weight with a puce
of twine and a mackerel hook hung to their gun rods ; and that
if two of them walked knee-deep along the rocks, holding a

250 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

handkerchief by the corners, they swept it fall of capelingB :
should you not trust me in this, I refer you to the fishermen
themselves, or recommend you to go to Labrador, where you
will give credit to the testimony of your eyes. The seining of
the cod-fish is not, 1 believe, quite lawful, for a great proportion
of the codlings which are dragged ashore at last are so small as
to be considered useless, and, instead of being returned to the
water as they ought to be, are left on the shore, where they are
ultimately eaten by bears, wolves, and ravens. The fishes taken
along the coast or fishing stations only a few miles off are of
small dimensions, and I believe I am correct in saying that few
of them weigh more than two pounds when perfectly cured, or
exceed six when taken out of the water. The fish are liable to
several diseases, and at times are annoyed by parasitic animals,
which in a short time render them lean and unfit for use. Some
individuals, from laziness or other causes, fish with naked hooks,
and thus frequently wound the cod without securing them, in
consequence of which the shoals are driven away, to the detri-
ment of the other fishers. Some carrv their cargoes to other
ports before drying them, while others dispose of them to agents
from distant shores. Some have only a pick-axe of fifty tons,
while others are owners of seven or eight vessels of equal or
larger burden ; but whatever be their means, should the season
prove favourable, they are generally well repaid for their labour.
I have known instances of men who on their first voyage ranked
as ' boys/ and in ten years after were in independent circum-
stances, although they still continued to resort to the fishing.
' For,' said they to me, i how could we be content to spend our
time in idleness at home ?' I know a person of this class who
has carried on the trade for many years, and who has quite a
little fleet of schooners, one of which, the largest and most
beautifully built, has a cabin as neat and comfortable as any
that I have ever seen in a vessel of the same size. This vessel
took fish on board only when perfectly cured, or acted as pilot
to the rest, and now and then would return home with an ample
supply of halibut, or a cargo of prime mackerel. On another
occasion I will offer some remarks on the improvements which
I think might be made in the cod fisheries of the coast of
Labrador."

CHAPTER XLIIL

En Route to Labrador— Gut of Canseau— Jestico Island— Entree Day-
Magdalene Island — The Inhabitants — Ornithological Note-
Birds on the Rock — Xatasquan River — Firm 1 Impre>>ions ok La-
brador — Natasquan Falls — Hallfax Eggers.

June 11. From the entrance to the Gut of Canseau, where the
Ripley lay at anchor, Audubon had the first view of the south-
eastern coast of Nova Scotia, which he describes as "dreary,
rocky, poor and inhospitable-looking." It snowed the next day,
yet, when the party went ashore, they found not only trees in
bloom, but the ground plants were in flow r er, and some tolerably
good-looking grass; and they saw also robins, and sparrows,
and finches, and their nests with young ones. But no custom-
house officer appeared, nor any individual who could give them
any valuable information. They found lobsters very abundant,
and caught forty in a very short time ; but to their surprise
they did not see a single sea-bird.

" June 12. To-day there has been cold, rain and hail, but the
frogs are piping in the pools. By-and-by the weather became
beautiful, and the wind fair, and we were soon under way,
following in the wake of the whole fleet, which had been
anchored in the harbour of Canseau, and gliding across the
great bay under full press of sail The land locked us in, the
water was smooth, the sky serene, and the thermometer at 46°,
and the sunshine on deck was very agreeable. After sailing
twenty-one miles we entered the real Gut of Canseau, passing

252 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

one after another every vessel of the fleet with which we had
sailed.

" The land on each side now rose in the form of an amphi-
theatre, and on the Nova Scotia side to a considerable height ;
dwellings appeared here and there, but the country is too poor
for comfort ; the timber is small, and the land too stony ; a
small patch of ploughed land planted, or ready for potatoes, was
all the cultivation we saw. Near one house we saw a few apple-
trees, which were not yet in bloom. The general appearance
of this passage reminded me of some parts of the Hudson River,
and, accompanied as we were by thirty sail of vessels, the time
passed agreeably. Vegetation appeared about as forward as at
Eastport : saw a few chimney swallows and heard a few blue
jays. As we passed Cape Porcupine, a high rounding hill, we
saw some Indians in birch-bark canoes, and clearing Cape George
we were soon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. From this place, on
the 20th of May last year, the sea was a sheet of ice as far as
the eye could reach with the aid of a good spy-glass.

" AVe ran down the west coast of Cape Breton Island, and the
countrv looked well in the distance ; large undulating hills were
covered with many hamlets, and patches of cultivated land
were seen. It being calm when we neared Jestico Island, about
three miles from Cape Breton, I left the vessel and landed on it.
It was covered with well-grown grass, and filled with strawberry
vines in full bloom. The sua shone brightly, the weather was
pleasant, and we found many northern birds breeding there ;
the wild gooseberries were plentiful, about the size of a pea, and
a black currant also. The wind arose, and we hurried back to
the vessel * on the way my son John and some of the sailors
nearly killed a seal with their oars.

"June 13. This morning at four o'clock we came in sight of
the Magdalene Islands, distant about twenty miles. The morning
was dull, and by breakfast-time a thick fog obscured the horizon,
and we lost sight of the islands ; the wind rose sluggishly and
dead ahead, and several ships and brigs loaded with timber from
the Miremachie came near us beating their way to the Atlantic.
At nine o'clock we dropped anchor, being partly land-locked
between Breton Island and the Highlands, and within a quarter
of a mile of an island, which formed a part of the group. The

MAGDALENE ISLANDS. 253

pilot, who is well acquainted here, informed me that the islands
are all connected by dry sand-bars, and with no channel between
them except the one we are in, called Entree Bay, which is
formed by Entree Island and a long sand-spit connecting it
with the mainland. The island is forty-eight miles long, and
three in breadth ; the formation is a red rough sandy soil, and
the north-west side is constantly wearing away by the action of
the sea. Guillemots were seated upright along the projecting
shelvings in regular order, resembling so many sentinels on the
look-out ; many gannets also were seen on the extreme points
of the island. On one of the islands were many houses, and a
small church, and on the highest land a large cross, indicating
the religion of the inhabitants. Several small vessels lay in
the harbour called Pleasant Bay, but the weather is so cold we
cannot visit them until to-morrow.

" June 14, 1833. Magdalene Islands, Gulf of St. Lawrence.
It is one week since we left East port, and we breakfasted with
the thermometer at 44° in our cabin, and on deck it feels like
mid-winter. We landed on the island next to us so chilled that
we could scarcely use our hands ; two large bluffs frowned on
each side of us, the resort of many sea-birds, and some noble
ravens which we saw Following a narrow path we soon came
upon one of God's best-finished jewels, a woman. She saw us
first, for women are always keenest in sight and perception, in
patience and fortitude and love, in faith and sorrow, and, as I
believe, in everything else which adorns our race. She was
hurrying towards her cottage, with a child in her arms having
no covering but a little shirt. The mother was dressed in coarse
French homespun, with a close white cotton nightcap on her
head, and the mildest-looking woman I had seen in many a day.
At a venture I addressed her in French, and it answered well,
for she replied in an unintelligible jargon, about one-third of
which I understood, which enabled me to make out that she was
the wife of a fisherman who lived there.

"We walked on through the woods towards the church.
Who would have expected to find a church on such an island,
among such impoverished people ? Yet here it was, a Itoinan
Catholic church. And here we came suddenly on a hand-
gome, youthful, vigorous, black-haired and black-bearded fellow,

254 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

covered with a long garment as black as a raven, and a heart as
light as a young lark's. He was wending his way to the church,
at the sound of a bell, which measured twelve inches by nine
in diameter, of about thirty pounds weight, which could never-
theless be heard for a quarter of a mile. It was the festival
among the Roman Catholics of La Petite Fete de Dieu. The
chapel was lighted with candles, and all the old women on the
island had trudged from their distant dwellings, staff in hand,
backs bent with age, and eyes dimmed by time. They crossed
their breasts and knelt before the tawdry images in the church,
with so much simplicity and apparent sincerity of heart, that I
could not help exclaiming to myself, ' Well, this is religion after
all;

" The priest, named Brunet, was from Quebec, and these islands
belong to Lower Canada, but are under the jurisdiction of the
Bishop of Halifax. He is a shrewd-looking fellow, and, if I do
not mistake his character, with a good deal of the devil in him.
He told us there were no reptiles on the island ; but we found
by our own observations that he was mistaken, as he was also in
the representations he made respecting the quadrupeds. This
priest, who I hope is a good and worthy man, told us that the
land is very poor, and destitute of game, and that the seal-
fisheries were less profitable last year than common ; that there
are about one hundred and sixty families on a dozen islands,
and that cod, mackerel, and herring-fishing were the employ-
ments of the inhabitants. One or two vessels come from
Quebec yearly to collect the produce (of the sea). The priest
said he led the life of a recluse here, but if we would accompany
him to his boarding-house he would give us a glass of good
French wine.

" On our rambles we found the temperature on land quite
agreeable, and in sheltered situations the sun was warm and
pleasant. The grass looked well, and strawberry blossoms were
plenty. The woods, such as they were, were filled with warblers
the robin, thrush, finch, bunting, &c. The fox-tailed sparrow
and siskin breed here, the hermit and tawny thrush crossed our
p;ith f the black-capped warbler gambolled over the pool*, and
even the wrens were everywhere. Of water-birds the great
terns were abundant, and the piping plovers breed here. We

FLOCK OF GANNETS. 255

also collected several species of land-snails, and some specimens
of gypsum. We crossed the bay in the afternoon, and found a
man who had some fox-skins for sale : he asked five pounds
apiece for the black fox, and one dollar and fifty cents for the
red skins. The woods here are small, scrubby evergreens,
almost impenetrable and swampy beneath. Thermometer this
evening 44°.

" June 15. Day dawned with the weather dull, but the wind
fair, and we pulled up anchor and left the Magdalene Islands for
Labrador, the ultimatum of our present desires. About ten
o'clock we saw on the distant horizon a speck, which I was told
was the Eock ; the wind now freshened, and I could soon see it
plainly from the deck, the top apparently covered with snow.
Our pilot said that the snow, which seemed two or three feet
thick, was the white gannets which resort there. I rubbed my
eyes, and took my spy- glass, and instantly the strange picture
stood before me. They were indeed birds, and such a mass of
birds, and of such a size as I never saw before. The whole of
my party were astonished, and all agreed that it was worth
a voyage across the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of St. Lawrence
to see such a sight. The nearer we approached, the greater was
our surprise at the enormous number of these birds, all calmly
seated on their eggs, and their heads turned to the windward
towards us. The air for a hundred yards above, and for a long
distance around, was filled with gannets on the wing, which
from our position made the air look as if it was filled with
falling snowflakes, and caused a thick, foggy-like atmosphere
all around the rock. The wind was too high to allow us to land,
but we were so anxious to do so that some of the party made
the attempt. The vessel was brought to, and a whale-boat
launched, and young Lincoln and John pushed off with clubs
and guns ; the wind increased and rain set in, but they gained
the lee of the rock, but after an hour's absence returned with-
out landing. The air was filled with birds, but they did not
perceptibly diminish the numbers on the rock. As the vessel
drifted nearer the rock, we could see that the birds sat so close
as almost to touch one another in regular lines, looking like so
many mole-hills. The discharge of a gun had no eftcet on
those which were not touched by the shot, for the noise of the

25G LIFE OP AUDUBOX.

birds stunned all those out of reach of the gunu But where the
shot took effect the birds scrambled and flew off in such multi-
tudes and such confusion that, whilst eight or ten were falling in
the water dead or wounded, others shook down their eggs,
which fell into the sea by hundreds in all directions. The sea
became rougher, and the boat was compelled to return, bringing
some birds and some eggs, but without the party being able to
climb the rock.

" The top of the main rock is a quarter of a mile wide from
north to south, and a little narrower from east to west; its ele-
vation above the sea is between three and four hundred feet.
The sea dashes around it with great violence . except in long
calms it is extremely difficult to land on it, and much more
difficult to climb to its platform. The whole surface was
perfectly covered with nests, about two feet apart, in rows as
regular as a potato field. The fishermen kill these birds and
use their flesh for bait for cod-fish. The crews of several vessels
unite, and, armed with clubs, as they reach the top of the rock
the birds ris«;- with a noise like thunder, and attempt to fly in
such hurried confusion as to knock each other down, often
piling one on another in a bank of many feet thickness. The
men beat and kill them until they have obtained a supply,
or wearied themselves. Six men in this way have killed five or
six hundred in one hour. The birds are skinned and cut into
junks, and the bait keeps good for a fortnight Forty sail of
fishermen annually supply themselves with bait from this rock
in this way. By the twentieth of May the birds lay their eggs,
and hatch about the twentieth of June.

"June 17 The wind is blowing a gale, and nearly all my
party is deadly sick. Thermometer 43°, and raining nearly
all day. We laid to all night, and in the morning were in sight
of Antieosti Island, distant about twenty miles. It soon became
thick, and we lost sight of it.

" June 18. The weather is calm, beautiful, and much warmer.
We caught many cod-fish, which contained crabs of a curious
structure. At six P.M. the wind sprung up fair, and we made
all sail for Labrador.

'• June UK I was on deck at three o'clock a.m., and although
the sun was not above the horizon it was quite light The sea

ARRIVAL AT LABRADOR. 257

was literally covered with foolish guillemots playing in the very
spray under our bow, plunging as if in fun under it, and rising
like spirits close under our rudder. The wind was fair, and the
land in sight from aloft, and I now look forward to our landing
on Labrador as at hand, and my thoughts are filled with ex-
pectations of the new knowledge of birds and animals which I
hope to acquire there. The Kipley sails well, but now she
fairly skipped over the water. The cry of land soon made my
heart bound with joy ; and as we approached it we saw what
looked like many sails of vessels, but we soon found that they
were snow-banks, and the air along the shore was filled with
millions of velvet ducks and other aquatic birds, flying in long
files a few yards above the water.

" We saw one vessel at anchor, and the country looked well
from the distance ; and as we neared the shore the thermo-
meter rose from 44° to 60°, yet the appearance of the snow-drifts
was forbidding. The shores appeared to be margined with a
broad and handsome sand-beach, and we saw imaginary bears,
wolves, and other animals scampering away on the rugged
shore. About thirty boats were fishing, and we saw them
throwing the fish on deck by thousands.

" We soon reached the mouth of the Xatasquan Hirer, where
the Hudson Bay Company have a fishing establishment, and
where no American vessel is allowed to come. The shore was
filled with bark-covered huts, and some vessels were anchored
within the sand-point which forms one side of the entrance to
the river. We sailed on four miles further to the American
harbour, and came to anchor in a beautiful bay, wholly secure
from any winds.

" And now we are positively at Labrador, lat. 50°, and farther
north than I ever was before. But what a country ! When
we landed and reached the summit we sank nearly up to our
knees in mosses of different sorts, producing such a sensation
as I never felt before. These mosses in the distance look like
hard rocks, but under the foot they feel like a velvet cushion.
We rambled about and searched in vain for a foot of square
earth , a poor, rugged, and miserable country ; the trees are
wiry and scraggy dwarfs ; and when the land is not rocky it k
k°ggy to a ma n's waist. All the islands about the harbour were

8

258 LIFE OF AUDUBON

of the same character, and we saw but few land birds — one
pigeon, a few hawks, and smaller birds. The wild geese, eider-
ducks, loons, and many other birds breed here.

" June 19. The boats went off to neighbouring islands in
search of birds and eggs, and I remained all day on board
drawing. Eggers from Halifax had robbed nearly all the eggs.

" The eider-ducks build their nests under the scraggy boughs
of the fir-trees, which here grow only a few inches above the
ground. The nests are scraped a few inches deep in the rotten
moss which makes the soil, and the boughs have to be raised
to find the nests. The eggs are deposited in down, and covered
with down, and keep warm a long time in absence of the duck.
They commonly lay six eggs.

"June 20. The vessel rolls at her anchorage, and I have
drawn as well as I could. Our party has gone up the Xatasquan
in search of adventures and birds. It seems strange to me
that in this wonderfully wild country all the wild birds should
be so shy.

"June 21. To-day I went four miles to the falls of the
little Xatasquan River. The river is small, its water dark and
irony, and its shores impenetrable woods, except here and there
a small interval overgrown with a wiry grass, unfit for cattle,
and of no use if it were, for there are no cattle here. We saw
several nets in the river for catching salmon ; they are stretched
across the river, and the fish entangle their fins in trying to pass
them, and cannot get away. We visited the huts of the
Canadian fishermen of the Hudson Bay Company. They are
clothed and fed, and receive eighty dollars a year besides, for
their services. They have a cow, an ox, and one acre of potatoes
planted. They report seven feet of snow in winter, and that
only one-third as many salmon are taken now as ten years ago ;
one hundred barrels now is regarded as a fair season. This
river is twelve miles long, has three rapids, is broad, swift, and
shallow, and discharges a quantity of fine gravelly sand.

" June 22. Drew all day. Thermometer 60° at twelve.
We are so far north that we have scarcely any darkness at night
Our party visited some large ponds on a neighbouring island *
but they had neither fish, shells, nor grass about them ; the
shore a reddish sand : saw only a few toads, and those pale-

GREAT SUPPLY OP EGGS, 259

looking and poor. The country a barren rock as far as the eye
could reach, and mosses of several species were a. foot in depth.
So sonorous is the song of the fox-coloured sparrow, that I
heard it to-day while drawing in the cabin, from the distance of
a quarter of a mile- The mosquitoes and black gnats are bad
on shore,

" June 23. We heard to-day that a party of four men from
Halifax, last spring, took in two months four hundred thousand
eggs, which they sold in Halifax at twenty-five cents a dozen.
Last year upwards of twenty sail of vessels were engaged in
this business ; and by this one may form some idea of the
number of birds annually destroyed in this way, to say nothing
of the million^ of others disposed of by the numerous fleet of
fishermen which yearly come to these regions, and lend their
hand to swell the devastation. The eggers destroy all the eggs
that are sat upon, to force the birds to lay fresh eggs, and by
robbing them regularly compel them to lay until nature is ex-
hausted, and so but few young ones are raised. These wonderful
nurseries must be finally destroyed, and in less than half a
century, unless some kind government interpose to put a stop to
all this shameful destruction. The wind blows here from the
south-east, and it brings rain continually "

The following episode epitomizes what Audubon saw or
learned about the men engaged in hunting eggs on those wild
and desolate islands.

s 2

260 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

CHAPTER XLIV

Labrador Episodes : The Eggers of Labrador.

"The distinctive appellation of ' eggers' is given to certain
persons who follow principally or exclusively the avocation of
procuring eggs of wild birds, with the view of disposing of them
at some distant port. Their great object is to plunder every
nest, whenever they can find it, no matter where, and at what-
ever risk They are the pest of the feathered tribes, and their
brutal propensity to destroy the poor creatures after they have
robbed them is abundantly gratified whenever an opportunity
presents itself. Much had been said to me respecting these
destructive pirates before I visited the coast of Labrador, but I
could not entirely credit all their cruelties until I had actually
witnessed their proceedings, which were such as to inspire no
small degree of horror. But you shall judge for yourself.

" See yon shallop shyly sailing along ; she sneaks like a thief,
wishing, as it were, to shun the very light of heaven. Under
the lee of every rocky isle some one at the tiller steers her
course.

" Were his trade an honest one he would not think of hiding
his back behind the terrific rocks that seem to have been placed
there as a resort to the myriads of birds that annually visit this
desolate region of the earth for the purpose of rearing their
young at a distance from all disturbers of their peace. How
unlike the open, bold, the honest mariner, whose face needs no
mask, who scorns to skulk under any circumstances ! The vessel

THE "EGGERS" OF LABRABOR. 261

herself is a shabby thing ; her sails are patched with stolen pieces
of better canvas, the owners of which have probably been stranded
on some inhospitable coast, and have been plundered, perhaps
murdered, by the wretches before us. Look at her again. Her
sides are neither painted nor even pitched ; no, they are daubed
over, plastered and patched with stripes of seal-skins, laid along
the seams. Her deck has never been washed or sanded, her
hold — for no cabin has she — though at present empty, sends
forth an odour pestilential as that of a charnel-house. The
crew, eight in number, lie sleeping at the foot of their tottering
mast, regardless of the repairs needed in every part of her
rigging. But see ! she scuds along, and, as I suspect her crew
to be bent on the commission of some evil deed, let us follow
her to the first harbour. There rides the filthy thing ! The
afternoon is half over. Her crew have thrown their boat over-
board ; they enter and seat themselves, one with a rusty gun.
One of them sculls the skiff towards an island, for a century
past the breeding-place of myriads of guillemots, which are
now to be laid under contribution. At the approach of the vile
thieves, clouds of birds rise from the rock and fill the air around,
wheeling and screaming over their enemies ; yet thousands
remain in an erect posture, each covering its single egg, the
hope of both parents. The reports of several muskets loaded
with heavy shot are now heard, while several dead and wounded
birds fall heavily on the rock or into the water. Instantly all
the sitting birds rise and fly off affrighted to their companions
above, and hover in dismay over their assassins, who walk
forward exultingly, and with their shouts mingling oaths and
execrations. Look at them! See how they crush the chick
within its shell ! how they trample on every e^g in their way
with their huge and clumsy boots ! Onwards they go, and when
they leave the isle not an egg that they can find is left
entire. The dead birds they collect and carry to their boat.
Now they have regained their filthy shallop, they strip the
birds by a single jerk of their feathery apparel, while the flesh
is yet warm, and throw them on some coals, where in a short
time they are broiled . the rum is produced when the guille-
mots are fit for eating, and after stuffing themselves with
this oily fare, and enjoying the pleasures of beastly intoxi-

262 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

cation, over they tumble on the deck of their crazed craft, where

they pass the short hours of night in turbid slumber. The

sun now rises above the snow-clad summit of the eastern mount ;

i sweet is the breath of morn/ even in this desolate land. The

gay bunting erects his white crest, and gives utterance to the

joy he feels in the presence of his brooding mate; the willow

grous on the rock crows his challenge aloud ; each floweret,

chilled by the night air, expands its pure petals ; the gentle

breeze shakes from the blades of grass the heavy dewdropa.

On the Guillemot Isle the birds have again settled, and now

renew their loves. Startled by the light of day, one of the

eggers springs on his feet, and rouses his companions, who

stare around them for awhile, endeavouring to recollect their

senses. Mark them, as with clumsy fingers they clear their

drowsy eyes , slowly they rise on their feet. See how the

lubbers stretch out their arms and yawn ; you shrink back,

for verily 'that throat might frighten a shark/ But the

master, soon recollecting that so many eggs are worth a dollar

or a crown, casts his eye towards the rock, marks the day in

liis memory, and gives orders to depart. The light breeze

enables them to reach another harbjur, a few miles distant ; one

which, like the last, lies concealed from the ocean by some

other rocky isle. Arrived there, they react the scene of

yesterday, crushing every egg they can find. For a week each

night is passed in drunkenness and brawls, until, having reached

the last breeding-place on the coast, they return, touch at every

isle in succession, shoot as many birds as they need, collect the

fresh eggs, and lay in a cargo. At every step each ruffian picks

up an egg, so beautiful that any man with a feeling heart

would pause to consider the motive which could induce him to

carry it off. But nothing of this sort occurs to the egger, who

gathers and gathers until he has swept the rock bare. The

dollars alone chink in his sordid mind, and he assiduously plies

the trade which no man would ply who had the talents and

industiy to procure subsistence by honourable means. With a

bark nearly filled with fresh eggs they proceed to the principal

rock, that on which they first landed. But what is their surprise

when they find others there helping themselves as industriously

as they can ! In boiling rage they charge their guns, and ply

A GANG OF DESPERADOES. 263

their oars. Landing on the rock, they run up to the eggers,
who, like themslves, are desperadoes. The first question is a
discharge of musketry ; the answer another • now, man to man,
they fight like tigers. One is carried to his craft with a frac-
tured skull, another limps with a shot in his leg, and a third
feels how many of his teeth have been driven through the hole
in his cheek. At last, however, the quarrel is settled, the booty
is to be equally divided, and now see them all drinking
together. Oaths and curses and filthy jokes are all that you
hear ; but see ! stuffed with food, and reeling with drink, down
they drop, one by one , groans and execrations from the
wounded mingle with the snorings of the heavy sleepers.
There let the brutes lie! Again it is dawn, but no one
stirs. The sun is high ; one by one they open their heavy
eyes, stretch their limbs, yawn and raise themselves from the
deck. But see" a goodly company. A hundred honest fisher-
men, who for months past have fed on salt meat, have felt
a desire to procure some eggs. Gallantly their boats
advance, impelled by the regular pull of their long oars.
Each buoyant bark displays the flag of its nation. No weapon
do they bring, nor anything that can be used as such, save their
oars and fists. Cleanly clad in Sunday attire, they arrive at
the desired spot, and at once prepare to ascend the rock. The
eggers, now numbering a dozen, all armed with guns and
bludgeons, bid defiance to the fishermen. A few angry words
pass between the parties. One of the eggers, still under the
influence of drink, pulls his trigger, and an unfortunate sailor is
seen to reel in agony. Three loud cheers fill the air. All at
once rush on the malefactors : a horrid fight ensues, the result
of which is that every egger is left on the rock beaten and
bruised. Too frequently the fishermen man their boats, row to
the shallops, and break every egg in the hold. The eggers of
Labrador not only rob the birds in this cruel manner, but also
the fishermen, whenever they can find an opportunity ; and the
quarrels they excite are numberless. While we were on the
coast none of our party ever ventured on any of the islands,
which these wretches call their own, without being well provided
with means of defence. On one occasion when I was present
we found two eggers at their work of destruction. I spoke to

264 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

them respecting my visit, and offered them premiums for rare
birds and some of their eggs ; but although they made fair
promises, not one of the gang ever came near the Ripley. These
people gather all the eider-down they can find, yet, so incon-
siderate are they, that they kill every bird that comes in their
way. The puffins and some other birds they massacre in vast
numbers for the sake of their feathers. The eggs of gulls,
guillemots, and ducks are searched for with care also. So con-
stant and persevering are their depredations, that these species,
which, according to the accounts of the few settlers I saw in the
country, were exceedingly abundant twenty years ago, have
abandoned their ancient breeding-places, and removed much
farther north, in search of peaceful security. Scarcely, in fact,
could I procure a young guillemot before the eggers had left
the coast, nor was it until late in July that I succeeded, after
the birds had laid three or four eggs each instead of one, and
when nature having been exhausted, and the season nearly
spent, thousands of these birds left the country without having
accomplished the purpose for which they had visited it. This
war of extermination cannot last many years more. The eggers
themselves Mill be the first to repent the entire disappearance
of the myriads of birds that made the coast of Labrador their
summer residence, tfnd unless they follow the persecuted tribes
to the northward they must renounce their trade."

CHAPTER XLV.

Notes in Labrador — Indians — Indian Camp — Civilities on Board the
Quebec Cutter — The Fur Company — Severe Weather — Pictures
in the Desert — Audubon begins to feel Old — Winds and Rain —
Excursions on Shore — Dreary Prospects — Hut of a Labrador
Seal-Catcher — Great Macatine Islands — Officers' Bivouac
Ashore.

€€ June 23. We met here two large boats loaded with Moun-
taineer Indians, about twenty, old and young, male and female.
The boats had small canoes lashed to their sides, like whale
boats, for seal fishing. The men were stout and good-looking,
and spoke tolerable French, their skins were redder and clearer
than any other Indians I have ever seen. The women also
appeared cleaner than usual, their hair was braided, and dangled
over their shoulders, like so many short ropes. They were all
dressed in European costumes except their feet, on which coarse
moccasins made of seal skin supplied the place of shoes.

" On leaving the harbour this morning, we saw a black man-
of-war-like looking vessel entering it, bearing the English flag ;
it proved to be the Quebec cutter. I wrote a note to the
commander, sent him my card, and requested an interview.
He proved to be Captain Bayfield of the Royal Navy, the vessel
was the Gulnare, and he replied that he would receive me in
two hours. After dinner, taking some credentials in my pocket,
I went aboard of the Gulnare, was politely received, and in-
troduced to the surgeon, who seemed a man of ability, and is a
student of botany and conchology. Thus the lovers of nature

266 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

meet everywhere, but surely I did not expect to meet a natu-
ralist on the Labrador station. The first lieutenant is a student
of ornithology, and is making collections. I showed a letter
from the Duke of Sussex to the captain, and after a pleasant
hour, and a promise from him to do anything in his power to
aid us, I returned to our vessel.

" June 24. It was our intention to leave this harbour to-day
for one fifty miles east, but the wind is ahead, and I have drawn
all day. Shattuch and I took a walk over the dreary hills
towards evening, and we found several flowers in bloom, among
which was a small species of the Kulnua Glauca. We visited
the camp of the Mountaineer Indians about half a mile from us,
and found them skinning seals, and preparing their flesh for use,
We saw a robe the size of a good blanket made of seal skin,
and tanned so soft and beautiful with the hair on, that it was
as pleasant to the touch as a fine kid glove. They refused to
sell it. The chief of this party is well informed, talks French
so as to be understood, is a fine-looking fellow, about forty years
old, and has a good-looking wife and baby. Hi« brother also is
married, and has several sons between fourteen and twenty.
The whole group consists of about twenty persons. They came
and saluted us soon after we landed, and to my astonishment
offered us a glass of rum. The women were all seated outside
of their tents, unpacking bundles of clothing and provisions.
We entered one tent, and seated ourselves before a blazing fire,
the smoke of which escaped through the top of the apartment.
To the many questions I put to the chief and his brother, the
following is the substance of his answers.

u The country from this place to the nearest settlement of
the Hudson Bay Company is as barren and rocky as this about
us. Very large lakes of water abound two hundred miles
inland from the sea . these lakes contain carp, trout, white fish,
and many mussels unfit to eat , the latter are described as
black outside and purple within, and are no doubt • unios.' Not
a bush is to be met with ; and the Indians who now and then
cross that region carry their tent-poles with them, and also
their canoes, and burn moss for fuel. So tedious is the travel-
ling said to be, that not more than ten miles a day can be
accomplished, and when the journey is made in two months, it

VISIT TO THE GULNARE. 267

is considered a good one. Wolves and black bears abound, but
no deer nor caraboos are seen, and not a bird of any kind
except wild geese and brants about the lakes, where they
breed. When the journey is undertaken in winter, they go on
snow shoes, without canoes. Fur animals are scarce, but a few
beavers and otters, martins and sables, are caught, and some
foxes and lynxes, while their numbers yearly diminish. Thus
the Fur Company may be called the exterminating medium of
these wild and almost uninhabitable regions, which cupidity or
the love of money alone would induce man to venture into.
Where can I now go and find nature undisturbed ?

" June 25. Drawing all day until five o'clock, when I went to
dine on board the Gulnare ; quite a bore to shave and dress in
Labrador. The company consisted of the captain, doctor, and
three other officers ; we had a good sea dinner, du cot and du
mouton, de bon vin, et du tabac, excellent, of which I took a
pinch or two. Conversation turned on botany, politics, and the
Established Church of England, and ranged away to hatching
eggs by steam. I saw the maps the officers are making of the
coast, and was struck with the great accuracy of the shape of
our perfect harbour. I returned to our vessel at ten in the
evening; the weather is warm, and the mosquitoes abundant
and hungry.

" June 26. We have now been waiting five days for a fair
wind to take us eastward in our explorations. The waters of all
the streams we have seen are of a rusty colour, probably derived
from the decomposing mosses which form the soil on the rocks.
The rivers seem to be the drain from swamps fed by rain and
melting snow ; the soil in the low grounds is of quite a peaty
nature. The freshets take down sand and gravel from the de-
composed rocks, and form bars at the mouths of all the rivers.
Below the mouth of each stream is the best fishing ground for
cod fish. They accumulate there to feed on the fry which
run into the rivers to deposit their spawn, and which they
follow again to sea, when they return to strike out into deep
water.

"It is quite remarkable how shy the agents of the Fur
Company here are of strangers. They refused to sell me a
salmon ; and one of them told me he would be discharged if it

268 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

were known he had done so. They evade all questions re-
specting the interior of the country, and indeed tell the most
absurd things to shock you, and cut short inquiries. This is
probably to prevent strangers from settling here, or interfering
with their monopoly."

Much of the journal of these dates in Labrador is taken up
with an account of the birds, and nests, and eggs found here,
and matters relating to ornithology. But as these notes were
used by Mr. Audubon in compiling his " Biographies of the
Birds," we have omitted them here, and used only that part
of the records which has a more general interest.

" June 27. The morning dawned above rain and fogs, which
so enveloped us below that we could scarcely discern the shore,
distant only a hundred yards. Drawing all day.

" June 28. The weather shocking, rainy, foggy, dark, and
cold. Began drawing a new finch I discovered, and outlined
another. At twelve the wind suddenly changed, and caused
such a swell and rolling of the vessel, that I had to give up my
drawing. After dinner the wind hauled to the south-west, and
all was bustle, heaving up anchor, loosing sails, and getting
ready for sea. We were soon under weigh, and went out of the
harbour in good style ; but the sea was high, and we were glad
to go to our beds.

" June 29. At three o'clock this morning we were about fifteen
miles from land, and fifty from American Harbour. The ther-
mometer was 54°, and the wind light and favourable ; at ten
the breeze freshened, but our pilot did not know the land, and
the captain had to find a harbour for himself. We passed near
an island covered with foolish guillemots, and came to for the
purpose of landing on it, which we did through a great surf;
there we found two eggers searching the rocks for eggs. They
told us they visited all the islands in the vicinity, and obtained
fresh eggs every day. They had eight hundred dozen, and
expected to increase them to two thousand dozen before they
returned to Halifax. The quantities of broken eggs on this and
all the islands where eggs are obtained causes a stench which
is scarcely endurable. From this island we went to another
about a mile distant, and caught many birds and collected
many eggs.

SUMMER IN LABRADOR. 269

"June 30. I have drawn three birds to-day since eight
o'clock. Thermometer 50°.

" July 1. The thermometer 48°, and the weather so cold that
it has been painful for me to draw, but I worked all day.

" July 2. A beautiful day for Labrador. Went ashore and
killed nothing, but was pleased with what I saw. The country
is so grandly wild and desolate, that I am charmed by its
wonderful dreariness. Its mossy gray-clad rocks, heaped and
thrown together in huge masses, hanging on smaller ones, as if
about to roll down from their insecure resting-places into the sea
below them. Bays without end, sprinkled with thousands of
rocky inlets of all sizes, shapes, and appearances, and wild birds
everywhere, was the scene presented before me. Besides this
there was a peculiar cast of the uncertain sky, butterflies flitting
over snow-banks, and probing unfolding dwarf flowerets of many
hues pushing out their tender stems through the thick beds of
moss which everywhere cover the granite rock. Then there is
the morass, wherein you plunge up to your knees, or the walking
over the stubborn, dwarfish shrubbery, whereby one treads
down the forests of Labrador ; and the unexpected bunting or
sylvia which perchance, and indeed as if by chance alone, you
now and then see flying before you, or hear singing from the
ground creeping plant. The beautiful fresh-water lakes, de-
posited on the rugged crests of greatly elevated islands, wherein
the red and black divers swim as proudly as swans do in other
latitudes; and wherein the fish appear to have been cast as
strayed beings from the surplus food of the sea. All, all is
wonderfully wild and grand, ay, terrific. And yet how beauti-
ful it is now, when your eye sees the wild bee, moving from one
flower to another in search of food, which doubtless is as sweet
to her as the essence of the orange and magnolia is to her
more favoured sister in Louisiana. The little ring-plover
rearing its delicate and tender young ; the eider duck swimming
man-of-war-like amid her floating brood, like the guard-ship of
a most valuable convoy ; the white-crowned bunting's sonorous
note reaching your ears ever and anon ; the crowds of sea-birds
in search of places wherein to repose or to feed. I say how
beautiful all this, in this wonderful rocky desert at this season,
the beginning of July, compared with the horrid blasts of winter

270 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

which here predominate by the will of God; when every
rock is hidden beneath snow so deep, that every step the
traveller takes, he is in danger of falling into his grave ; while
avalanches threaten him from above, and if he lifts his eyes to
the horizon, he sees nothing but dark clouds filled with frost
and snow, and inspiring him with a feeling of despair.

" July 3. We have had a stiff easterly wind all day, rainy,
and the water so rough we could not go ashore, for plants to
draw, until late in the afternoon. The view of the sea from the
highest rocks was grand, the small islands were covered with
the foam and surf thrown up by the agitated ocean. Thank
God that we are not tossing on its billows.

" July 4. Two parties went out to-day to get birds and plants,
and I remained on board all day drawing. Captain Bayfield
sent us a quarter of mutton for our fourth of July dinner, and I
dare say it is a rarity on this coast of Labrador, even on this
day.

" July 5. Thermometer 50°. I drew from four o'clock this
morning until three this afternoon, and then went on an
expedition for a few miles to a large rough island, which I
traversed until I was weary, for walking on this spongy moss of
Labrador is a task no one can imagine without tiying it ; at
every step the foot sinks in a deep moss cushion, which closes
over it, and requires considerable exertion to draw it up. When
the moss is over a marshy tract, then you sink a couple of feet
deep every step you take, and to reach a bare rock is delightful,
and quite a relief. This afternoon the country looked more
terrifyingly wild than ever, the dark clouds throwing their
shadows on the stupendous masses of rugged rocks, presented
one of the wildest pictures of nature that the eye can find to
look on anywhere.

"July 6. Thermometer 48°. At noon my fingers were so
cold that I could no longer hold my pencil to draw, and I was
compelled to go on shore for exercise. The fact is I am growing
old too fast, alas ! I feel it, and yet work I will, and "may God
grant me life to see the last plate of my mammoth work
finished.

" July 7. Drawing all day ; finished the female grouse and
five young ones, and preparing the male bird.

STORMY WEATHER. 271

" July 8. Rainy, dirty weather, wind east, thermometer 48°.
Began drawing at half-past three a.m, but my condition very
disagreeable in such weather. The fog collects and falls in large
drops from the rigging on my table, and now and then I am
obliged to close the skylight, and work almost in darkness. Not-
withstanding, I have finished my plate of the cock ptarmigan.

" July 9. The wind east, wet, disagreeable, and foggy. This
is the most wonderful climate in the world ; the thermometer
52°, mosquitoes in profusion, plants blooming by millions, and
at every step you tread on flowers such as would be looked on
in more temperate climates with pleasure. I only wish I could
describe plants as well as I can the habits of birds. I have
drawn all day on the loon, a most difficult bird to imitate.

"July 10. Thermometer 54°. Could I describe one of those
dismal gales which blow ever and anon over this dismal
country, it would probably be interesting to any one unac-
quainted with the inclemency of this climate. Nowhere else
are the north-east blasts, which sweep over Labrador, felt as
they are here. But I cannot describe them. All I can say is,
that while we are safe in a land-locked harbour, their effects on
our vessel are so strong, that they will not allow me to draw,
and sometimes send some of us to our beds. And what the
force of these horrid blasts outside of the harbour at sea is I
can hardly imagine ; but it seems as if it would be impossible
for any vessel to ride safely before them, and that they will
rend these rocky islands asunder The rain is driven in sheets,
and falls with difficulty upon its destination of sea or land.
Nay, I cannot call it rain, as it is such a thick cloud of water,
that all objects at a distance are lost sight of at intervals of
three or four minutes, and the waters around us come up and
beat about in our rock-bound harbour, as a newly caught and
caged bird beats against the wire walls of his prison cage.

" July 11. The gale or hurricane of yesterday subsided about
midnight, and at sunrise this morning the sky was clear and
the horizon fiery red. It was my intention to have gone one
hundred miles further north, but our captain says I must be
content here.

" On rambling over the numerous bays and inlets, which are
scattered by thousands along this coast, as pebbles are on a

272 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

common sand beach, one sees immense beds of round stones
(boulders ?) of all sizes, and some of large dimensions, rolled
side by side, and piled up in heaps, as if cast there by some
great revolution of nature. I have seen many such places, and
always look on them with astonishment, because they seem to
have been vomited up by the sea, and cast hundreds of yards
inland, by its powerful retchings ; and this gives some idea of
what a hurricane at Labrador can do.

"July 12. Thermometer 48°, and it is raining hard, and
blowing another gale from the east, and the vessel rocks so
much that I am unable to finish my drawing.

" July 13. Rose this morning at half-past three, and found
the wind north-east, and but little of it. The weather is cloudy
and dull, as it is always here after a storm. I was anxious to
stay on board, and finish the drawing of a grouse I had promised
to Dr. Kelly of the Gulnare. But at seven the wind changed,
and we prepared to leave our fine harbour. We beat out to sea,
and made our course for the harbour of Little Macatine, distant
forty-three miles. By noon the wind died away, but the sea
rolled, aud we were all sea-sick, and glad to go to our berths.

" July 14. Awoke this morning to find a cold north-east wind
blowing, and ourselves twenty miles from our destination, a
heavy sea beating against the vessel's bows, as she is slowly
beating tack after tack against the wind. We are in despair of
reaching our destination to-day. Towards evening however the
wind favoured us, and as we approached the island, it proved
the highest land we have seen, and looked rugged and horrid.

" When we came within a mile and a half of the shore we
took a small boat, and pushed off for the land. As we came
near it, the rocks appeared stupendously high and rough, and
frowned down on our little boat, as we moved along and doubled
the little cape which made one side of the entrance of Macatine's
Harbour, but it looked so small to me, that I doubted if it were
the place ; and the shores were horribly wild, fearfully high
and rough, and nothing but the croaking of a pair of ravens was
heard mingling with the dismal sound of the surge which
dashed on the rocky ledges, and sent the foaming water into
the air.

" By the time we reached the shore the wind began to

CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN. 273

freshen, the Bipley's sails now swelled, and she cut her way
through the water, and rounded the point of land which formed
part of the harbour, and shot ahead towards the place where we
were standing. Our harbour represents the bottom of a large
bowl, in the centre of which our vessel is anchored, surrounded
by rocks full a thousand feet high, and the wildest looking
place I was ever in. We went aboard, ate a hasty supper, and
all scampered ashore again, and climbed the nearest hills. But
John, Shattuck, and myself went up the harbour, and ascended
to the top of a mountain (for I cannot call it a hill), and there
we saw the crest of the island beneath our feet, all rocks,
barren, bare rocks, wild as the wildest Apennines. The moss
was only a few inches deep, and the soil beneath it so moist,
that whenever the declivities were much inclined, the whole
slipped from under us like an avalanche, and down we would
slide for feet, and sometimes yards. The labour of climbing
was excessive, and at the bottom of each ravine the scrub
bushes intercepted us for twenty or thirty paces, and we
scrambled over them with great effort and fatigue. On our
return we made one slide of forty or fifty feet, and brought up
in a little valley or pit filled with moss and mire.

" July 15. We rose and breakfasted at three o'clock, every
one being eager to go ashore and explore this wild country
But the wind was east, and the prospects of fine weather not
good. But two boats' crews of young men rowed off in different
directions, while I renewed my drawing. By ten the rain
poured, and the boats returned.

"July 16. Another day of dirty weather, and obliged to
remain on board nearly all the day. Thermometer 52°, mos-
quitoes plenty. This evening the fog is so thick, that we
cannot see the summit of the rocks around us.

" July 17. Mosquitoes so annoyed me last night that I did
not close my eyes. I tried the deck of the vessel, and although
the fog was as thick as fine rain, the air was filled with these
insects, and I went below and fought them until daylight, when
I had a roaring fire made and got rid of them. I have been
drawing part of the day, and besides several birds, I have out-
lined one of the mountainous hills near our vesssl, as a back-
ground to my willow grouse.

T

274 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" July 18. After breakfast, all hands except the cook left the
Ripley, in three boats, to visit the main shore, about five miles
off. The fog was thick, but the wind promised fair weather,
and soon fulfilled its promise. Directly after landing our party
found a large extent of marsh land, the first we have seen in
this country ; the soil was wet, our feet sank in it, and walking
was tiresome. We also crossed a large savannah of many miles
in extent. Its mosses were so wet and spongy, that I never in
my life before experienced so much difficulty in travelling. In
many places the soil appeared to wave and bend under us like
old ice in the spring of the year, and we expected at each step
to break through the surface, and sink into the mire below. In
the middle of this quagmire we met with a fine small grove of
good-sized white birch trees, and a few pines full forty feet high,
quite a novelty in this locality.

4< From the top of a high rock I obtained a good view of the
most extensive and dreary wilderness I ever beheld. It chilled
the heart to gaze on these barrens of Labrador. Indeed I now
dread every change of harbour, so horridly rugged and dangerous
is the whole coast and country to the eye, and to the experienced
man either of the sea or the land. Mosquitoes, many species of
horse-flies, small bees, and black gnats fill the air. The frogs
eroaked, and yet the thermometer was not above 55°. This is
one of the real wonders of this extraordinary country. The
parties in the boats, hunting all day, brought back but nineteen
birds, and we all concluded that no one man could provide food
for himself here from the land alone.

" July 19. Cold, wet, blowing, and too much motion of the
vessel for drawing. In the evening it cleared up a little, and I
went ashore, and visited the hut of a seal-fisher. We climbed
over one rocky precipice and fissure after another, holding on to
the moss with both hands and feet, for about a mile, when we
came to the deserted hut of a Labrador seal-catcher. It looked
snug outside, and we walked in ; it was floored with short slabs,
all very well greased with seal oil. A fire-oven without a pipe,
a salt-box hung to a wooden peg, a three-legged stool for a
table, and wooden box for a bedstead, were all its furniture.
An old flour-barrel, containing some hundreds of seine floats
and an old seal seine, comprized the assets of goods and chattels.

A DESERTED HUT 275

Three small windows, with four panes of glass each, were still
in pretty good order, and so was the low door, which swung on
wooden hinges, for which I will be bound the maker had asked
for no patent. The cabin was made of hewn logs, brought from
the mainland, about twelve feet square, and well put together
It was roofed with birch bark and spruce, well thatched with
moss a foot thick ; every chink was crammed with moss, and
every aperture rendered air-tight with oakum. But it was
deserted and abandoned. The seals are all caught, and the
sealers have nothing to do now-a-days. We found a pile of
good hard wood close to the cabin, and this we hope to appro-
priate to-morrow. I found out that the place had been in-
habited by two Canadians, by the chalk marks on the walls,
and their almanac on one of the logs ran thus : L 24, M 25,
M 26, 1 27, V 28, S 29, D 30, giving the first letter of the day
of the week. On returning to the vessel, I stopped several
times to look on the raging waves rolling in upon these
precipitous rocks below us, and thought how dreadful it would
be for any one to be wrecked on this inhospitable shore. The
surges of surf which rolled in on the rocks were forty or fifty
feet high where they dashed on the precipices beneath us, and
any vessel cast ashore there must have been immediately
dashed to pieces.

" July 20. The country of Labrador deserves credit for one
fine day. This has been, until evening, calm, warm, and really
such a day as one might expect in the middle states about the
middle of May. I drew until ten o'clock, and then made a trip
to the island next to us, and shot several birds. We passed
several small bays, where we found vast quantities of stones
thrown up by the sea, and some of them of enormous size. I
now think that these stones are brought from the sea on the
thick drift ice, or icebergs, which come down from the arctic
regions, and are driven in here and broken by the jagged rocks ;
they are stranded, and melt, and leave these enormous pebbles
in layers from ten to one hundred feet deep.

" July 21. I write now from a harbour which has no name,
for we have mistaken it for the one we were looking for, which
lies two miles eaat of this. But it matters little, for the coast
of Labrador is all alike, comfortless, cold, and foggy. We left

t 2

280 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables- He appeared to be
lord of all these parts, and quite contented with his lot. He
told me that his profits last year amounted to three thousand
dollars. He does not trade with the Indians, of whom we saw
about twenty of the Mountaineer tribe, and he has white men-
servants. His seal-oil tubs were full, and he was then engaged
in loading a schooner bound to Quebec. He complained of the
American fishermen, and said they often acted as badly as
pirates towards the Indians, the white settlers, and the eggers,
all of whom have more than once retaliated, when bloody com-
bats have followed. He assured me that he had seen a fisher-
man's crew kill thousands of guillemots in a day, pluck off their
feathers, and throw their bodies into the sea.

" Mr. Robertson also told me that, during mild winters, his
httle harbour is covered with thousands of white gulls, and that
they all leave on the -approach of spring. The travelling here
is altogether over the ice, which is covered with snow, and in
sledges drawn by Esquimaux dogs, of which this man keeps a
famous pack. He often goes to Bras d' Or, seventy-five
miles distant, with his wife and children on one sledge, drawn
by ten dogs. Scarcely any travelling is done on land, the
country is so precipitous and broken. Fifteen miles north of
here he says there is a lake, represented by the Indians as four
hundred miles long and one hundred broad, and that this sea-
like lake is at times as rough as the ocean in a storm. It
abounds with fish, and some water-birds resort there, and breed
by millions along its margin. We have had a fine day, but
Mr. R. says that the summer has been unusually tempestuous.
The caraboo flies drove our hunters on board to-day, and they
looked as bloody as if they had actually had a gouging fight
with some rough Kentuckians, Here we found on this wonder-
ful wild coast some newspapers from the United States, and
received the latest intelligence from Boston to be had at
Labrador."

July 24 and 25 were engaged in hunting birds and drawing,
and contain much valuable information on ornithology, which
is given in the 44 Birds of America."

" July 20. We left our anchorage, and sailed with a fair wind
to visit the Chevalier's settlement, called Bonne Esp^rance,

BKAS D'OR HARBOUR. 281

forty-seven miles distant. When two-thirds of the distance had
been gone over the wind failed us; calms were followed by
severe squalls, and a tremendous sea rolled, which threatened
to shake our masts out. At eight o'clock, however, we came
abreast of the settlement, but as our pilot knew nothing of the
harbour, the captain thought it prudent to stand off, and proceed
on to Bras d'Or. The coast here, like all that we have seen
before, was dotted with rocky islands of all sizes and forms, and
against which the raging waves dashed in a frightful manner,
making us shudder at the thought of the fate of the wretched
mariners who might be thrown on them.

" July 27. At daylight this morning we found ourselves at the
mouth of Bras d'Or Harbour, where we are now snugly moored.
We hoisted our colours, and Captain Billings, of American
Harbour, came to us in his Hampton boat, and piloted us in.
This Bras d'Or is the grand rendezvous of almost all the fisher-
men, that resort to this coast for cod-fish ; and we found here a
flotilla of one hundred and fifty sails, principally fore-and-aft
schooners, and mostly from Halifax and the eastern parts of
the United States.

" There was a life and bustle in the harbour which surprised
us, after so many weeks of wilderness and loneliness along the
rocky coast. Boats were moving to and fro over the whole bay,
going after fish, and returning loaded to the gunwale , some
with seines, others with caplings, for bait, and a hundred or
more anchored out about a mile from us, hauling the poor cod-
fish by thousands, and hundreds of men engaged in cleaning
and salting them, and enlivening their work with Billingsgate
slang, and stories, and songs.

" As soon as breakfast was over we went ashore, and called on
Mr. Jones, the owner of the seal-fishing establishment here, a
rough, brown-looking Nova-Scotia man, who received us well,
and gave us considerable information respecting the birds which
visit his neighbourhood. This man has forty Esquimaux dogs,
and he entertained us with an account of his travels with them
in winter. They are harnessed with a leather collar, belly and
back bands, through the upper part of which the line of seal-
skin passes which is attached to the sledge, and it serves the
double purpose of a rein and trace to draw with. An odd

282 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

number of dogs is used for the gang employed in drawing the
sledge, the nunaber varying according to the distance to be
travelled or the load to be carried. Each dog is estimated to
carry two hundred pounds, and to travel with that load at the
rate of five or six miles an hour. The leader, which is always a
well-broken" dog, is placed ahead of the pack, with a draft
line of from six to ten fathoms in length, and the rest with
successively shorter ones, until they come to within eight feet of
the sledge. They are not coupled, however, as they are usually
represented in engravings, but are attached each loose from all
others, so that when they are in motion, travelling, they appear
like a flock of partridges all flying loosely, and yet all the same
course. They always travel in a gallop, no matter what the
state of the country may be. Going down hill is most difficult
and dangerous, and at times it is necessary for the rider to
guide the sledge with his feet, as boys steer their sleds sliding
down hills, and sometimes it is done by long poles stuck into
the snow. When the sledge is heavily laden, and the descent
steep, the dogs are often taken off, and the vehicle made to
slide down the precipice by the man alone, who lies flat on the
sledge, and guides it with his toes from behind, as he descends
head foremost. The dogs are so well acquainted with the
courses and places in the neighbourhood, that they never fail
to take their master and his sledge to the house where he
wishes them to go, even should a severe snow-storm come on
while they are on the journey ; and it is always safer for the
rider at such times to trust to the instincts of the dogs, than to
attempt to guide them by his own judgment. Cases have
occurred where men have done this, and paid the penalty by
freezing to death in a desolate wilderness. In such cases the
faithful dogs, if left to themselves, make directly for their
home.

k< When two travellers meet on a journey, it is necessary for
both parties to come circuitously and slowly towards each other,
and give the separate packs the opportunity of observing that
their masters are acquainted, or otherwise a fight might ensue
between the dogs. Mr. Jones lost a son, fourteen years of age,
a few years ago in the snow, in consequence of a servant
imprudently turning the dogs from their course, thinking they

ESQUIMAUX DOGS. 283

were wrong. The dogs obeyed the command, and took them
towards Hudson's Bay. When the weather cleared the servant
found his mistake ; but, alas ! it was too late for the tender
boy, and he froze to death in the servant's arms.

" We saw also to-day the carcasses of fifteen hundred seals
stripped of their skins, piled up in a heap, and the dogs feeding
on them. The stench filled the air for half a mile around.
They tell us the dogs feed on this filthy flesh until the next
seal season, tearing it piecemeal when frozen in winter.

" Mr. Jones's house was being painted white, his oil-tubs
were full, and the whole establishment was perfumed with
odours which were not agreeable to my olfactory nerves. The
snow is to be seen in large patches on every hill around us,
while the borders of the water-courses are fringed with grasses
and weeds as rank as any to be found in the middle states in
like situations. I saw a small brook with fine trout, but what
pleased me more was to find the nest of the shore-lark ; it was
embedded in moss, so exactly the colour of the bird, that when
the mother sat on it, it was impossible to distinguish her. We
see Newfoundland in the distance, looking like high moun-
tains, whose summits are far above the clouds at present. Two
weeks since the harbour where we now are was an ice-field,
and not a vessel could approach it ; since then the ice has sunk,
and none is to be seen far or near.

" July 28. A tremendous gale has blown all day, and I have
been drawing. The captain and the rest of our company went
off in the storm to visit Blanc Sablons, four miles distant. The
fishermen have corrupted the French name into the English of
"Nancy Belong." Towards evening the storm abated, and
although r it is now almost calm, the sea runs high, and the
Kipley rolls in a way which makes our suppers rest unquietly
in our stomachs. We have tried in vain to get some Esquimaux
mocassins and robes ; and we also asked to hire one of them,
to act as a guide for thirty or forty miles into the interior.
The chief said his son might go, a boy of twenty-three, but he
would have to ask his mother, as she was always fearing some
accident to her darling. This darling son looked mdre like a
brute than a Christian man, and was so daring, that he would
not venture on our journey.

284 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" We proceeded over the table-lands towards some ponds, and
I found three young shore-larks just out of the nest, and not yet
able to fly. They hopped about pretty briskly over the moss,
uttering a soft peep, to which the parent birds responded at
every call. They were about a week old, and I am glad that
I shall now have it in my power to make a figure of these birds
in summer, winter, and young plumage. We also found the
breeding-place of the Fuligula Histrionica, in the corner of a
small pond in some low bushes. The parent bird was so shy,
that we could not obtain her. In another pond we found the
nest also of the velvet duck, called here white-winged coots
(Fuligula Fusca) ; it was placed on the moss, among the grass,
close to the edge of the water, and contained feathers, but no
down, as others do. The female had six young, five of which
were secured. They were about one week old, and I could
readily distinguish the male birds from the females, the former
all exhibiting the white spot under the eye. They were black
and hairy (not downy) all over except under the chin, where a
patch of white showed itself. They swam swiftly and beauti-
fully, and when we drove them into a narrow place, for the
purpose of getting them on land and catching them alive, they
turned about face and dived most beautifully, and made their
way towards the middle of the pond, where four were shot at one
discharge. Another went on shore and squatted in the grass,
where Lincoln caught it , but I begged for its life, and we left
it to the care of its mother and of the Maker ! The mother
showed all imaginable anxiety, and called to her young all the
while she remained in the pond, with a short squeaking note by
no means unpleasant.

" July 2 ( J. Bras d'Or. Another horrid stormy day ; the
fishermen complain, although five or six left the harbour for
further east ; and I wish them joy, but for my part I wish I was
further westward. Our party of young men went off this
morning early to a place called Port Eau, eighteen miles distant,
to try to buy some Esquimaux mocassins and dresses. They
will not come back till to-morrow, and I was glad when the
boat returned, as I was sure they were on term finua. I feel
quite lonesome on account of their absence, for when all are
on board we have lively times, with music, and stories, and

VISIT TO MR. JONES. 285

jokes, and journalizing. But I have amused myself drawing
three young shore-larks, the first ever portrayed by man.

" These birds are just now beginning to congregate, by associ-
ating their families together ; even those of which the young are
scarcely able to fly fifty yards are urging the latter to follow
the flock ; so much for short seasons here. In one month all
these birds must leave this coast or begin to suffer. The young
of many birds are now fledged, and scamper over the rocks
about us, amid the stinking drying cod-fish, with all the
sprightliness of youth. The young ravens are out, and fly in
flocks with their parents also ; and the young of almost all the
land birds are full fledged. The ducks alone seem to me to be
backward in their growth, but being more hardy, they can
stand the rigidity of the climate until the month of October,
when the deep snows drive them off, ready or not, for their
toilsome journey.

" The water of our harbour is actually covered with oil, and
the bottom fairly covered with the offal of cod-fish, so that I
feel as if smelling and breathing an air impregnated with the
essence of cod-fish.

" July 30. The morning was beautiful when I arose, but such
a thing as a beautiful morning in this mournful country amounts
almost to an unnatural phenomenon. The captain and myself
visited Mr. Jones this afternoon. We found his wife a good
motherly woman, who talked well, and gave us some milk , she
also promised us some fresh butter, and asked to see my draw-
ings of the birds of this vicinity.

" At Port Eau our young men saw an iceberg of immense
size. At that place there is a large fishing establishment, having
a store connected with it, belonging to fishermen who come
yearly from the Island of Jersey. It is again blowing a young
hurricane.

" July 31. Another horrid hurricane, accompanied by heavy
rain, and the vessel rolling so that I cannot go on with my
drawing.

" August 1. The weather has quite changed, the wind
blows from the south-west ; it is dry, and I have used the time
in drawing. At noon we were visited by an iceberg, which
was driven by the easterly wind and storm of yesterday to

286 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

within three miles of us, and grounded at the entrance of the
bay. It looks like a large man-of-war, dressed in light greenish
muslin instead of canvas ; and when the sun shines on it it
glitters most brilliantly.

"When these transient monuments of the sea happen to
tumble or roll over, the fall is tremendous, and the sound pro-
duced resembles that of loud distant thunder. These icebergs
are common here all summer, being wafted from the lower end
of the straits with every heavy easterly wind or gale. And as
the winds generally prevail from the south and south-west, the
coast of Newfoundland is more free from them than Labrador ;
and the navigation along the straits is generally performed
along the coast of Newfoundland. My time and our days now
weigh heavily on our hands ; nothing to be seen, nothing to be
shot, therefore nothing to be drawn. I have now determined
on a last thorough ransack of the mountain tops, and plains,
and ponds, and if no success follows, to raise anchor and sail
towards the United States once more ; and blessed will the day
be when I land on those dear shores where all I long for in
this world exists and lives, I hope.

" August 2. Thermometer 58° at noon. Thank God it has
rained all day. I say thank God, though rain is no rarity, because
it is the duty of every man to be thankful for whatever happens
by the will of the Omnipotent Creator ; yet it was not so agree-
able to any of my party as a fine day would have been. We
had an arrival of a handsome schooner, called the Wizard, from
Boston to-day, but she brought neither papers nor letters ; but
we learned that all our great cities have a healthy season, and
we thanked God for this. The retrograde movement of many
land and water birds has already commenced, especially of the
lesser species.

"August 3. The Wizard broke her moorings and ran into
us last night, causing much alarm, but no injury. The iceberg
of which I have spoken has been broken into a thousand pieces
by the late gale, and now lies stranded along the coast One
such monster deposits hundreds of tons of rocks, and gravel,
and boulders, and so explains the phenomena which I have
before mentioned as observable along the coast.

" August 4. It is wonderful how quickly every living thing

INSTINCT OF BIRDS. 287

in this region, whether animal or vegetable, attains its growth.
In six weeks I have seen the eggs laid, the birds hatched, and
their first moult half gone through; their association into flocks
begun, and preparations for leaving the country.

" That the Creator should have ordered that millions of
diminutive, tender creatures, should cross spaces of country, in
all appearance a thousand times more congenial for all their
purposes, to reach this poor, desolate, and deserted land, to
people it, as it were, for a time, and to cause it to be enlivened
with the songs of the sweetest of the feathered musicians, for
only two months at most, and then, by the same extraordinary
instinct, should cause them all to suddenly abandon the country,
is as wonderful as it is beautiful and grand.

" Six weeks ago this whole country was one sheet of ice ; the
land was covered with snow, the air was filled with frost, and
subject to incessant storms, and the whole country a mere mass
of apparently useless matter. Now the grass is abundant, and
of rich growth, the flowers are met with at every step, insects
fill the air, and the fruits are ripe. The sun shines, and its
influence is as remarkable as it is beautiful, the snow-banks
appear as if about to melt, and here and there there is some-
thing of a summerish look. But in thirty days all is over , the
dark northern clouds will come down on the mountains ;* the
rivulets and pools, and the bays themselves, will begin to freeze ;
weeks of snow-storms will follow, and change the whole cover-
ing of these shores and country, and Nature will assume not
only a sleeping state, but one of desolation and death. Wonder-
ful ! wonderful ! wonderful ! But it requires an abler pen
than mine to paint the picture of this all-wonderful country.

" August 5. This has been a fine day ! We have had no new
hurricane, and I have finished the drawings of several new
birds. It appears that northern birds come to maturity sooner
than southern ones ; this is reversing the rule in the human
species. The migration of birds is much more wonderful than
that of fishes, because the latter commonly go feeling their
way along the shores, from one clime to another, and return to
the very same river, creek, or even hole, to deposit their spawn,
as the birds do to their former nest or building-ground as long
as they live. But the latter do not feel their way, but launch-

288 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

ing high in the air, go at once, and correctly, too, across im-
mense tracts of country, seemingly indifferent to them, but at
once stopping, and making their abode in special parts here-
tofore their own, by previous knowledge of the advantages and
comforts which they have enjoyed, and they know awaits them
there.

u August 10. I now sit down to post up my poor book, while
a furious gale is blowing without. I have neglected to make
daily records for some days, because I have been so constantly
drawing, that when night came, I was too weary to wield my
pen. Indeed, all my physical powers have been taxed to weari-
ness by this little work of drawing , my neck and shoulders,
and most of all my fingers, have ached from the fatigue ; and I
have suffered more from this kind of exertion than from w alking
sixty-five miles in a day, which I once did.

" To-day I have added one more new species to the * Birds of
America,' the Labrador falcon ; and may we live to see its
beautiful figure multiplied by Havell's graver."

The journal gives a list of the names of one hundred and
seventy-three skins of birds, which were obtained on the coast
of Labrador by Audubon and his party on this expedition.
The episode given in the following chapter seems to summarize
Audubon's observations of the inhabitants of Labrador.

CHAPTER XLVIL

Labrador Episodes: The Squatters of Labrador.

" Go where you will, if a shilling can there be procured, you may
expect to meet with individuals in search of it. In the course
of last summer I met with several persons as well as families
whom I could not compare to anything else than what in
America we understand by the appellation of squatters. The
methods they employed to accumulate property form the subject
of the observations which I now lay before you. Our schooner
lay at anchor in a beautiful basin on the coast of Labrador,
surrounded by uncouth granite rocks, partially covered with
stunted vegetation. While searching for birds and other objects
I chanced one morning to direct my eye towards the pinnacle
of a small island, separated from the mainland by a very
narrow channel, and presently commenced inspecting it with
my telescope. There I saw a man on his knees, with clasped
hands, and face inclined heavenwards. Before him was a small
monument of unhewn stones supporting a wooden cross. In a
word, reader, the person whom I thus unexpectedly discovered
was engaged in prayer. Such an incident in that desolate land
was affecting, for there one seldom finds traces of human beings,
and the aid of the Almighty, although necessary everywhere,
seems there peculiarly required to enable them to procure the
means of subsistence. My curiosity having been raised, I betook
myself to my boat, landed on the rock, and scrambled to the
place, where I found the man still on his knees. When his
devotions were concluded he bowed to me and addressed me in
very indifferent French. I asked why he had chosen so dreary

u

290 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

a spot for his prayers. i Because/ answered he, ' the sea lies
before me, and from it I receive my spring and summer
sustenance. When winter approaches I pray fronting the
mountains on the Maine, as at that period the caraboos come
towards the shore and I kill them, feed on their flesh, and form
my bedding of their skins/ I thought the answer reasonable,
and, as I longed to know more of him, followed him to his hut.
It was low and very small, formed of stones plastered with mud
to a considerable thickness. The roof was composed of a sort
of thatching made of weeds and moss, A large Dutch stove
filled nearly one half of the place ; a small port-hole, then stuffed
with old rags, served at times instead of a window ; the bed was
a pile of deer-skins ; a bowl, a jug, and an iron pot were placed
on a rude shelf; three old and rusty muskets, their locks •
fastened by thongs, stood in a corner ; and his buck-shot, powder,
and flints were tied up in bags of skin. Eight Esquimaux dogs
yelled and leaped about us. The strong smell that emanated
from them, together with the smoke and filth of the apartment,
rendered my stay in it very disagreeable. Being a native of
France, the good man showed much politeness, and invited me
to take some refreshment, when, without waiting for my assent,
he took up his bowl and went off I knew not whither. No
sooner had he and his strange dogs disappeared, than I went
out filso to breathe the pure air and gaze on the wild and
majestic scenery around. 1 was struck with the extraordinary
luxuriance of the plants and grasses that had sprung up on the
scanty soil in the little valley which the squatter had chosen
lor his home. Their stalks and broad blades reached my waist
June had come, and the flies, mosquitoes, and other insects
filk'd the air, and were as troublesome to me as if I had been in
a Florida swamp. The scjuatter returned, but he was i chop-
fallen ;' nay, I thought his visage had assumed a cadaverous hue.
Tears ran down his cheeks, and he told me that his barrel of
rum had been stolen by the ' eggers ' or some fishermen. He
said that he had been in the habit of hiding it in the bushes to
prevent its being carried away by those merciless thieves, who
must have watched him in some of his frequent walks to the
sjk>L ' Now/ said he, ' I can expect none till next spring, and
(fod knows what will become of me in the, winter.* Pierre Jean

A LABRADOR SQUATTER. 291

Baptiste Michaux € had resided in that part of the world for
upwards of ten years ; he had run away from the fishing-smack
that had brought him from his fair native land, and expected
to become rich some day by the sale of his furs, skins, and
eider-ducks' down, seal-skins, and other articles which he
collected yearly, and sold to the traders who regularly visited
his dreary abode. He was of moderate stature, firmly framed,
and as active as a wild cat/ He told me that, excepting the loss of
his rum, he had never experienced any other cause of sorrow,
and that he felt as ' happy as a lord.' Before parting with this
fortunate mortal, I inquired how his dogs managed to find
sufficient food. 'Why, sir, during spring and summer they
ramble along the shores, where they meet with abundance of
dead fish, and in winter they eat the flesh of the seals which
I kill late in the autumn, when these animals return from the
north. As to myself, everything eatable is good, and when
hard pushed, I assure you I can relish the fare of my dogs just
as much as they do themselves.' Proceeding along the rugged
indentations of the bay with my companions, I reached the
settlement of another person, who, like the first, had come to
Labrador with the view of making his fortune. We found him
after many difficulties ; but as our boats turned a long point
jutting out into the bay we were pleased to see several small
schooners at anchor and one lying near a sort of wharf. Several
neat-looking houses enlivened the view, and on landing we were
kindly greeted with a polite welcome from a man who proved
to be the owner of the establishment. For the rude simplicity
of him of the rum-cask we found here the manners and dress
of a man of the world. A handsome fur cap covered his dark
brow, his clothes were similar to our own, and his demeanour
was that of a gentleman. On my giving him my name he
shook me heartily by the hand, and on introducing each of my
companions to him he addressed me as follows : ' My dear sir,
I have been expecting you these three weeks, having read in
the papers your intention to visit Labrador, and some fishermen
told me of your arrival at Little Natasquan. Gentlemen, walk
in.' Having followed him to his neat and comfortable mansion,
lie introduced me to his wife and children. Of the latter there
were six, all robust and rosy. The larly, although a native of

v 2

292 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the country, was of French extraction, handsome, and sufficiently
accomplished to make an excellent companion to a gentleman.
A smart girl brought us a luncheon, consisting of bread, cheese,
and good port wine, to which, having rowed fourteen or fifteen
miles that morning, we helped ourselves in a manner that seemed
satisfactory to all parties. Our host gave us newspapers from
different parts of the world, and showed us his small but choice
collection of books. He inquired after the health of the amiable
Captain Bayfield of the Royal Navy, and the officers under him,
and hoped they would give him a call. Having refreshed our-
selves, we walked out with him, when he pointed to a very small
garden where a few vegetables sprouted out anxious to see the
sun. Gazing on the desolate country around, I asked him how
lie had thus seclude! himself from the world. For it he had no
relish, and although he had received a liberal education and
had mixed with society, he never intended to return to it. ' The
country round/ said he, 'is all my own much farther than you
can see. Xo fees, no lawyers, no taxes are liere. I do pretty
much as I choose. My means are ample through my own
industry. These vessels come here for seal-skins, seal oil, and
salmon, and give me in return all the necessaries, and, indeed,
comforts of the life I love to follow , and what else could the
world afford me ?' I spoke of the education of his children.
' My wife and I teach them all that is useful for them to know,
and is not that enough? My girls will marry their countrymen,
my sons the daughters of my neighlours, and I hope all of them
will live and die in the country.' I said no more, but by way
of compensation for the trouble I had given him, purchased
from his eldest child a beautiful fox-skin. Few birds, he said,
came round him in summer, but in winter thousands of
ptarmigans were killed, as well as great numbers of gulls. He
had a groat dislike to all fishermen and eggers, and I really
believe was always glad to see th& departure of even the hardy
navigators who annually visited him for the sake of his salmon,
his seal-skins, and oil. He had more than forty Esquimaux
dogs ; and as I was caressing one of them he said, * Tell my
brother-in-law at Bras-dor that we are all well here, and that
after visiting my wife's father I will give him a call/

4k Now, reader, his wife's father resided at the distance of

A BLUE STOCKING. 293

seventy miles down the coast, and like himself was a recluse.
He of Bras-d'or was at double that distance; but when the
snows of winter have thickly covered the country, the whole
family in sledges drawn by dogs travel with ease and pay their
visits or leave their cards. This good gentleman had already
resided there more than twenty years. Should he ever read
this article, I desire him to believe that I shall always be
grateful to him and his wife for their hospitable welcome.
When our schooner, the Ripley, arrived at Bras-d'or, I paid a

visit to Mr. , the brother-in-law, who lived in a house

imported from Quebec, which fronted the strait of Belle Isle,
and overlooked a small island, over which the eye reached the
coast of Newfoundland whenever it was the wind's pleasure to
drive away the fogs that usually lay over both coasts. The
gentleman and his wife, we were told, were both out on a walk,
but would return in a very short time, which they in fact did,
when we followed them into the house, which was yet unfinished.
The usual immense Dutch stove formed a principal feature of
the interior. The lady had once visited the metropolis of
Canada, and seemed desirous of acting the part of a ' blue
stocking.' Understanding that I knew something of the fine
arts, she pointed to several of the vile prints hung on the bare
walls, which she said were elegant Italian pictures, and con-
tinued her encomiums upon them, assuring me that she had
purchased them from an Italian who had come there with a
trunk full of them. She had paid a shilling sterling for each,
frame included. I could give no answer to the good lady on
this subject, but I felt glad to find that she possessed a feeling
heart. One of her children had caught a siskin, and was tor-
menting the poor bird, when she rose from her seat, took the
little flutterer from the boy, kissed it, and gently launched it
into the air. This made me quite forget the tattle about the
fine arts. Some excellent milk was poured out for us in clean
glasses. It was a pleasing sight, for not a cow had we yet seen
in the country. The lady turned the conversation on music,
and asked if I played on any instrument. I answered that
I did, but very indifferently. Her forte, she said, was music, of
which she was indeed immoderately fond. Her instrument had
been sent to Europe to be repaired, but would return that

294 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

season, when the whole of her children would again perform
many beautiful airs, for in fact anybody could use it with ease,
as when she or the children felt fatigued the servant played on
it for them. Eather surprised at the extraordinary powers of
this family of musicians, I asked what sort of an instrument it
was, when she described it as follows • ' Gentlemen, my instru-
ment is large, longer than broad, and stands on four legs like a
table ; at one end is a crooked handle, by turning which round
either fast or slow I do assure you we make excellent music/
The lips of my young friends and companions instantly curled,
but a glance from me as instantly recomposed their features.
Telling the fair one it must be a hand-organ she used, she
laughingly said, ' Oh, that is it, it is a hand-organ, but I had for-
gotten the name, and for the life of me could not recollect it/
The husband had gone out to work, and was in the harbour
caulking an old schooner. He dined with me on board the
Ripley, and proved to be an excellent fellow. Like his brother-
in-law, he had seen much of the world, having sailed nearly
round it ; and although no scholar, like him, too, he was disgusted
with it. He held his land on the same footing as his neighbours,
caught seals without number, lived comfortably anl happily,
visited his father-in-law and the scholar by the aid of his dogs,
of which he kept a great pack, bartered or sold his commodities
as his relations did, and cared about nothing else in the world.
Whenever the weather was fair he walked with his dame over
the snow-covered rocks of the neighbourhood, and during winter
killed ptarmigans and caraboos, while his eldest son attended
to the traps and skinned the animals caught by them. He had
the only horse that was to be found in that part of the country,
as well as several cows ; but, above all, he was kind to every one,
and every one spoke well of him. The only disagreeable thing
about the plantation or settlement was a heap of fifteen hundred
carcasses of skinued seals, which at the time when we visited
the place, in the month of August, notwithstanding the coolness
of the atmosphere, sent forth a stench that, according to the idea
of some naturalists, might have sufficed to attract all the vultures
in the United States. During our stay at Bras-d'or the kind-
hearted and good Mrs. daily sent us fresh milk and butter,

for which we were denied the pleasure of making auy return."

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Notes in Labrador — Gulf of St. Lawrence — St. George's Bay, New-
foundland — The Village — Fishermen and Women — Indian Wiu-
wams — Beating about at Sea.

"August 11. At sea, Gulf of St. Lawrence. We are now fully
fifty miles from the coast of Labrador. Fresh water was taken
on board, and all preparations were made last evening, and this
morning: we bid adieu to the friends we had made at Labrador.

" Seldom in my life have I left a country with as little regret
as this; next in order would come East Florida, after my
excursion up the St. John's River. As we sailed away I saw
probably for the last time the high and rugged hills, partly
immersed in large banks of fog, that usually hang over them.

"Now we are sailing before the wind in full sight of the
south-west coast of Newfoundland, the mountains of which are
high, spotted with drifted snow-banks, and cut horizontally with
floating strata of fogs extending along the land as far as the eye
can reach. The sea is quite smooth, or else I have become a
better sailor by this rough voyage. Although the weather is
cloudy, it is such as promises in this region a fair night. Our
young men are playing the violin and flute, and I am scribbling
in my book.

" It is worth telling that during the two months we have
spent on the coast of Labrador, moving from one harbour to
another, or from behind one rocky island to another, only three
nights have been passed at sea. Twenty-three drawings have
been commenced or finished, and now I am anxious to know if

296 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

what remains of the voyage will prove as fruitful; and only
hope our Creator will permit us all to reach our friends in
safety and find them well and happy.

" August 13. Harbour of St. George's Bay, Newfoundland. By
my dates you will see how long we were running, as the sailors
call it, from Labrador to this place, where we anchored at five
this evening. Our voyage here was all in sight of, and indeed
along the north-west side of Newfoundland; the shores pre-
senting the highest lands we have yet seen. In some places
the views were highly picturesque and agreeable to the eye,
although the appearance of vegetation was but little better
than at Labrador. The wind was fair for two-thirds of the
distance, and drew gradually ahead and made us uncomfortable.
" This morning we entered the mouth of St. George's Bay,
which is about forty miles wide and fifty miles deep, and a more
beautiful and ample basin cannot be found ; there is not a single
obstruction within it. The north-east shores are high and
rocky, but the southern are sandy, low, and flattish. It took
us until five o'clock to ascend it, when we came to anchor in
sight of a small village, the only one we have seen in two
months ; and we are in a harbour with a clay bottom, and where
fifty line-of-battle ships could snugly and safely ride.

" The village is built on an elongated point of sand or sea wall,
under which we now are, and is perfectly secure from all winds
except the north-east. The country on ascending the bay
became gradually more woody and less rough in shape. The
temperature changed quite suddenly this afternoon, and the
weather was so mild that we found it agreeable lolling on deck,
and it felt warm even to a southern like myself. Twenty-two
degrees difference in temperature in two days is a very con-
siderable change.

tfc We found here several sail of vessels engaged in the fisheries,
and an old hulk from Hull in England, called Charles Tennison,
which was wrecked near here four years ago, on her way from
Quebec to Hull. As we sailed up the bay two men boarded us
from a small boat and assisted us as pilots. They had a half
barrel of fine salmon, which I bought from them for ten dollars.
As soon as we dropped anchor our young men went ashore to
buy fresh provisions, but they returned with nothing but two

FRIGHT OF THE LABRADOR WOMEN. 297

bottles of milk, though the village contains two hundred inhabi-
tants. Mackerel, and sharks Of the man-eating kind, are said
to be abundant here. Some signs of cultivation are to be seen
across the harbour, and many huts of Michmaes Indians adorn
the shores. We learn that the winters are not nearly as severe
here as at Quebec, yet not far off I could see dots of snow of
last year's crop. Some persons say birds are plenty, others say
there are none hereabouts.

" The ice did not break up, so that this bay was not navigable
until the 17th of May, and I feel confident that no one can enter
the harbours of Labrador before the 10th or middle of June.

" August 14. All ashore in search of birds, plants, and the usual
et ceteras belonging to our vocations, but all had to return soon
on account of a storm of wind and rain, showing that Newfound-
land is cousin to Labrador in this respect. We found the
country quite rich however in comparison with the latter place ;
all the vegetable productions are larger and more abundant.
We saw a flock of house sparrows, all gay and singing, and on
their passage to the south-west."

Audubon names about twenty different species of birds*
which he saw here , hares and caraboos are among the animals,
and among the wild plants he found two species of roses.

" The women flew before us as if we were wild beasts, and
one who had a pail of water, at sight of us, dropped it, and ran
to hide herself; another who was looking for a cow, on seeing us
coming, ran into the woo Is, and afterwards crossed a stream
waist deep to get home to her hut without passing us. We are
told that no laws are administered here, and to my surprise not
a sign of a church exists. The people are all fishermen and live
poorly; in one enclosure I saw a few pretty good-looking
cabbages. We can buy only milk and herrings, the latter ten
cents a dozen , we were asked eight dollars for a tolerable calf,
but chickens were too scarce to be obtained. Two clearings
across the bay are the only signs of cultivated land. Not a
horse has yet made its way into the country, and not even a
true Newfoundland dog, nothing but curs of a mixed breed.

" Some of the buildings looked like miserable hovels, others
more like habitable houses. Not a blacksmith's shop here, and
yet one would probably do well. The customs of the people are

298 LIFE OF AUDUBON

partly Canadian and partly English. The women all wear
cotton caps covering their ears. The passage to and from our
vessel to the shore was the roughest I ever made in an open
boat, and we were completely soaked by the waves which dashed
over us.

" August 15. We have had a beautiful day. This morning some
Indians came alongside of our vessel with half a reindeer, a
caraboo, and a hare of a species I had never seen before. We gave
them twenty-one pounds of pork for forty-four pounds of venison,
thirty-three pounds of bread for the caraboo, and a quarter of a
dollar for the hare. The Indians showed much cleverness in
striking the bargain. I spent part of the day drawing, and then
visited the wigwams of the Indians across the bay. We found
them, as I expected, all lying down pell-mell in their wigwams,
and a strong mixture of blood was perceptible in their skins,
shape, and deportment • some were almost white, and sorry I
am to say, that the nearer they were to our nobler race the
filthier and the lazier they were. The women and children
were particularly disgusting in this respect. Some of the
% women were making baskets, and others came in from collecting
a fruit called here the baked apple (Rubus chauisenrous), and
when burnt a little it tastes exactly like a roasted apple. The
children were catching lobsters and eels, of which there are a
great many in the bav, as there are in all the bays of the island,
whilst at Labrador this shell-fish is very rare. The young
Indians found them by wading to their knees in eel grass.

" We bargained with two of the hunters to go with our
young men into the interior to hunt for caraboos, hares, and
partridges, which they agreed to do for a dollar a day. The
Indians cook lobsters by roasting them in a pile of brushwood,
and eat them without any salt or other condiment. The
caraboos are at this date in 4 velvet/ their skins are now light
grey, and the flesh poor but tender. The average weight of
this animal, when in good condition, is four hundred pounds.
In the early part of March they leave the hilly grounds, where
no moss or any other food can be obtained, and resort to the
shores of the sea to feed on kelp and other sea grasses cut up
by the ice and cast up by the waves along the shore. Groups
of several hundreds may be seen at one time thus feeding : their

A VISIT FROM MR. FOREST AND FAMILY 299

flesh here is not much esteemed ; it tastes like indifferent, poor,
but very tender venison.

" August 17. We should now be' ploughing the deep had the
wind been fair, but it has been ahead, and we remain here in
statu quo. The truth is we have determined not to leave this
harbour without a fair prospect of a good run, and then we shall
trust to Providence after that. I have added a curious species
of alder to my drawing of the white-winged cross-bill, and
finished it. We received a visit from Mr., Mrs., and Miss Forest ,
they brought us some salad and fresh butter, and in return we
gave them a glass of wine and some raisins. The old lady and
gentleman talked well, he complained of the poverty of the
country and the disadvantages he experienced from the privi-
leges granted to the French on this coast. They told me they
were relatives of Lord Plunket, and that they were well ac-
quainted with our friend Edward Harris and his family. I gave
them my card, and showed them the Duke of Sussex's letter,
which they borrowed and took home to copy. I had also a visit
from an old Frenchman who has resided on this famous island
for fifty years. He assured me that no red Indians are now to •
be found , the last he had heard of were seen twenty-two years
ago. It is said that these natives give no quarter to anybody,
but, after killing their foes, cut off* their heads and leave their
bodies to the wild beasts of the country.

" Several flocks of golden-winged plovers passed over the bay
this forenoon, and two lestris pomerania came in this evening.
The ravens abound here, but no crows have yet been seen ; the
great tern are passing south by thousands, and a small flock of
Canada geese were also seen. The young of the golden-crested
wren were shot, A muscipcapa was killed, which is probably
new. I bought seven Newfoundland dogs for seventeen dollars •
two bitches, four pups, and a dog two years old. With these I
shall be able to fulfil promises made to friends to bring them
dogs.

" On the 18th of August at daylight the wind promised to be
fair, and although it was rather cloudy we broke our anchorage,
and at five o'clock were under weigh. We coasted along
Newfoundland until evening, when the wind rose to a tempest
from the south-west, and our vessel was laid to at dark, and we

300 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

danced and kicked over the waves the whole of that night and
the next day. The next day the storm abated, but the wind was
still so adverse that we could not make the Gannet Rock or any
part of Newfoundland, and towards the latter we steered, for
none of us could bear the idea of returning to Labrador. During
the night the weather moderated, and the next day we laid our
course for the Straits of Canseau , but suddenly the wind failed,
and during the calm it was agreed that we would try and reach
Pictou in Nova Scotia, and travel by land. We are now beating
about towards that port, and hope to reach it early to-morrow
morning. The captain will then sail for Eastport, and we,
making our way by land, will probably reach there as soon as
he. The great desire we all have to see Pictou, Halifax, and
the country between there and Eastport is our inducement"

CHAPTER XLIX.

Notes in Labrador — Land ox Puy's Island — Wanderings Overland —
Pictou — Professor McCullough — Truro and the Bay of Fundy —
Arrival at Halifax, Nova Scotia — Arrival at New York, and
Calculation of Expenses.

" August 22. After attempting to beat our vessel into the
harbour of Pictou, but without succeeding, we concluded that
myself and party should be put on shore, and the Ripley should
sail back to the Straits of Canseau, the wind and tide being
favourable. We drank a parting glass to our wives and friends,
and our excellent little captain took us to the shore, whilst the
vessel stood up to the wind, with all sails set, waiting for the
captain.

" We happened to land on an island called Ruy's Island, where,
fortunately for us, we met some men making hay. Two of them
agreed to carry our trunks and two of our party to Pictou for
two dollars. Our effects were put in a boat in a trice, and we
shook hands heartily with the captain, towards whom we all
now feel much real attachment, and after mutual adieus, and
good wishes for the completion of our respective journeys, we
parted, giving each other three most hearty cheers.

" We were now, thank God, positively on the main shore of
our native land; and after four days' confinement in our
berths, and sea-sickness, and the sea and vessel, and all their
smells and discomforts, we were so refreshed, that the thought
of walking nine miles seemed nothing more than figuring through
a single quadrille. The air felt uncommonly warm, and the

302 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

country, compared with those we had so lately left, appeared
perfectly beautiful, and we inhaled the fragrance of the new-
mown grass, as if nothing sweeter ever existed. Even the music
of crickets was delightful to my ears, for no such insect is to be
found either at Labrador or Newfoundland. The voice of a
blue jay sounded melody to me, and the sight of a humming-
bird quite filled my mind with delight.

" We were conveyed to the main, only a very short distance,
Ingalls and Coolidge remaining in the boat ; and the rest took
the road, along which we moved as lightly as if boys just released
from school. The road was good, or seemed to be so; the
woods were tall timber, and the air, which circulated freely, was
all perfume ; and every plant we saw brought to mind some
portion of the United States, and we all felt quite happy. Now
and then as we crossed a hill, and cast our eyes back on the sea,
we saw our beautiful vessel sailing freely before the wind, and
as she diminished towards the horizon, she at last appeared like
a white speck, or an eagle floating in the air, and we wished our
captain a most safe voyage to Quoddy.

" We reached the shore opposite Pictou in two and a half
hours, and lay down on the grass to await the arrival of the
boat, and gazed on the scenery around us. A number of
American vessels lay in the harbour loading with coal. The
village located at the bottom of a fine bay on the north-west
side looked well, although small Three churches appeared
above the rest of the buildings, all of wood, and several vessels
were building on the stocks.

" The whole country seemed to be in a high state of cultivation,
and looked well. The population is about two thousand. Our
boat came, and we crossed the bay, and put up at the Royal
Oak, the best hotel in the place, where we obtained an excellent
suppe r. The very treading of a carpeted floor was comfortable.
In the evening we called on Professor McCullough, who received
us kindly, gave us a glass of wine, and showed us his collection
of well-preserved birds and other things, and invited us to break-
last to-morrow at eight o'clock, when we are further to inspect
his curiosities. The professor's mansion is a quarter of a mile
from the town, and looks irtuch like a small English villa.

4< August 2;?. We had an excellent Scotch breakfast at the

VISIT TO PROFESSOR McCULLOUGH. 303

professor's this morning, and his family, consisting of wife, four
sons and daughters, and a wife's sister, were all present. The
more I saw and talked with the professor, the more I was
pleased with him. I showed him a few of my Labrador drawings,
after which we marched in a body to the university, and again
examined his fine collection. I found there half a dozen
specimens of birds, which I longed for, and said so, and he
offered them to me with so much apparent good will, that I
took them and thanked him. He then asked me to look around
and see if there were any other objects I would like to have.
He offered me all his fresh-water shells, and such minerals as
we might choose, and I took a few specimens of iron and copper.
He asked me what I thought of his collection, and I gave him
my answer in writing, adding F.E.S. to my name, and telling
him that I wished it might prove useful to him. I am much
surprised that his valuable collection had not been purchased by
the Governor of the province, to whom he offered it for five
hundred pounds. I think it worth a thousand pounds.

" On our return to the hotel we were met by Mr Blanchard,
the deputy consul for the United States, an agreeable man, who
offered frankly to do anything in his power to make our visit
fruitful and pleasant. ' Time up,' and the coach almost ready,
our bill was paid, our birds packed, and I walked ahead about a
mile out of the town, with Mr Blanchard, who spoke much of
England, and was acquainted with Mr. Adamson, and some
other friends whom I knew at Newcastle-on-Tyne.

" The coach came up, I shook hands with Mr. Blanchard,
jumped in, and away we went for Truro, distant forty miles.
The rain began to fall, and the wind to blow from the east, a
good wind for the Ripley, and on we rolled on as good a road as
any in England, were it only a little broader. We now passed
through a fine tract of country, well wooded, well cultivated, and
a wonderful relief to our fatigued eyes, which had so long been
seeing only desolate regions, snow, and tempestuous storms.

" By four in the afternoon we were hungry, and stopped at a
house to dine, and it now rained faster than before. Two ladies,
and the husband of one of them as I supposed, had arrived before
us, in an open cart or Jersey waggon ; and I, with all the
gallantry belong to my nature, offered to exchange vehicles

304 LIFE OF AUDUBON

with them, which they readily accepted, but without expressing
any thanks in return. After dinner Shattuck, Ingalls, and
myself jumped into the open thing, I was seated by the side of
my so-so Irish dame, and our horse moved off at a very good
speed.

" Our exchange soon proved an excellent one, for the weather
cleared up, and we saw the country much better than we could
have done in the coach, where there were so many passengers
that we should have been squeezed together closely* Directly
Professor McCullough came up with us, and. told us he would
see us to-morrow at Truro. Towards sunset we arrived in
sight of this pretty, loosely-built village, near the head-waters
of the Bay of Fundy. The view filled me with delight, and
the pleasure was deepened by the consciousness that my course
was homeward, and I was but a few days from the dearest being
to me on earth.

" We reached the tavern, which the hotel where we stopped
was called, but as it could accommodate only three of us, we
crossed the street to another house, where we ordered a substan-
tial supper. Professor McCullough came in, and introduced us
to several members of the Assembly of this province.

" We tried in vain to get a conveyance to take us to Halifax,
distant sixty-four miles, in the morning, to avoid riding all night
in the mail-coach, but could not succeed. Mr. McCullough then
took me to the residence of Samuel G. Archibald, Esq., Speaker
of the Assembly, who received me most affably, and introduced me
to his lady and handsome young daughter ; the former wore a
cap fashionable four years ago at home (England). I showed
them a few drawings, and received a letter from the Speaker to
the Chief Justice at Halifax, and bid them all good-night ; and
am now waiting the mail to resume my journey. Meanwhile
let me say a few words on this little village. It is situated in
tho centre of a most beautiful valley of great extent, and under
complete cultivation: looking westerly a broad sheet of water
is seen, forming the head of the famous Bay of Fundy, and
several brooks run through the valley emptying into it. Tho
buildings, although principally of wood, are good-looking, and as
cleanly as any of our pretty New England villages, well painted,
and preen Winds. The general appearance of the people quite

LOSING A LINCH-PIN. 305

took me by surprise, being extremely genteel. The coacli is at
the door, the corner of my trunk is gasping to swallow this book,
and I must put it in and be off.

" August 24. Wind east, and hauling to the north-east — all
good for the Ripley. We are at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and this
is the way we got here : — Last night at eleven we seated our-
selves in the coach ; the moon shone bright, and the night was
beautiful; but we could only partially observe the country until
the day dawned. But we found out that the road was hilly and
the horses lazy, and after riding twenty miles we stopped to
change horses and warm ourselves. Shortly the cry came,
s Coach ready, gentlemen/ In we jumped, and on we rode for a
mile and a half, when the linch-pin broke, and we came to a
stand-still. Ingalls took charge of the horses, and responded to
the hoot of the owls, which sounded out from tne woods, and
the rest of the party, excepting Coolidge and myself, slept
soundly, while we were enduring that disagreeable of all ex-
periences of travellers — detention — which is most disagreeable
in this latitude, and especially at night. Looking up the road,
the vacillating glimmer of the candle, intended to assist the
driver in finding the linch-pin, was all that could be distinguished,
and we began to feel what is called i wolfish.' The man re-
turned, but found no pin — it could not be found, and apother
quarter of an hour was spent in fumbling round with ropes to
tie our vehicle together. At length the day dawned beautifully,
and I ran ahead of the coach for a mile or so to warm myself ;
and when the coach came up I got up with the driver to try to
obtain some information respecting the country, which was
becoming poorer and poorer the further we travelled. Hunger
again now began to press us, and we were told that it was twenty-
five miles from the lost linch-pin to the breakfast-house. I
persuaded the driver to stop at a wayside tavern, and inquire
the prospects for getting some chickens or boiled eggs ; but the
proprietor said it was impossible for him to furnish a breakfast
for six persons of our appearance.

" We passed on, and soon came to the track of a good-sized
bear in the road, and after a wearisome ride reached the break-
fast ground, at a house situated on the margin of a lake called
Grand Lake, which abounds with fine fish, and soles in the

x

306 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

season. This lake forms part of the channel which was intended
to be cut for connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of
Fundy with the Gulf of St. Lawrence at Bay Verte. Ninety
thousand pounds have been expended on the enterprise, and the
canal is not finished, and probably never will be; for the
government will not assist, and private efforts seem to have
exhausted themselves. This point is seventeen miles from
Halifax, and must afford a pleasant residence for summer.

" The road from that tavern to Halifax is level and good,
though rather narrow, and a very fine drive for private carriages.
We saw the flag of the garrison at Halifax, two miles before we
reached the place, when we suddenly turned short, and brought
up at a gate fronting a wharf, at which lay a small steam-ferry
boat. The gate was shut, and the mail was detained nearly an
hour waiting tor it to be opened. Why did not Mrs. Trollope
visit Halifax ? The number of negro men and women, beggarly-
looking blacks, would have furnished materials for her descrip-
tive pen.

" We crossed the harbour, in which we saw a sixty-four gun
flag-ship riding at anchor. The coach drove up to the house of
Mr. Paul, the best hotel, where we with difficulty obtained one
room with four beds for six persons. With a population of
eighteen thousand souls, and two thousand more of soldiers,
Halifax has not one good hotel, and only two very indifferent
private boarding-houses, where the attendance is miserable, and
the table by no means good. We are, however, settled.

"We have walked about the town; but every one of us
has sore feet in consequence of walking on hard ground, after
having roamed for two months on the soft, deep mosses of
Labrador. The card of an Italian was sent to our rooms, telling
us that he had fine baths of all sorts, and we went off to his
rooms and found only one tin tub, and a hole underground, into
which the sea-water filters, about the size of a hogshead. I
plunged into this hole with Ingalls and Shattuck, then rubbed
ourselves dry with curious towels, and paid six cents each for
the accommodation. We then walked to the garrison, listened
to the music, returned to the hotel, and have written this, and
now send in my card to the aide-de-camp of the Governor of
Newfoundland, who resides in this house.

A SQUADRON OP SHIPS SUNK. 307

" August 25. To-day I walked to the wharves, and was surprised
to find them every one gated and locked, and sentinels standing
guard everywhere. In the afternoon there was a military
funeral ; it was a grand sight, the soldiers walked far apart,
guns inverted, to the sound of the finest anthem, and wonder-
fully well executed by an excellent band.

u There are no signs of style here ; only two ordinary barouches
came to church to-day (the Episcopal), where the bishop said
the prayers and preached. All the cRurches receive a certain
number of soldiers dressed in uniform. The natives of the
province are called € Blue Noses/ and to-morrow we intend to
see all we can of them.

"August 26. To-day I delivered letters which I brought to
Bishop Inglis and the Chief Justice, but did not find them at
home. To-morrow we hope to leave here for Windsor, distant
forty-five miles.

" August 27. At nine o'clock we entered the coach, or rather
five of us entered it, as it would hold no more, and one was
obliged to take an outside seat in the rain. The road from
Halifax to Windsor is macadamized and good, winding through
undulating hills and valleys ; our horses were good, and although
we had but one pair at a time, we travelled six and a half miles

an hour. For more than nine miles our course was alon^ the

&

borders of the Bay of Halifax ; the view was pleasant, and here
and there we noticed tolerable good-looking summer-houses.
Near the head of this bay, said the driver, an English fleet
pursued a squadron of seven French ships, and forced them to
haul down their colours ; but the French commander, or admiral,
sunk all his vessels, preferring to do this to surrendering them
to the British, The water was so deep at this place that the
tops of the masts of the vessels went deep out of sight, and have
been seen only once since then, which was more than twenty
years ago.

"We passed the abandoned lodge of Prince Edward, who
spent about one million of pounds on this building and the
grounds, but the whole is now a ruin ; thirty years have passed
since it was in its splendour. On leaving the waters of the bay,
we followed those of the Salmon River, a small rivulet of swift
water, which abounds with salmon, trout, elwines, &c The

x 2

308 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

whole country is poor, very poor, yet under tolerable cultivation
all the way. We passed the seat of Mr. Jeffries, the President
of the Assembly, now Acting Governor ; his house is good-looking,
large, and the grounds around it are in fine order. It is situated
between two handsome fresh-water lakes ; indeed the whole
country through which we travelled is interspersed with lakes, all
of them abounding in trout and eels.

"We passed the college and common school, both looking
well, and built of fine freestone ; a church and several other fine
buildings line the road, on which the president and rector reside.
We crossed the head of the St. Croix Eiver, which rolls its
waters impetuously into the Bay of Fundy. Here the lands were
all dyked, and the crops looked very well, and from that river to
Windsor the country improved rapidly.

" Windsor is a small and rather neat village, on the east side
of the River Windsor, and is supported by the vast banks of
plaster of Paris around it. This valuable article is shipped in
British vessels to Eastport and elsewhere in large quantities.

" Our coach stopped at the door of the best private boarding-
house, for nowhere in this province have w T e heard of hotels.
The house was full, and we went to another, where, after waiting
two hours, we obtained an indifferent supper. The view from
this village was as novel to me as the coast of Labrador. The
bed of the river, which is here about one mile wide, was quite
bare as far as the eye could reach, say for ten miles, scarcely any
water to be seen, and yet the place where we stood was sixty-
five feet above the bed, which plainly showed that at high tide
this wonderful basin must be filled to the brim. Opposite us,
and indeed the whole country, is dyked in ; and vessels left dry
at the great elevation, fastened to the wharves, had a singular
appearance. We are told that now and then some vessels have
slid sideways from the top of the bank down to the level of the
gravelly bed of the river. The shores are covered for a hundred
yards with a reddish mud. This looks more like the result of a
great freshet than of a tide, and I long to see the waters of the
sea advancing at the rate of four knots an hour to fill this basin,
a sight I hope to see to-morrow."

August 28. Here follows the description of the extraordinary
rise and fall of the waters, and they are evidently the notes

ARRIVAL AN NEW YORK. 309

from which Audubon wrote his episode of the Bay of Fundy.
The day was passed in rambling in search of birds in this vicinity.
The record for the day concludes : " We intended to have paid our
respects to Mr. Halliburton, author of the ' Description of Nova
Scotia/ and other works, but we learned that he was in Boston,
where I heartily wished myself.

" Eastport, Maine, August 31, 1833. We arrived here
yesterday afternoon in the steamer Maid of the Mist, all well.
We left Windsor a quarter before twelve, and reached St. John's,
New Brunswick, at two o'clock at night , passed Cape Blow-me-
Down, Cape Split, and Cape D'Or; the passengers were few,
and we were comfortable. We traversed the streets of St.
John's by moonlight, and in the morning I had the pleasure to
meet my friend Edward Harris, and to receive letters from
home ; and I am now preparing to leave for Boston as soon as
possible."

The account of the voyage concludes with this sentence*
<c We reached New York on the morning of the 7th of Sep-
tember, and, thank God, found all welL I paid the balance of
the Ripley's charter (eight hundred and sixty-two dollars), and
a balance of four hundred and thirty dollars to Dr. Parkman,
which he advanced to Dr. Shattuck for me. And I was not very
well pleased that nearly the whole burden of the Labrador
voyage was put on my shoulders, or rather taken out of my
poor purse , but I was silent, and no one knew my thoughts on
that subject."

310 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER L.

Journal Resumed — En Route to Florida — A Friendly Letter — Calls
on Governor Cabs, Secretary of War — Washington Irving —
Wanderings South — Florida Excursion Arandoned — Returns
North.

September 7, 1833. After Audubon's return from Labrador he
remained three weeks in New York, and then made all his pre-
parations for a journey to Florida. He forwarded to his son
Victor, in England, thirteen drawings of land birds, which he
had prepared to complete the second volume of the great work ;
and he left seventeen drawings of sea birds to be forwarded in
October, for the commencement of his third volume. As an
evidence of the value Audubon set on these drawings, we may
note that he insured both parcels for two thousand dollars
each.

September 25. Mr. and Mrs. Audubon left New York for
Philadelphia on their way to Florida, leaving their son John to
sail from New York by water, " with all our articles of war," for
Charleston, where they proposed to meet The journal says : " The
weather was delightful, and we reached Philadelphia at three
o'clock, and took lodgings with Mrs. Newlin, No. 112 Walnut
Street. Here I called on some of my former friends and was
kindly received. I visited several public places in the city, but
no one stopped me to subscribe for my book."

The following letter from Dr. McKenney of Philadelphia is
inserted here as a capital specimen of a racy letter, and as

LETTER TO GOVERNOR CASS. 311

evincing, moreover, how Audubon was estimated by his best
friends ; —

" Philadelphia, September 30, 1833.

" My dear Governor,

" I do not know when I have done a more acceptable
service to my feelings, nor when I have been just in a situation
to afford as much gratification to yours, as in presenting to
your notice, and private and official friendship, the bearer,
Mr. Audubon. It were superfluous to tell you who he is ; the
whole' world knows him and respects him, and no man in it has
the heart to cherish or the head to appreciate him, and such a
man, beyond the capacity of yourself.

" Mr. Audubon makes no more of tracking it in all directions
over this, and I may add other countries, than a shot star does
in crossing the heavens. He goes after winged things, but
sometimes need the aid of — at least a few feathers, to assist him
the better to fly. He means to coast it again round Florida —
make a track through Arkansas — go up the Missouri — pass on
to the Eocky Mountains, and thence to the Pacific. He will
require some of your official aid. I took an unmerited liberty
with your name and readiness of purpose, and told him you
were the very man ; and I need not say how happy I shall be
to learn that you have endorsed my promise and ratified it.
God bless you.

" In haste,
" Thos. L. MacKenney.

" To the Hon. Lewis Cass, Secretary of War,
Washington City "

" Richmond, Virginia, October (no date). Travelling through
the breeding-places of our species is far from being as interesting
to me as it is to inspect the breeding-places of the feathery tribes
of our country. Yet as it is the lot of every man like me to
know something of both, to keep up the clue of my life, I must
say something of the cities through which I pass, and of the
events which transpire as I go along.

" At Philadelphia I of course received no subscriptions ; nay,
I was arrested there for debt,* and was on the point of being

* One of his old partnership debts.

312 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

taken to prison, had I not met with William Norris, Esq., wno
kindly offered to be my bail. This event brings to my mind
many disagreeable thoughts connected with my former business
transactions, in which I was always the single loser, that I will
only add I made all necessary arrangements to have it paid.

" We left Philadelphia for Baltimore, where I obtained four
new subscribers, and received many civilities, and especially
from Mr. Theodore Anderson, the collector of the customs. He
is fond of birds, and that made me fond of him.

" From Baltimore we went to Washington, for the purpose of
obtaining permission for myself to accompany an expedition to
the Rocky Mountains under the patronage of the Government.
Generals McCombe, Jessup, Colonel Abert, and other influential
persons received me as usual with marked kindness. I called
on Governor Cass, Secretary of War, and met with a reception
that nearly disheartened me. He said in an indifferent and
cold manner that any request of that sort must be made in
writing to the Department , and it recalled to my mind how
poor Wilson was treated by the famous Jefferson when he made
a similar application to that great diplomatist. I had forgotten
to take with me the flattering letter of introduction I had
received from Dr. MacKenney, and I inquired if he would allow
me to send him the letter : he said, ' Certainly, sir/ and I bowed
and retired, determined never to trouble him or the War
Department again.

" I was revolving in my mind how I might get to the Eocky
Mountains without the assistance of the Secretary of War, when
I suddenly met with a friendly face, no less than Washington
Irving's. I mentioned my errand to him and the answer I had
received, and he thought I was mistaken. I might have been ;
but those eyes of mine have discovered more truth in men's
eyes than their mouths were willing to acknowledge. However,
I listened to good Irving with patience and calmness, and he
promised to see the Secretary of War; and he also at once
accompanied me to Mr. Taney, the Secretary of the Treasury,
who received me well, and at once kindly gave me a letter,
granting me the privilege of the revenue cutters along the
coast south of Delaware Bay."

Mr. Audubon returned to Baltimore, took the bav steamer

ARRIVAL AT CHARLESTON. 313

for Norfolk, went aboard the Potomac, which was there ready
to sail for Richmond, where he arrived at the above date.
There he called on Governor Floyd, who promised to try to
induce the State of Virginia to subscribe for his " Birds of
America.''

" Ociober 16. We left Richmond this morning in a stage well
crammed with Italian musicians and southern merchants, arrived
at Petersburg at a late hour, dined, and were again crammed in
a car drawn by a locomotive, which dragged us twelve miles an
hour, and sent out sparks of fire enough to keep us constantly busy
in extinguishing them on our clothes. At Blakely we were again
crammed into a stage, and dragged about two miles an hour.
We crossed the Roanoke River by torchlight in a flat boat,
passed through Halifax, Raleigh, Fayetteville, and Columbia,
where we spent the night. Here I met Dr. Gildes, at whose
house we passed the evening, and who assisted me greatly ; at
his house I met President Thomas Cooper, who assured me he
had seen a rattlesnake climb a fine rail fence on his land. I
received from the treasury of the State four hundred and twenty
dollars on account of its subscription for one copy of the ' Birds
of America.' "

Dreading the railway, he hired a carriage for forty dollars
to proceed to Charleston, where he arrived in four days, and
found his son John, and was kindly received, with his wife, by
the Rev. John Backman.

" Charleston, 8. C., October 24, 1833. Our time at Charleston
has been altogether pleasant. The hospitality of our friends
cannot be described, and now that we are likely to be connected
by family ties I shall say no more on this head." John and
Victor Audubon were subsequently married to daughters of
this gentleman.

" My time was well employed ; I hunted for new birds or
searched for more knowledge of old. I drew ; I wrote many
long pages. I obtained a few new subscribers, and made some
collections on account of my work.

" My proposed voyage to Florida, which was proposed for the
3rd of November, was abandoned on account of the removal of
my good friend Captain Robert Day from his former station to
New York, and I did not like to launch on the Florida reefs in

314 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the care of a young officer unknown to me ; and besides this,
my son Victor wrote me from England desiring my return. So
we began to prepare gradually for a retrograde movement
towards the north, and on the 1st of March we left our friends
and Charleston to return to New York. We travelled through
North and South Carolina, and reached Norfolk, Va., on the
6th ; went up the bay to Washington, thence to Baltimore, and
took lodgings at Theodore Andersons in Fayette Street.

" At Baltimore we saw all our friends and obtained three new
subscribers, and lost one, a banker/' Here Audubon remained
about a month ; went to Philadelphia to collect money, which
he found rather difficult , and passed on to New York.

CHAPTER LI.

Return to Englant) — Visit to Baron Rothschild — Queer Reception —
Results of the Visit — Removal to Edinburgh — Return to Lon-
don — Embarks with much Live Stock for New York — Notes by
the Way.

April 16, 1834. After remaining two weeks in New York,
Audubon, his wife, and son John, sailed on the above date
for Liverpool, " in the superb packet, the North America, com-
manded by that excellent gentleman, Mr. Dixey of Philadelphia.
Our company was good ; our passage was good ; the first land
we saw was Holyhead, and in nineteen days after leaving
America we were put ashore in Old England/' Audubon saw
his friends in Liverpool, who had lost none of their former
cordiality and kindness ; and after a few days he left with his
family, by the way of Birmingham, for London.

"May 12. We reached London to-day and found our son
Victor quite well, and were all happy. My work and business
waygoing on prosperously." After remaining several weeks in
London, and seeing to matters relating to his publication there,
Audubon and his son Victor went to deliver letters of in-
troduction which they had brought. Among those letters was
one from one of the firm of the distinguished American banking-
house of Prime, Ward, and King, to the famous London banker,
Rothschild. " The letter was addressed to Baron Rothschild,
the man who, notwithstanding his original poverty, is now so
well known through his immense wealth, which he uses as

316 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

banker, jobber, and lender of money. We found no difficulty
in ascertaining the place of business of the great usurer.
Business in London is thoroughly matter of fact ; no external
pomp indicated the counting-house of the baron; there was
nothing to distinguish it from those of men of less enormous
capital; and we walked into his private office without any
hindrance, and introduced ourselves without any introducer.

" The Baron was not present, but we were told by a good-
looking young gentleman that he would come in in a few
minutes; and so he did. Soon a corpulent man appeared,
hitching up his trousers, and a face red with the exertion of
walking, and without noticing any one present, dropped his fat
body into a comfortable chair, as if caring for no one else in this
wide world but himself. While the Baron sat, we stood, with
our hats held respectfully in our hands. I stepped forward, and
with a bow tendered him my credentials. ' Pray, sir/ said the
man of golden consequence, ' is this a letter of business, or is it
a mere letter of introduction ?' This I could not well answer,
for I had not read the contents of it, and I was forced to answer
rather awkwardly that I could not tell. The banker then
opened the letter, read it with the manner of one who was
looking only at the temporal side of things, and after reading
it, said, ' This is only a letter of introduction, and I expect from
its contents that you are the publisher of some book or other
and need my subscription/

" Had a man the size of a mountain spoken to me in that
arrogant style in America, I should have indignantly resented
it ; but where I then was it seemed best to swallow and digest
it as well as I could. So in reply to the offensive arrogance of
this banker, I said I should be honoured by his subscription to
the * Birds of America.' * Sir/ he said, * I never sign my riUme
to any subscription list, but you may send in your work and I
will pay for a copy of it. Gentlemen, I am busy, I wish you
good-morning/ We were busy men, too, and so bowing respect-
fully, we retired, pretty well satisfied with the small slice of his
opulence which our labour was likely to obtain.

" A few days afterwards I sent the first volume of my work
half bound, and all the numbers besides, then published. On
seeing them we were told that he ordered the bearer to take

GOES TO EDINBURGH. 317

them to his house, which was done directly. Number after
number was sent and delivered to the Baron, and after eight
or ten months my son made out his account and sent it by
Mr. Havell, my engraver, to his banking-house. The Baron
looked at it with amazement, and cried out, ' What, a hundred
pounds for birds ! Why, sir, I will give you five pounds, and not a
farthing more.' Bepresentations were made to him of the
magnificence and expense of the work, and how pleased his
Baroness and wealthy children would be to have a copy ; but
the great financier was unrelenting. The copy of the work was
actually sent back to Mr. HavelTs shop, and as I found that
instituting legal proceedings against him would cost more than
it would come to, I kept the work, and afterwards sold it to a
man with less money but a nobler heart. What a distance
there is between two such men as the Baron Rothschild of
London and the merchant of Savannah !"

Audubon remained in London looking after his work and
interests there until the fall of 1834, when he went with his
family to Edinburgh, where he hired a house and spent a next
year and a half.

There is no journal describing the incidents of that residence
in Edinburgh ; and it is probable, for the reason that Audubon
did not keep a daily record there at all. The journal was
written chiefly with the design to keep his wife and children
informed of all his doings when he was absent from them, and
they were with him during this period, and so there was no
necessity for it ; and secondly, he was daily so busily occupied
with other writing that he had no time to devote to that, or
even his favourite work of drawing and painting. Some idea
of the amount of his labour at that period may be inferred
from the fact, that the introduction to volume second of his
"American Ornithological Biography/' which contains five hun-
dred and eighty-five pages of closely-printed matter, is dated
December 1st, 1834 ; and that in just one year from that date,
the third volume, containing six hundred and thirty-eight pages,
was printed and published.

In the summer of 1836 he removed his family to London,
and having settled them in Wimpole-street, Cavendish Square,
he again made his preparations to return to America, and

318 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

make the excursion into some of the southern States, which
he had been contemplating for a long time, for the purpose of
increasing the new varieties of birds for his great work.

July 30, 1836, the journal begins, saying that Mr. Audubon
left London that day with his son John for Portsmouth, where
he arrived the next day, and took passage on board the packet
ship Gladiator, Captain Britton, for New York.

"August 1. Somewhat before the setting of the sun we went
on board, ate and drank, and laid ourselves down in those float-
ing catacombs, vulgarly called berths. When the Gladiator left
St. Katherine's Dock she had on our account two hundred and
sixty live birds, three dogs received as a present from our noble
friend, the Earl of Derby, and a brace of tailless cats from our
friend George Thackery, D.D., provost of King's College. They
had been on board several days, and seemed not to have received
much care, and some of the birds had died. But the dogs and
some of the birds were alive, and crossed the Atlantic safely.

August 2. About five this afternoon the anchor was apeak,
several new persons were hoisted on deck, our sails were spread
to the breeze, and the Gladiator smoothly glided on her course.
The passengers were a fair average as to agreeability, and
among them was Wallack the actor, who amused us with some
admirable puns. The voyage was prosperous, and the time
passed pleasantly, until we approached the banks of Newfound-
land, when we began to fear and dream of icebergs and disasters ;
but none came, and the Gladiator kept her course steadily
onward, when, just five weeks after leaving England, in the
afternoon, the highlands of Neversink were discovered, about
fifteen miles distant. The welcome news of our approach to
the Hook thrilled my heart with ecstacy.

"The evening was dark, and no pilot in sight; and rockets
were thrown up from the ship to attract one. This soon brought
one alongside, and an American tar leaped on board. Oh ! my
Lucy, thou knowest me, but I cried like a child, and when our
anchor was dropped, and rested on the ground of America, thy
poor husband laid himself down on his knees, and there thanked
God for His preservation of myself and our dear son.

<f All was now bustle and mutual congratulations ; our com-
mander was praised for his skill by some, and others praised his

ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK. 319

whiskey punch, which the waiters handed about, and the night
was nearly spent in revelry ; but John and myself retired at
two o'clock.

" It rained hard and blew all night, but I slept comfortably,
and awoke the next morning at four o'clock as happy as any
man could be three thousand miles from the dearest friend he
had on earth. As a gleam of daylight appeared, my eyes
searched through the hazy atmosphere to catch a glimpse of
the land, and gradually Staten Island opened on my view ; then
the boat of the custom-house officer appeared, and soon he
boarded us, arranged the sailors and passengers on deck, and
called their names. Then followed breakfast, and soon another
boat with a yellow flag flying landed the health officer, and
there being no sickness on board, myself and John returned to
Staten Island in the doctor's boat, and were taken by the
steamer Hercules to the city, where we were welcomed by
relatives and friends."

320 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER LIL

In America — Delaware River — Philadelphia — Boston — Friend and
Birds — Thomas Nuttall — Excursion to Salem — A " Beautiful
Blue-Stocking " — Meeting with Daniel Webster — Back to New
York — Social Meetings — Thoughts concerning Wilson the Or-
nithologist.

Sept ember 13. Audubon remained in New York until this date,
obtained two subscribers and the promise of two more, visited
the markets and found a few specimens of new birds, and left
for Philadelphia , paid three dollars for his fare on the steamer
Swan, and fifty cents for his dinner ; " but," the journal adds,
" we were too thick to thrive. I could get only a piece of
bread and butter, snatched from the table at a favourable
moment.

" I found the country through which we passed greatly im-
proved, dotted with new buildings, and the Delaware River
seemed to me handsomer than ever. I reached Philadelphia
at six o'clock p.m., and found Dr. Harlan waiting for me on the
wharf, and he took me in his carriage to his hospitable house,
where I was happy in the presence of his amiable wife and
interesting son.

" September 14 Went to the market with Dr. Harlan at five
o'clock this morning ; certainly this market is the finest one in
America. The flesh, fish, fruit and vegetables, and fowls, are
abundant, and about fifty per cent less than in New York ;
where, in fact, much of the produce of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey is taken now-a-days for sale — even game ! I bought two

HE VISITS BOSTON 321

soras (cedar birds) for forty cents, that in New York would
have brought fifty cents. After breakfast went to the Academy
of Natural Sciences, met Dr. Pickering, and had a great treat in
looking over and handling the rare collection made by Nut tall
and Townsend in their excursion on and over the Kocky Moun-
tains. It belongs to the Academy, which assisted the travellers
with funds to prosecute their journey , it contains about forty
new species of birds, and its value cannot be described."

Audubon spent only a day or two in Philadelphia, saw
his old friends there, was present at one of the meetings of the
Academy, obtained a few new birds, and returned to New York.
Mr. Edward Harris, his old friend, called to see him , and when
he was told of the new species of birds obtained by Townsend,
" offered to give me five hundred dollars towards purchasing
them. Is not this a noble generosity to show for the love of
science ?"

" Boston, September 20, 1836. I came here from New York,
via the steamer Massachusetts and the Providence Kailroad,
for seven dollars, which included supper and breakfast- There
were three hundred passengers, and among them several persons
known to me. A thick fog compelled the steamer to anchor at
midnight; in the morning our sail up the bay to Providence
was like a fairy dream. Nature looked so beautiful and grand,
and so congenial to my feelings, that I wanted nothing but thy
dear self here, Lucy, to complete my happiness. The locomotive
pulled us from Providence to Boston at the rate of fifteen miles
an hour ; we arrived at four p.m. ; a cart took my trunk, and
seating myself by the side of the owner, we drove to the house
of my friend Dr George C. Shattuck. The family soon
gathered for tea, and I was now happy, and after talking for a
while I retired to rest in the same room and bed where John
and I slept after our return from Labrador."

Audubon spent several days in Boston visiting the public in-
stitutions and his friends, among whom he mentions Mr. Everett,
Dr. Bowditch, Dr. Gould, and Mr. David, " where I found Maria

D , now Mrs. Motley, as handsome as ever, and her husband

not far short of seven feet high."

" September 20. Went to the market and bought a fine pigeon
hawk for two cents, which is now found m Massachusetts.

Y

322 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

Visited Koxbury with Thomas Brewer, a young man of much
ornithological taste, to see his collection of skins and eggs:
found his mother and family very kind and obliging, and received
from him seven eggs of such species as I have not. Returned
and visited David Eckley, the great salmon fisher : promised to
breakfast with him to-morrow.

" September 21. Went to market and bought a female blue
teal for ten cents- Called on Dr. Storer, and heard that our
learned friend Thomas Nuttall had just returned from California.
I sent Sir. Brewer after him, and waited with impatience for a
sight of the great traveller, whom we admired so much when
we were in this fine city. In he came, Lucy, the very same
Thomas Nuttall,, and in a few minutes we discussed a con-
siderable portion of his travels, adventures, and happy return to
this land of happiness. He promised to obtain me duplicates of
all the species he had brought for the Academy at Philadelphia,
and to breakfast with us to-morrow, and we parted as we
have before, friends, bent on the promotion of the science we
study

" September 22. This has been a day of days with me ; Nuttall
breakfasted with us, and related much of his journey on the
Pacific, and presented me with five new species of birds obtained
by himself, and which are named after him. One of Dr. Shat-
tuek's students drove me in the doctor's gig to call on Governor
Everett, who received me as kindly as ever ; and then to the
house of President Tinnay of Harvard University, where I saw his
family , and then to Judge Story's. Then crossing the country,
we drove to Col. J H. Perkins', and on the way I bought a fine
male white-headed eagle for five dollars. On my return I
learned that at a meeting of the Natural History Society yester-
day a resolution was passed to subscribe for my work.

" Dr. Bowditch advised me to go to Salem, and with his usual
anxiety to promote the welfare of every one, gave me letters to
Messrs. Peabody and Cleveland of that place, requesting them to
interest themselves to get the Athenaeum to subscribe for my
work.

" Salem, Mass., September 23, 1836. Rose early this morning,
and made preparations to go to Salem ; and at seven o'clock I
was in the stage, rolling out of Boston towards this beautiful

A BLUE-STOCKING 323

and quiet village. The road might be called semi-aquatic, as it
passes over bridges and embankments through salt marshes of
great extent, bounded by wooded hills towards the sea, and
distant ones inland. We stopped a few moments at Shoemaker
Town (Lynn), where I paid one dollar for my fare, and reached
this place afterwards at half-past ten."

" I was put down at the Lafayette Hotel, and soon made my
way to Mr. Cleveland's office ; he received me kindly, and invited
me to dine with him at one o'clock. I took some back numbers
of my ' Birds of America ' to Miss Burley, and found her as good,
amiable, and generous as ever ; and she at once interested herself
to make the object of my visit successful. Called on Dr. Pierson,
to whom I had a letter, and met a most congenial spirit, a man
of talents and agreeable manners. The Doctor went with me to
see several persons likely to be interested in my work , and I
then called alone on a Miss Sitsby, a beautiful ' blue/ seven or
eight seasons beyond her teens, and very wealthy. Blues do
not knit socks, or put on buttons when needed ; they may do
for the parlour, but not for the kitchen. Although she has the
eyes of a gazelle, and capital teeth, I soon discovered that she
would be no help to me: when I mentioned subscription, it
seemed to fall on her ears, not as the cadence of the wood thrush
or mocking bird does in mine, but as a shower-bath in cold
January. Ornithology seemed to be a thing for which she had
no taste ; she said, however, ' I will suggest your wish to my
father, sir, and give you an answer to-morrow morning.' She
showed me some valuable pictures, especially one by that king
of Spanish painters, Murillo, representing himself, and gun, and
dog , the Spanish dress and tout ensemble brought to my mind
my imaginations respecting Gil Bias. At last I bowed, she
curtsied, and so the interview ended.

"September 23. 'Chemin faisant.' I met the curator of the
Natural History Society of Salem, and gladly accepted his
invitation to examine the young collection of that new-born
institution, and there I had the good fortune to find one egg of
the American bittern.

" It was now nearly one o'clock, and going to the office of
Mr. Cleveland, I found him waiting to conduct me to his house.
We soon entered it and his dining-room, where I saw three

Y 2

324 LIFE OF AUDUBON

lovely daughters and a manTy-looking youth, their brother.
The dinner was excellent, and served simply ; but as our future
bread and butter depend on my exertions, I excused myself as
soon as convenient, and went to Dr. Pierson, who accompanied
me to call on some gentlemen who would be likely to take an
interest in my work."

Audubon returned on September 24th to Boston, and remained
there one week, visiting his friends and looking for subscribers
to his Birds.

" Septeniber 27. The citizens are all excitement; guns are
firing, flags flying, and troops parading, and John Quincy
Adams is delivering a eulogy on the late President Madison.
The mayor of Boston did me the honour to invite me to join in
the procession, but I am no politician, and declined.

"I dined with Dr. B. C. Green, President of the Natural
History Society, with President Quincy, Isaac P. Davis, and
3Ir. Xuttall. In the evening Dr. Shattuck finished the subscrip-
tion list of the society, by presenting me to his lady, who
subscribed for one-tenth, and the Dr then put down his son
George's name for one-twentieth, making in his own family one-
fourth of the whole, or two hundred and twenty dollars, for
which he gave me his cheque. Without the assistance of this
generous man, it is more than probable that the society never
would have had a copy of the * Birds of America.'

"September 20. Mr. Isaac P Davis called to invite me to
spend the evening at his house, and to meet Daniel Webster.
I met him at the Historical Society, where I saw the last
epaulets worn bv our glorious Washington, many of his MS.
letters, and the coat Benjamin Franklin wore at the French
and English courts.

" Mr. Davis has some fine pictures, which I enjoyed looking
at, and after, a while Daniel Webster came, and we welcomed
each other as friends indeed, and after the usual compliments
on such occasions we had much conversation respecting my
publication. He told me he thought it likely a copvright of
our great work might be secured to you and our children. We
took tea, talked of ornithology and ornithologists ; he promised
to send me some specimens of birds, and finished by subscribing
to my work. I feel proud, Lucy, to have that great man's name

MR. WEBSTERS LETTER. 325

on our list, and pray God to grant him a long life and a happy
one. Mr. Webster gave me the following note * —

" ' I take this mo4e of commending Mr. Audubon to any
friends of mine he may meet in his journey to the west. I
have not only great respect for Mr, Audubon's scientific
pursuits, but entertain for him personally much esteem and
hearty good wishes.

" 'Daniel Webster.' "

After obtaining a few more subscribers, and delivering some
numbers of his birds to former subscribers, Audubon bid adieu
to his friends in Boston, and returned to New York.

" October 10. Had a pleasant call from Washington Irving,
and promise of valuable letters to Van Buren and others in
Washington. After dinner went to Mr Cooper's, the naturalist,
who at first with some reluctance showed me his birds. We
talked of ornithology, and he gave rue five pairs of sylvia, and
promised to see me to-morrow.

" October 11. At nine o'clock Mr Cooper came to see me, and
examined the third volume of our work. He remained two
hours, conversing on our favourite study, and I was pleased to
find him more generously inclined to forward my views after he
had seen the new species given me by Nuttall. I went to his
house with him, and he gave me several rare and valuable
specimens, and promised me a list of the birds found by himself
and Ward in the State of New York.

" October 13. Called on Inman the painter ; saw the sketch
intended for thee, but found it not at all like thy dear self. He
says he makes twelve thousand dollars a year by his work.
Dined at Samuel Swartolit's, a grand dinner, with Mr Fox, the
British minister, Mr. Buckhead, secretary of legation, Thomas
Moore the poet, Judge Parish, and sundry others. Mrs. S.
and her daughter were present , all went off in good style, and
I greatly enjoyed myself. Several of the party invited me to
visit them at their residences, and General Stewart of Baltimore
invited me to make his house my home when I visited there.

" October 15. We have packed our trunks and sent them on
board the steamer, and leave this evening for Philadelphia.

326 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

The weather has been perfectly serene and beautiful, and the
Bay of New York never looked more magnificent and grand to
me. We soon glided across its smooth surface and entered
the narrow and sinuous Rantan ; and as I saw flocks of ducks
winging their way southward, I felt happy in the thought that I
should ere long follow them to their winter abode. We soon
reached the railroad, and crossed to the Delaware, and before
six o'clock reached the house of my good friend Dr. Harlan."

Here Audubon saw many of his old friends, visited the
public works and institutions, and obtained a few new species of
birds. After speaking of the great changes in that city, the
journal says • " Passed poor Alexander Wilson's school-house, and
heaved a sigh. Alas, poor Wilson ! would that I could once
more speak to thee, and listen to thy voice. When I was a
youth, the woods stood unmolested here, looking wild and fresh
as if just from the Creator's hands ; but now hundreds of streets
cross them, and thousands of houses and millions of diverse
improvements occupy their places . Barton's Garden is the only
place which is unchanged. I walked in the same silentious
mood I enjoyed on the same spot when first I visited the
present owner of it, the descendant of William Barton, the
generous friend of Wilson."

CHAPTER LIIL

Washington — Two Letters of Washington Irving— Interview with
the President — Visits to Officials of Congre>> — Proposed
Scientific Expedition — Dinner with Andrew Jackson.

On November 8th, Audubon arrived in Washington. Among
many other letters of introduction given to people in Wash-
ington, and transcribed carefully in the journal, are the two
following from Washington Irving.

Tarry town, October 1 ( J, 1S36.

My dear Sir,

This letter will be handed to you by our distinguished
naturalist, Mr. J. J. Audubon. To one so purely devoted rs
yourself to anything liberal and enlightened, I know I need say
nothing in recommendation of Mr. Audubon and his works, he
himself will best inform you of his views in visiting Washington,
and I am sure you will do anything in your power to promote
them.

He has heretofore received facilities on the part of the govern-
ment, in prosecuting his researches along our coast, by giving
him conveyance in our revenue cutters and other public vessels.
I trust similar civilities will be extended to him, and that he
will receive all aid and countenance in his excursions by land.

The splendid works of Mr. Audubon, on the sale of which he
depends for the remuneration of a life of labour, and for pro-
vision for his family, necessarily, from the magnificence of its

328 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

execution, is put beyond the means of most individuals. It
must depend therefore on public institutions for its chief sale.
As it is a national work, and highly creditable to the nation, it
appears to me that it is particularly deserving of national
patronage. Why cannot the departments of Washington furnish
themselves with copies, to be deposited in their libraries or
archives ? Think of these suggestions, and, if you approve of
them, act accordingly.

With the highest esteem and regard,
I am, dear sir,

Yours very truly,

Washington Irving.

Benjamin J. Butler, Esq.,
Attorney-General of the United States, Washington, D.C.

Tanytown, October 19, 1836.

My dear Sir,

I take pleasure in introducing to you our distinguished
and must meritorious countryman, Mr- J. J. Audubon, whose
splendid work on American ornithology must of course be well
known to you. That work, while it reflects such great credit on
our country, and contributes so largely to the advancement of
one of the most delightful departments of science, is likely, from
the extreme expense attendant upon it, to repay but poorly the
indefatigable labour of a lifetime. The high price necessarily
put on the copies of Mr Audubon s magnificent work places it
beyond the means of the generality of private individuals. It
is entitled therefore to the especial countenance of our libraries
and various other public institutions. It appears to me, that
the different departments in Washington ought each to have a
copy deposited in their libraries or archives. Should you be
of the same opinion you might be of great advantage in pro-
moting such a measure.

*o

Reference is then made to the assistance rendered to
Audubon by the revenue cutters and public vessels, and the
letter continues —

I trust similar facilities will still be extended to him ; in
fact, as his undertakings are of a decidedly national character,

RECEIVED BY THE PRESIDENT. 329

and conducive of great national benefit, the most liberal
encouragement in every respect ought to be shown to him on
the part of our government.

I am, my dear Sir,

Your attached Friend,

Washington Irving.
The Hon. Martin Van Buben.

"November 8. Called on Colonel Abert, who received me
with his wonted civility, promised to assist me in all my desires,
and walked with me to the President's, to present my letters.
There we found Colonel Donaldson and Mr. Earle, both
nephews, I believe, of General Jackson, and in a moment I was
in the presence of this famed man, and had shaken his hand.
He read Mr. Swartout's letter twice, with apparent care, and
having finished, said, * Mr. Audubon, I will do all in my power
to serve you, but the Seminole war will, I fear, prevent you
from having a cutter ; however, as we shall have a committee at
twelve o'clock, we will consider this, and give you an answer to-
morrow.' The general looked well, he was smoking his pipe,
and gave my letters to Colonel Donaldson, who read them
attentively, and as I left the room he followed us, and we talked
to him respecting the subscription of the different departments.
I like this man and his manners , and 1 gave him the letters of
the Duke of Sussex and the Governor of the Hudson Bay
Company to read, and went to see Colonel Earle, who is engaged
in painting General Jackson's portrait.

" Colonel Abert then took me to Mr. Bradbury, Secretary
of the Treasury, who received me very politely, and after reading
my letters to him, promised me the use of the cutter. The
subscription was also broached to him, but nothing decisive was
said, and so we passed over to Mr. Butler's office, who is a
young man. He read Washington lrving's letter, laid it down,
and began a long talk about his talents, and after a while came
round to my business ; saying, that the government allows so
little money to the departments, that he did not think it probable
that their subscription could be obtained without a law to that
effect from Congress. This opinion was anything but gratifying ;
but he made many courteous promises to bring the matter

330 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

before the next Congress, and I bid him adieu, hoping for the
best.

" Called on Mr. John S. Mechan, librarian to Congress, and
found him among his books. After some agreeable conversation
respecting his work and my own, he asked me to dine with him
to-day, and to-morrow to visit the curious chimney-sweep pos-
sessing curious knowledge of the Sora Kail, &c. Accompanied
by John, I took tea at Colonel Abert's, and then walked to
Mr. Bradbury's, to spend the evening. There the Colonel
handed me an order for the use of the cutter, and informed me
that the Treasury Department had subscribed for one copy of our
work. ]\Lr. Bradbury also offered us a passage to Charlestown
in the cutter, Campbell, about to sail for that station. The
vessel is only fifty-five tons , and although Columbus crossed the
Atlantic in search of a new world in a barque yet more frail,
and although thy husband would go to the world's end after new
birds on land, he would not like to go from Baltimore on such
a vessel carrying three guns and twenty-one men. I am now
hoping soon to see again the breeding grounds of the wood ibis,
and the roseate spoonbill.

"November 9. To day Colonel Abert called with me on
Secretary Dickenson of the navy. He received us frankly,
talked of the great naval and scientific expedition round the
world now proposed to be fitted out by the government. To
my surprise and delight his views coincided exactly with mine.
He said he was opposed to frigates and large ships, and to great
numbers of extra sailors on such an enterprise, when only
peaceful objects were intended. We differed, however, respect-
ing the number of the scientific corps : he was for a few, and I
for duplicates at hast ; because in case of death or illness some
of the departments of science would suffer if only one person
were sent. He asked me respecting the fitness of certain
persons whose names had been mentioned for the voyage. But
I gave evasive answers, not wishing to speak of individuals who
are both unfit and inimical to me to this very day. Most
sincerely do I hope that this, our first great national scientific
expedition, may succeed, not only for the sake of science, but
also for the honour of our beloved country. I strongly recom-
mended George Lehman, my former assistant, as he is in every

DINES WITH GENERAL JACKSON. 331

respect one of the best general draftsmen I know. I also
recommended the son of Dr. McMurtrie (how strange, you will
say), and young Keynolds of Boston, as an entomologist.

" The secretary paid me some compliments, and told me the
moment the expedition had been mentioned he had thought of
me, and Nuttall, and Pickering — a glorious trio ! I wish to
God that I were young once more , how delighted I would be to
go in such company — learned men and dear friends. He also
took us to his house, to see the work published by the French
government, of the voyages of L'Athalie, and presented by that
government to our own. It is a magnificent production, quite
French, and quite perfect. I next took John to the White
House, which is the vulgar name for the President's residence.
Mr. Earle introduce! us, and John saw for the first time that
extraordinary man, General Andrew Jackson. He was very
kind, and as soon as he heard that we intended departing to-
morrow evening for Charlestown, invited us to dine with him
en famille. At the named hour we went to the White House,
and were taken into a room, where the President soon joined us.
I sat close to him; we spoke of olden times, and touched
slightly on politics, and I found him very averse to the cause of
the Texans. We talked also of the great naval expedition,
European affairs, &c. Dinner being announced, we went to the
table with his two nephews, Colonel Donaldson being in the
truest sense of the word a gentleman. The dinner was what
might be called plain and substantial in England ; I dined from
a fine young turkey, shot within twenty miles of Washington.
The general drank no wine, but his health was drunk by us
more than once ; and he ate very moderately, his last dish con-
sisting of bread and milk. As soon as dinner was over we
returned to the first room, where was a picture, ay, a picture of
our great Washington, painted by Stewart, when in the prime of
his age and art. This picture, Lucy, was found during the war

with England by Mrs. , who had it cut out of the frame,

rolled up, and removed to the country, as Mr. Earle told me.
It is the only picture in the whole house — so much for precious
republican economy. Coffee was handed, and soon alter John
and I left, bidding adieu to a man who has done much good and
much evil to our country."

332 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER LIV.

Excursion South — Rambles round Charleston — Starts in Cutter for
Galveston Bay, Texas — Bar at aria Bay — Great Hunting Ex-
cursion with a Squatter.

" Cliarleston, S. C, November 17, 1836. We arrived here last
evening, after an irksome and fatiguing journey, and seemingly
very slowly performed, in my anxiety to reach a resting place,
where friendship and love would combine to render our time
happy, and the prosecution of our labour pleasant. We were
hungry, thirsty, and dusty as ever two men could be ; but we
found our dear friends all well, tears of joy ran from their eyes,
and we embraced the whole of them as if borne from one
mother. John Backman was absent from home, but returned
at nine from his presidential chair at the Philosophical Society."
Audubon passed the winter of 1836 and 1837 in Charleston,
with his friend Dr. Backman, making occasional excursions into
the country, to the neighbouring sea islands, aud also to Sa-
vannah and Florida. But the Seminole war then raging, he
was unable to penetrate much into the interior. This winter he
began the studies in Natural History, which led to the publication
of the Quadrupeds ot North America, in connection with Dr.
Backman. Early in the spring, he appears to have left Charles-
ton, in tin* revenue cutter Campbell, Captain Coste, for explora-
tions in the Gulf of Mexico. The journals are lost which
describe the interval between the 17th of January and the
1st of April, under which latter date we read that Audubon,

BARATAlilA BAY. 333

his son John, and Mr. Edward Harris, came down from New
Orleans, in the cutter, to the S. W. pass, provisioned for two
months, and bound westwardly from the mouth of the Mississippi
to Galveston Bay, in Texas, with the intention of exploring the
harbour, keys, and bayous along the coast, and to examine the
habits of the birds of this region, and to search for new species,
to furnish materials for the completion of the fourth volume of
the " Birds of America."

" April 3. We were joined this day by Captain W. B. G
Taylor, of the Eevenue service, with the schooner C rusader
twelve tons burden, two guns, and four men completely equipped
for our expedition, with a supply of seines, cast-nets, and other
fishing-tackle."

The same day they entered Barataria Bay, and began opera-
tions, and found a variety of birds which are described in the
journal. The next day the party landed, and made excursions
in different directions, in pursuit of birds and eggs. Among
the spoils of game taken this day, were two white pelicans, of
which there was an abundance.

The next three weeks were spent in visiting the islands and
bayous, and penetrating some of the rivers which pour into the
latter that occur along the coast between the Mississippi river
and Galveston. The parties landed at various points, and found
many new species of birds, and other interesting objects of
Natural History. In the course of one of these rambles, Audubon
made the acquaintance of a squatter, a great hunter, and with
whom he went on an excursion, which is thus described —

"I entered the squatter's cabin, and immediately opened a
conversation with him respecting the situation of the swamp
and its natural productions. He told me he thought it the
very place I ought to visit, spoke of the game which it contained,
and pointed to some bear and deer skins, adding, that the indi-
viduals to which they had belonged formed but a small portion
of the number of those animals which he had shot within it
My heart swelled with delight; and on asking if he would
accompany me through the great swamp, and allow me to
become an inmate of his humble but hospitable mansion, I
was gratified to find that ho cordially assented to all my pro-
posals, so I immediately unstrapped my drawing materials, laid

334 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

up my gun, and sat down to partake of the homely but whole-
some fare intended for the supper of the squatter, his wife, and
his two sons. The quietness of the evening seemed in perfect
accordance with the gentle demeanour of the family. The wife
and children, I more than once thought, seemed to look upon
me as a strange sort of person, going about, as I told them I
was, in search of birds and plants ; and were I here to relate the
many questions which they put to me, in return for those which I
addressed to them, the catalogue would occupy several pages.
The husband, a native of Connecticut, had heard of the existence
of such men as myself, both in our own country and abroad,
and seemed greatly pleased to have me under his roof. Supper
over, I asked my kind host what had induced him to remove to
this wild and solitary spot. 'The people are growing too
numerous now to thrive in New England/ was his answer. I
thought of the state of some parts of Europe, and calculating
the denseness of their population, compared with that of New
England, exclaimed to myself, how much more difficult must it
be for men to thrive in those populous countries ! The conver-
sation then changed, and the squatter, his sons and myself
spoke of hunting and fishing, until at length tired, we laid our-
selves down on pallets of bear-skins, and reposed in peace on
the floor of the only apartment of which the hut consisted. Day
dawned, and the squatters call to his hogs, which, being almost
in a wild state, were suffered to seek the greater portion of their
food in the woods, awakened me. Being ready dressed, I was
not long in joining him. The hogs and their young came
grunting at the well-known call of their owner, who threw them
a few ears of corn, and counted them, but told me that for some
weeks their number had been greatly diminished by the ravages
committed upon them by a large panther, by which name the
cougar is designated in America, and that the ravenous animal
did not content himself with the flesh of his pigs, but now and
then carried off one of his calves, notwithstanding the many
attempts he had made to shoot it. The ' painter/ as he some-
times called it, had on several occasions robbed him of a dead
deer ; and to these exploits, the squatter added several remark-
able feats of audacity which it had performed, to give me an
idea of the formidable character of the beast. Delighted by his

HUNTING A COUGAR. 333

description, I offered to assist him in destroying the enemy , at
which he was highly pleased, but assured me that unless some
of his neighbours should join us with their dogs and his own,
the attempt would prove fruitless. Soon after, mounting a
horse, he went off to his neighbours, several of whom lived at a
distance of some miles, and appointed a day of meeting. The
hunters accordingly made their appearance one fine morning
at the door of the cabin, just as the sun was emerging from
beneath the horizon. They were five in number, and fully
equipped for the chase, being mounted on horses, which in some
parts of Europe might appear sorry nags, but which in strength,
speed, and bottom, are better fitted for pursuing a cougar or a
bear through woods and morasses than any in their country.
A pack of large ugly curs was already engaged in making
acquaintance with those of the squatter. He and myself mouuted
his two best horses, whilst his sons were bestriding others of
inferior quality. Few words were uttered by the party until
we had reached the edge of the swamp, where it was agreed
that all should disperse, and seek for the fresh track of the
' painter/ it being previously settled that the discoverer should
blow his horn, and remain on the spot until the rest should
join him. In less than an hour the sound of the horn was
clearly heard, and sticking close to the squatter, off we went
through the thick woods, guided only by the now-and-then
repeated call of the distant huntsman. We soon reached the
spot, and in a short time the rest of the party came up. The
best dog was sent forward to track the cougar, and in a few
moments the whole pack was observed diligently trailing and
bearing in their course for the interior of the swamp. The
rifles were immediately put in trim, and the party followed the
dogs at separate distances, but in sight of each other, determined
to shoot at no other game than the panther.

" The dogs soon began to mouth, and suddenly quickened
their pace. My companions concluded that the beast was on
the ground, and putting our horses to a gentle gallop, we
followed the curs, guided by their voices. The noise of the
dogs increased, when all of a sudden their mode of barring
became altered, and the squatter urging me to push on, told me
that the beast was treed, by which he meant, that it had got

336 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

upon some low branch of a large tree to rest for a few moments,
and that should we not succeed in shooting him when thus
situated, we might expect a long chase of it. As we approached
the spot, we all by degrees united into a body, but on seeing the
dogs at the foot of a large tree, separated again, and galloped
off to surround it. Each hunter now moved with caution, hold-
ing his gun ready, and allowing the bridle to dangle on the
neck of his horse, as it advanced slowly towards the dogs. A
shot from one of the party was heard, on which the cougar was
seen to leap to the ground, and bound off with such velocity as
to show that he was very unwilling to stand our fire longer.
The dogs set off in pursuit with great eagerness, and a deafening
cry. The hunter who had fired came up and said that his ball
had hit the monster, and had probably broken one of his fore-
legs, near the shoulder, the only place at which he could aim.
A slight trail of blood was discovered on the ground, but the
curs proceeded at such a rate that we merely noticed this, and
put spurs to out horses, which galloped on towards the centre of
the swamp. One bayou was crossed, then another still larger
and more muddy, but the dogs were brushing forward, and as
the horses began to pant at a furious rate, we judged it expedient
to leave them, and advance on foot. These determined hunters
knew that the cougar, being wounded, would shortly ascend
another tree, where in all probability he would remain for a
considerable time, and that it would be easy to follow the track
of the dogs. We dismounted, took off the saddles and bridles,
set the bells attached to the horses' necks at liberty to jingle,
hoppled the animals, and left them to shift for themselves.
Now kind reader, follow the group marching through the
swamp, crossing muddy pools, and making the best of their way
over fallen trees, and amongst the tangled rushes that now and
then covered acres of ground. If you are a hunter yourself all
this will appear nothing to you; but if crowded assemblies of
' beauty and fashion,' or the quiet enjoyment of your ' pleasure
grounds ' delight you, I must mend my pen before I attempt to
give you an idea of the pleasure felt on such an expedition.
After marching for a couple of hours, we again heard the dogs :
each of us pressed forward, elated at the thought of terminating
the career of the cougar. Some of the dogs were heard whining,

CAMPING OUT 337

although the greater number barked vehemently. We felt
assured that the cougar was treed, and that he would rest for
some time to recover from his fatigue. As we came up to the
dogs, we discovered the ferocious animal lying across a large
branch, close to the trunk of a cotton-wood tree. His broad
breast lay towards us ; his eyes were at one time bent on us and
again on the dogs beneath and around him ; one of his fore legs
hung loosely by his side, and he lay crouched, with his ears
lowered close to his head, as if he thought he might remain un-
discovered. Three baljs were fired at him at a given signal, on
which he sprang a few feet from the branch, and tumbled head-
long to the ground, attacked on all sides by the enraged curs.
The infuriated cougar fought with desperate valour ; but the
squatter advancing in front of the party, and, almost in the
midst of the dogs, shot him immediately behind and beneath
the left shoulder. The cougar writhed for a moment in agony,
and in another lay dead. The sun was now sinking in the west.
Two of the hunters separated from the rest to procure venison,
whilst the squatter s sons were ordered to make the best of their
way home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the morning. The
rest of the party agreed to camp on the spot. The cougar was
despoiled of the skin, and the carcass left to the hungry dogs.
Whilst engaged in preparing our camp, we heard the report of
a gun, and soon after one of our hunters returned with a small
deer. A fire was lighted, and each hunter displayed his ' pone '
of bread, along with a flask of whisky. The deer was skinned
in a trice, and slices placed on sticks before the fire. These
materials afforded us an excellent meal , and as the niirht «a*ew
darker, stories and songs went round, until my companions,
fatigued, laid themselves down, close under the smoke of the fire,
and soon fell asleep. I walked for some minutes round the
camp to contemplate the beauties of that nature from which I
have certainly derived my greatest pleasure. I thought of the
occurrences of the day ; and glancing my eye around, remarked
the singular effects produced by the phosphorescent qualities of
the large decayed trunks, which lay in all directions around me.
How easy, I thought, would it be for the confused and agitated
mind of a person bewildered in a swamp like this to imagine in
each of these luminous masses some wondrous and fearful bein^.

338 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

the very sight of which might make the hair stand erect on his
head ! The thought of being myself placed in such a predica-
ment burst upon my mind ; and I hastened to join my com-
panions, beside whom I laid me down and slept, assured that no
enemy would approach us without first rousing the dogs, which
were growling in fierce dispute over the remains of the cougar
At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter bearing on his
shoulders the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, and retraced
our steps until we found our horses, which had not strayed* far
from the place where we left them. These we soon sa Idled;
and jogging along in a direct course, guided by the sun, con-
gratulating each other on the destruction of so formidable a
neighbour as the panther had been, we soon arrived at my host's
cabin. The five neighbours partook of such refreshments as the
house could afford, and, dispersing, returned to their homes,
leaving me to follow my favourite pursuits.

CHAPTER LV.

Galveston Bay— Notes in Texas— Wretched Population— Killing of
a Sword-Fish — Buffalo Bayou — President Houston and his
House — Texan Capitol and Houses of Congress — Texan Mobs —
Reaches New Orleans — Charleston.

"April 24. Arrived in Galveston Bay this afternoon, having
had a fine run from Achafalaga Bay. We were soon boarded
by officers from the Texan vessels in the harbour, who informed
us that two days before the U. S. sloop of war Natchez fell
in with the Mexican squadron off the harbour of Velasco, cap-
tured the brig Urea, and ran two other vessels ashore , another
report says they sunk another ship, and went in the pursuit of
the squadron. These vessels were taken as pirates — the fleet
having sailed from Vera Cruz without being provisioned, had
been plundering American vessels on the coast. There is also
a rumour that the Texan schooner Independence has been
captured by a Mexican cruiser. The American schooner Flash
was driven ashore a few days since by a Mexican cruiser, and
now lies on the beach at the lower end of the island.

" April 25. A heavy gale blew all night, and this morning the
thermometer in the cabin is 63°, and thousands of birds, arrested
by the storm in their migration northward, are seen hovering
around our vessels and hiding in the grass, and some struggling
in the water, completely exhausted.

" We had a visit this morning from the secretary of the Texan
navy, Mr. C. Rhodes Fisher, who breakfasted with us. He ap-
peared to be a well-informed man, and talked a great deal about

z 2

340 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

the infant republic, and then left us for the seat of government
at Houston, seventy miles distant, on the steamer Yellow Stone,
accompanied by Captains Casto and Taylor, taking the Crusader
in tow.

" April 26. Went ashore at Galveston. The only objects we
saw of interest were the Mexican prisoners ; they are used as
slaves ; made to carry wood and water, and cut grass for the
horses, aud such work ; it is said that some are made to draw
the plough. They all appear to be of delicate frame and con-
stitution, but are not dejected in appearance.

" April 27. We were off at an early hour for the island, two
miles distant ; we waded nearly all the distance, so very shallow
and filled with sandbanks is this famous bay. The meu made
a large fire to keep off the mosquitoes, which were annoying
enough for even me. Besides many interesting birds, we found
a new species of rattlesnake, with a double row of fangs on each
side of its jaws.

"April 28. We went on a deer-hunt on Galveston Island,
where these animals are abundant ; we saw about twenty-five,
and killed four.

" April 29. John took a view of the rough village of Galveston,
with the Lucida. We found much company on board on our
return to the vessel, among whom was a contractor for beef for
the army , he was from Connecticut, and has a family residing
near the famous battle-ground of San Jacinto. He promised
me some skulls of Mexicans, and some plants, for he is bumped
with botanical bumps somewhere.

" Galveston Bay, May 1, 1837. I was much fatigued this
morning, and the muscles of my legs were swelled until they
were purple, so that I could not go on shore. The musk-rat is
the only small quadruped found here, and the common house-
rat has not yet reached this part of the world.

" May 2. Went ashore on Galveston Island, and landed on a
point where the Texan garrison is quartered. We passed
through the troops, and observed the miserable condition of the
whole concern ; huts made of grass, and a few sticks or sods cut
into square pieces composed the buildings of the poor Mexican
prisoners, which, half clad and half naked, strolled about in a
state of apparent inactivity. We passed two sentinels under

GALVESTON ISLAND. 341

arms, very unlike soldiers in appearance. The whole population
seemed both indolent and reckless. We saw a few fowls, one
pig, and a dog, which appeared to be all the domestic animals
in the encampment. We saw only three women, who were
Mexican prisoners. The soldiers' huts are placed in irregular
rows, and at unequal distances ; a dirty blanket or coarse rag
hangs over the entrance in place of a door No windows were
seen, except in one or two cabins occupied by Texan officers
and soldiers. A dozen or more long guns lay about on the sand,
and one of about the same calibre was mounted. There was a
look-out house fronting and commanding the entrance to the
harbour, and at the point where the three channels meet there
were four guns mounted of smaller calibre. We readily observed
that not much nicety prevailed among the Mexican prisoners,
and we learned that their habits were as filthy as their persons.
We also found a few beautiful flowers, and among them one
which Harris and I at once nicknamed the Texan daisv : and
we gathered a number of their seeds, hoping to make them
flourish elsewhere. On the top of one of the huts we saw a
badly-stuffed skin of a grey or black wolf, of the same species
as I have seen on the Missouri. When we were returning to
the vessel we discovered a large sword-fish grounded on one of
the sandbanks, and after a sharp contest killed her with our
guns. In what we took to be a continuation of the stomach of
this fish, we found four young ones, and in another part re-
sembling the stomach six more were packed, all of them alive
and wriggling about as soon as they were thrown on the sand.
It would be a fact worth solving to know if these fish carry their
young like viviparous reptiles. The young were about thirty
inches in length, and minute sharp teeth were already formed.

" May 8. To-day we hoisted anchor, bound to Houston . after
grounding a few times, we reached Red Fish Bar, distant
twelve miles, where we found several American schooners and
one brig. It blew hard all night, and we were uncomfortable.

" May 9. We left Red Fish Bar with the Crusader and the
gig, and with a fair wind proceeded rapidly, and soon came up
to the new-born town of New Washington, owned mostly by
Mr. Swartout the collector of customs of New York. We passed
several plantations ; and the general appearance of the country

342 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

was more pleasing than otherwise. About noon we entered
Buffalo Bayou, at the mouth of the St. Jacinto Biver, and
opposite the famous battle-ground of the same name. Pro-
ceeding smoothly up the bayou, we saw abundance of game,
and at the distance of some twenty miles stopped at the house
of a Mr. Batterson. This bayou is usually sluggish, deep, and
bordered on both sides with a strip of woods not exceeding a
mile in depth. The banks have a gentle slope, and the soil on
its shores is good; but the prairies in the rear are cold and
generally wet, bored by innumerable clay fish, destitute of
clover, but covered with coarse glass and weeds, with a sight
here and there of a grove of timber, rising from a bed of cold,
wet clay.

It rained and lightened, and we passed the night at Mr.
Batterson's. The tenth it rained again, but we pushed on to
Houston, an 1 arrived there wet and hungry. The rain had
swollen the water in the bayon, and increased the current so
that we were eight hours rowing twelve miles.

" May 15. We landed at Houston, the capital of Texas,
drenched to the skin, and were kindly received on board the
steamer Tallow Stone, Captain West, who gave us his state-
room to change our clothes, and furnished us refreshments and
dinner.

" The Buffalo Bayou had risen about six feet, and the neigh-
bouring prairies were partly covered with water : there was a
wild and desolate look cast on the surrounding scenery. We
had already passed two little girls encamped on the bank of the
bayon, under the cover of a few class-boards, cooking a scanty
meal ; shanties, cargoes of hogsheads, barrels, &c, were spread
about the landing; and Indians drunk and hallooing were
stumbling about in the mud in every direction. These poor
beings had come here to enter into a treaty proposed by the
whites ; many of them were young and well looking, and with
far less decorations than I have seen before on such occasions.
The chief of the tribe is an old and corpulent man.

" We walked towards the President's house, accompanied by
the secretary of the navy, and as soon as we rose above tjie
bank, we saw before us a level of far-extending prairie, destitute
of timber, and rather poor soil. Houses half finished, and moat

PRESIDENT HOUSTON 343

of them without roofs, tents, and a liberty pole, with the capitol,
were all exhibited to our view at once. We approached the
President's mansion, however, wading through water above our
ankles. This abode of President Houston is a small log-house,
consisting of two rooms, and a passage through, after the
southern fashion. The moment we stepped over the threshold,
on the right hand of the passage we found ourselves ushered
into what in other countries would be called the ante-chamber ;
the ground-floor however was muddy and filthy, a large fire was
burning, a small table covered with paper and writing materials,
was in the centre, camp-beds, trunks, and different materials,
were strewed around the room. We were at once presented to
several members of the cabinet, some of whom bore the stamp
of men of intellectual ability, simple, though bold, in their
general appearance. Here we were presented to Mr Crawford,
an agent of the British Minister to Mexico, who has come here
on some secret mission.

"The President was engaged in the opposite room on national
business, and we could not see him for some time. Meanwhile
we amused ourselves by walking to the capitol, which was yet
without a roof, and the floors, benches, and tables of both houses
of Congress were as well saturated with water as our clothes
had been in the morning. Being invited by one of the great
men of the place to enter a booth to take a drink of grog with
him, we did so ; but I was rather surprised that he offered his
name, instead of the cash to the bar-keeper.

" We first caught sight of President Houston as he walked
from one of the grog-shops, where he had been to prevent the
sale of ardent spirits. He was on his way to his house, and
wore a large gray coarse hat ; and the bulk of his figure reminded
me of the appearance of General Hopkins of Virginia, for like
him he is upwards of six feet high, and strong in proportion.
But I observed a scowl in the expression of his eyes, that was
forbidding and disagreeable. We reached his abode before him,
but he soon came, and we were presented to his excellency.
He was dressed in a fancy velvet coat, and trowsers trimmed
with broad gold lace , around his neck was tied a cravat some-
what in the style of seventy-six. He received us kindly, was
desirous of retaining us for a while, and offered us every facility

344 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

within his power. He at once removed us from the ante-room
to his private chamber, which by the way was not much cleaner
than the former. We were severally introduced by him to the
different members of his cabinet and staff, and at once asked to
drink grog with him, which we did, wishing success to his new
republic. Our talk was short ; but the impression which was
made on my mind at the time by himself, his officers, and his
place of abode, can never be forgotten.

" We returned to our boat through a melee of Indians and
blackguards of all sorts. In giving a last glance back we once
more noticed a number of horses rambling about the grounds,
or tied beneath the few trees that have been spared by the axe.
We also saw a liberty pole, erected on the anniversary of the
battle of San Jacinto, on the twenty-first of last April, and were
informed that a brave tar, who rigged the Texan flag on that
occasion, had been personally rewarded by President Houston,
with a town lot, a doubloon, and the privilege of keeping a
ferry across the Buffalo Bayou at the town, where the bayou
forks diverge in opposite directions.

" May 16. Departed for New Washington, where we received
kind attentions from Col. James Morgan ; crossed San Jacinto
Bay to the Campbell, and the next day dropped down to
Galveston.

" May 18. Left the bar of Galveston, having on board Mr.
Crawford, British Consul at Pampico, and a Mr. Allen of New
Orleans.

" May 24. Arrived at the 8. W. Pass, and proceeded to the
Belize, and thence to New Orleans, where we arrived in three
days.

"New Orleans, May 28. Breakfasted with Ex-Governor
Koman and his delightful family, with Mr. Edward Harris."

Audubon suffered greatly during this expedition to Texas,
and lost twelve pounds in weight. He found New Orleans
nearly deserted, and dull, and the weather oppressively hot and
disagreeable.

u May 31, We bid adieu to our New Orleans friends, leaving
in their care for shipment our collections, clothing, and dog
Dash for Mr. W. Bakewell. Harris went up the river, and we
crossed to Mobile in the steamer Swan, paying fare twelve

ARRIVAL AT CHARLESTON. 345

dollars each, and making the trip of one hundred and fifty miles
in twenty-one hours. If New Orleans appeared prostrated,
Mobile, seemed quite dead. We left in the afternoon for
Stockton, Alabama, forty-five miles distant, where we were
placed in a cart, and tumbled and tossed for one hundred and
sixty-five miles to Montgomery ; fare twenty-three dollars each,
miserable road and rascally fare. At Montgomery we took the
mail coach, and were much relieved ; fare to Columbus twenty-
six dollars each. Our travelling companions were without
interest, the weather was suffocating, and the roads dirty and
very rough ; we made but three miles an hour for the whole
journey, walking up the hills, and galloping down them to
Augusta, and paying a fare of thirteen dollars and fifty cents
each, and thence by rail to Charleston for six dollars and
seventy-five cents each, distance one hundred and thirty-six
miles, and making eight and a half days from New Orleans."

346 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

CHAPTER LVL

In England again — Literary Labours — Back to America.

After remaining a short time in Charleston, Audnbon re-
turned to Xew York, and in the latter part of the summer sailed
for Liverpool. After landing there and greeting his friends,
he went to London, taking the new drawings he had made
to Mr. Harrill, and then, after spending a few days with his
family, departed for Edinburgh. There he went diligently to
work in preparing the fourth volume of his "Ornithological
Biography " for the press. This work held him until the fall
of 1838, and was published in November of that year. His
family now joined him in Edinburgh, and the wiuter was devoted
to finishing the drawings for the completion of his great volume
on the " Birds of America," and also to preparing his fifth volume
of the a Ornithological Biography," which was published in
Edinburgh in May 1839.

In the fall of 1839 he returned to America with his family,
and settled in Xew York city, there to spend the remainder of
his days. But he did not intend to be idle, but immediately
began preparing his last great ornithological work, which is a
copy of his original English publication, with the figures reduced
and lithographed, in seven octavo volumes. The first volume
was published within a little more than a year after his return,
two more volumes appeared in 1842, another in 1843, while
he was absent on his expedition to the Yellow-stone River, and
the last one after his return.

PREPARES FOR HIS LAST JOURNEY 347

Besides all this labour, he devoted occasional spare hours to
improving and increasing the drawings of the quadrupeds of
North America, which he had begun some years before in con-
nection with the Bev. John Backman of South Carolina.

The early pages of the journal show that Audubon had been
anxious to visit the great interior valley of the Mississippi and
the Rocky Mountains ever since he began to devote his time
exclusively to ornithological research ; and twenty years before
his return to America, he had traced out the course he wished
to go. During all those years of unremitting toil, the desire
and hope of seeing the Great Plains and the Bocky Mountains
never deserted him. But after he had resolved to complete and
publish his work on the Quadrupeds of America, he felt that it
would be impossible for him to do it satisfactorily until he had
seen with his own eyes the buffaloes of the plains, and other
animals of those regions whose habits had never been described.

Much of his earthly work was done , the infirmities of age were
stealing upon him , and the Journal often alludes to the fact that
his physical powers were not equal to his mental longings. He
seems to have determined therefore to make an effort to ac-
complish the long-cherished desire of his heart, to look on the
magnificent scenery of the prairies and mountains of the West,
and to gather the materials for his Quadrupeds, which he knew
would probably be his last work on earth. So as soon as he had
settled his family at Minnies Land, where he invested all the
money he had made by his publications up to that date, he
prepared at once for his last great journey, the grandest of all
his journeys, to the Western Wilderness.

348 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

CHAPTER LVH

Excursion to the Great Western Prairies — Jedediah Irish — Up the
Missouri — River Pictures — Indians — Prairies — Big Sioux River —
The Inundations — Indians everywhere — Deeper into the Wil-
derness — The Mandans — Indian Thieves — The " Medicine Lodge n —
Recaree Indians — Indian Council on Board — Fort Union — Arrival
at Yellow Stone River — Buffalo Hunt — Small-Pox among the
Indians — Keturn to New York.

" March 11, 1843. Left New York this morning with my son
Victor, on an expedition to the Yellow-stone Kiver, and regions
adjacent and unknown, undertaken for the sake of our work
on the 4 Quadrupeds of North America,* and arrived in Phila-
delphia late in the evening.

" As we landed, a tall, robust-looking man, tapped me on the
shoulder, whom I discovered in the dim darkness to be my
friend, Jedediah Irish, of the Great Pine Swamp. I also met
my friend, Edward Harris, who, besides John G. Bell, Isaac
Sprague, and Lewis Squires, were to accompany me on this
Ion** campaign. The next morning we left for Baltimore, and
Victor returned home to Minnie's Land/'

There are four folio volumes of MS. containing a detailed
account of that whole journey, which lasted about eight months.
But as most of the journals were inwoven into the three
volumes on the * Quadrupeds of North America," which were
published in the years 1846, 1851, and 1854, we give but an
outline of the journey, and the gleanings of such incidents as
wire not used in those volumes.

EFFECTS OF A FRESHET. 349

Audubon and his party crossed the Alleghany Mountains to
Wheeling, went from there to Cincinnati and St. Louis by
steamers, where they arrived on the 28th of March. From
thence they ascended the Missouri Kiver to Jefferson city, the
capital of the State, about one hundred and seventy miles from
St. Louis. There they saw nothing worthy of note except the
State House and Penitentiary.

The town was a poor-looking place, and the neighbouring
country poor and broken ; but the public buildings commanded
a fine view up and down the river. "Yesterday/' says the
Journal, " we passed many long lines of elevated banks, orna-
mented by stupendous rocks of limestone, having many curious
holes, into which we saw vultures and eagles enter towards
evening.

"As we ascended the river the strength of the current
increased, and in some places we stemmed it with difficulty ;
and near Willow Islands it ran so rapidly, that we found our-
selves going down stream, and were compelled to make fast to
the shore.

"March 30. As we sail along the shores, I notice young
willows and cotton-trees half submerged by the freshet, waving
to and fro, as if trembling at the rage of the rushing water, and
in fear of being destroyed by it , and it really seemed as if the
mighty current was going to overwhelm in its rage all that the
Creator had lavished on its luxuriant shore. The banks are
falling in and taking thousands of trees, and the current is
bearing them away from the places where they have stood and
grown for ages. It is an awful exemplification of the course of
Nature, where all is conflict between life and death.

" March 31. As we sail up the river, squatters and .planters
are seen abandoning their dwellings, which the water is over-
flowing, and making towards the highlands, that are from one
to four miles inland. We passed two houses filled with women
and children, entirely surrounded by water ; the whole place
was under water, and all around was a picture of utter desola-
tion. The men had gone to seek assistance, and I was grieved
that our captain did not offer to render them any ; the banks
kept on falling in, and precipitating majestic trees into tho
devouring current.

350 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

" May 2. We are now three hundred and eighty miles from
St. Louis, and are landing freight and traders for Santa Fe.

" May 3. We reached St, Leavenworth this morning. The
garrison here is on a fine elevation, commanding a good view
of the river above and below for a considerable distance.
Leaving here, we entered the real Indian country on the west
side of the river ; for the State of Missouri, by the purchase of
the Piatt River country, continues for two hundred and fifty
miles farther , and here only are any settlements of white
inhabitants.

u May 5. After grounding on sand-bars, and contending
against head-winds and currents, we reached the Black Snake
Hills settlement, which is a delightful site for a populous city
that will be here some fifty vears hence. The hills are two
hundred feet above the level of the river, and slope down gently
on the opposite side to the beautiful prairies, tnat extend over
thousands of acres of the richest land imaginable. Here the
general aspect of the river greatly changes ; it becomes more
crooked, and filled with naked sand-bars, from which the wind
whirls the sand in every direction. We passed through a
narrow and swift chute, which, in the time of high water, must
be extremely difficult to ascend.

" May 6. We fastened our boat to the edge of a beautiful
prairie, to land freight and passengers. Here eighty Indians
came to visit us, some on foot and some on horseback, generally
riding double, on skins and Spanish saddles; some squaws
rode, and rode well. We landed some Indians here, who came
as passengers with us, and I noticed that when they joined their
relatives and friends, they neither shook hands nor exchanged
any congratulations. I saw no emotion, nothing to corroborate
Mr. Catlins views of savage life.

k< When the boat started, all these Indians followed us along
the shore, running on foot, and galloping on horseback to keep
up with us. When we approached the next landing, I saw
some of these poor creatures perched on the neighbouring
banks, while others crowded down to our landing-place. They
belonged to the Iowa and Fox Indians: the two tribes number
about twelve thousand, and their country extends for seventy
miles up the river.

FORT CROGHAN. 351

" May 8. To-day we passed the boundary of Missouri, and
the country consists of prairies extending back to the inland
hills.

" May 9. This evening we arrived at the famous settlement of
Belle Vue, where the Indian agent, or custom-house officer,
as he might better be called, resides. Here a large pack of
rascally-looking, dirty, and half-starved Indians awaited our
arrival ; and here we paid for five cords of wood, with five tin
cups of sugar, and three cups of coffee, all worth twenty-five
cents at St. Louis. And we saw here the first ploughed ground
we had seen since leaving the settlements near St. Louis.

" May 10. Arrived at Fort Croghan, named after an old
friend of that name, with whom I hunted racoons on his father's
plantation in Kentucky, thirty-five years before. His father
and mine were well acquainted, and fought together with the
great General Washington and Lafayette, in the Revolution
War against ' Merry England.' The parade-ground here had
been four feet under water in the late freshet.

" May 11. The officers of this post last July were nearly
destitute of provision, and they sent off twenty dragoons and
twenty Indians on a buffalo-hunt ; and within eighty miles of
the fort, they killed fifty-one buffaloes, one hundred and four
deer, and ten elks.

" We were told that the Pattawotami Indians were formerly
a warlike people, but recently their enemies, the Sioux, have
frequently killed them, when they met them on hunting
excursions, and that they have become quite cowardly, which
is a great change in their character.

u We cast off our lines from the shore at twelve o'clock, and by
sunset reached the Council Bluffs, where the river-bed is utterly
changed, though that called the Old Missouri is now visible.
These Bluffs rise from a truly beautiful bank about forty feet
above the river, and slope down into as beautiful a prairie to
the hills # in the rear, which render the scenery very fine and
very remarkable.

" May 12. We have arrived at the most crooked part of the
river yet seen, the shores on both sides are lower, the hills are
more distant, and the intervening plains are more or less
covered with water. We passed tho Blackbird Hills, where

352 LIFE OP AUDUBON.

a famous Indian chief of this name was buried, and his horse
buried alive with him at his request*

" May 13. To-day we passed some beautiful bluffs, composed
of a fine white sandstone, of a soft texture, but beautiful to the
eye, and covered with cedars. We saw also many fine prairies ;
and the bottom lands appeared to be of an extremely rich soil.
Indians hailed us along the shore, but no notice was taken of
them : they followed us to the next landing, and boarded us ;
but our captain hates them, and they go away without a chew
of tobacco, and T pity the poor creatures with all my heart

" This evening we came to the Burial-ground Bluff; so called
by the ever-memorable expedition of Louis and Clark, because
here they buried Sergeant Floyd, as they were on the way to
the Pacific Ocean across the Rocky Mountains. The prairies
are now more frequent and more elevated ; and we have seen
more evergreens to-day than in the two preceding weeks.

" We have entered the mouth of the Big Sioux River, which
is a clear stream, abounding with fish : on one of its branches is
found the famous red clay of which the Indians make their
calmute. We saw on the banks of the river several Indian
canoe frames, formed of bent sticks made into a circle, the edges
fastened together by a long pole or stick, with another one in
the bottom, holding the frame like the inner keel of a boat*
Outside of this frame the Indians stretch a buffalo-skin with the
hair on, and it is said to make a sate boat to convey two or three
persons, even when the current is rapid. Here, as well as on the
shores of the Mississippi and Missouri, the land along the river
banks is higher than further inland : tangled bushwood and tall
reeds grow along the margins, while the prairies abound with
mud and muddy water Willows are plenty, and the general
aspect of the country is pleasing.

" May 16. Came to an Indian log-cabin, which had a fence
enclosure around it. Passed several dead buffaloes floating down
the stream. A few hundred miles above here the river is con-
fined between high steep bluffs, many of them nearly per-
pendicular, and impossible for the buffalo to climb when they
have leaped or fallen down these, they try to ascend them or
swim to the opposite shore, which is equally difficult ; but unable
to ascend them, they fall back time and again until thev are

ABUNDANCE OF BUFFALOES. 353

exhausted ; and at last, getting into the current, are borne away
and drowned: hundreds thus perish every year, and their
swollen and putrid bodies have been seen floating as low down
as St. Louis. The Indians along shore watch for these carcases,
and no matter how putrid they are, if the ' hump ' is fat» they
drag them ashore and cut it out for food."

Many pages of the Journal describes the daily incidents of
the next few weeks, in which the party were slowly pushing
their way up the river, and making occasional excursions from
the boat in pursuit of the objects of their journey. The country
was inundated in many places, and from the tops of the neigh-
bouring hills it is represented as about equally divided between
land and water ; on the eastern side of the river the flat prairies
had become great lakes. And they noticed that the floating ice
had cut the trees on the banks of the river as high as the
shoulders of a man. Barges from above passed them, bringing
down the spoils of the hunters, and one from St. Pierre had ten
thousand buffalo-robes on board. The men reported that the
country above was filled with buffaloes, and the shores of the
river were covered with the dead bodies of old and young ones.

As they ascended they found the river more shallow in some
parts, and again opening into broad places like great lagoons.
They passed Vermilion JRiver, a small stream running out of
muddy banks filled with willows. At a landing near there, a
man told them that a hunter had recently killed an Indian
chief near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and that it would
be dangerous for white men to visit that region.

They also found on the river's bank the plant called the
white apple, much used by the Indians for food, which they dry,
pound, and make into mash. It is more of a potato than apple,
for it grows six inches under ground, is about the size of a
hens egg, covered with a dark-brown woody hard skin the
sixteenth of an inch thick : the fruit is easily drawn from the
skin, and is of a whitish colour. It had no flowers, the roots
were woody, leaves ovate and attached in fives. When dry,
the apple is hard as wood, and ha9 to be pounded for use.

The country grew poorer the farther they ascended the river ;
and the bluffs showed traces of iron, sulphur, and magnesia.

"May 28. We now see buffaloes everyday the, are extremely

2 A

354 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

poor, but they are sporting among themselves, beating and
tearing up the earth. They have roads to the river, along which
they go and come for water.

" To-day some Indians hailed us from the shore, and when the
captain refused to stop for them, they began firing at us with
rifles : several of the balls hit our vessel, and one passed through
the pantaloons of a Scotch passenger. These rascals belong to
a party of the Santeo tribe, which range across the country from
the Missouri to the Mississippi River.

" May 29. This morning a party of Indians came on board the
boat at a landing-place, and it was some hours before we could
get rid of these beggars by trade. Both banks of the river were
covered with buffaloes, as far as the eye could see ; and although
many of them were near the water, they did not move until we
were close upon them, and those at the distance of half a mile
kept on quietly grazing. We saw several buffaloes, and one
large gray wolf swimming across the river only a short distance
ahead of us.

" The prairies appear better now, and the grass looks green,
and the poor buffaloes, of which we have seen more than two
thousand this morning, will soon grow fat.

" May 30. We reached Fort George this morning, which is
called 'The Station of the Opposition Line/ We saw some
Indians, and a few lodges on the edge of the prairie, and
sundry bales of buffalo-robes were taken aboard. Major
Hamilton is acting Indian Agent during the absence of Major
Crisp. We are a long way beyond the reach of civil law, and
they settle disputes here with sword and pistol. The major

pointed to an island where Mr , a New Yorker belonging to

the opposite line, killed two white men recently, and shot two
others, who were miserable miscreants.

"We are yet thirty miles below St Pierre, and do not
expect to reach it until to-morrow. Indians were seen along
both sides of the river : many trade at this post and at St.
Pierre ; at the latter I am told there are five hundred lodges.
The Indian dogs resemble the wolves so much that I should
readily mistake the one for the other were I to meet them in
the woods.

44 Soon after leaving St George, we sounded and found only

ARRIVAL AT ST. PIERRE. 355

three and a half feet of water, and the captain gave orders to
' tie up/ and we started on a walk for St. Pierre. On reaching
the camp, we found it a strongly-built low log-cabin, in which
was a Mr. Cutting, who had met my son Victor in Cuba.
Yesterday, while he was on a buffalo-hunt, a cow hooked his
horse, and threw him about twenty feet, and injured his ankle.
This he thought remarkable, as the cow had not been wounded.
He showed me a petrified head of a wolf, which I discovered to
be not a wolfs but a beaver's. There were fifteen lodges here,
and a great number of squaws and half-bred children ; and these
are accounted for by the fact that every clerk and agent has
his Indian wife as she is called.

" June 1. The party had arrived at St. Pierre, and from thence
the Omega, in which they had made their trip, was expected to
return to St. Louis. The Journal continues " I am somewhat
surprised that Sprague asked me to allow him to return in the
Omega. I told him he was at liberty to do so of course if he
desired it, though it will cause me double the labour I expected
to have. Had I known this before leaving New York, I could
have had any number of young artists, who would have been
glad to have accompanied and remained with me to the end of
the expedition.

" June 2. We have left St. Pierre and are going on up the
river, deeper and deeper into the wilderness- We passed the
Chagenne River, which is quite a large stream/'

Audubon hired a hunter named Alexis Bouibarde at St. Pierre
to accompany him to the Yellow-stone River, and thus describes
him • 'He is a first-rate hunter, powerfully built, is a half-breed,
and wears his hair loose about his head and shoulders, as I
formerly did. . . .'

" I am now astonished at the poverty of the bluffs we pass*
there are no more of the beautiful limestone formations which
we saw below, but they all appear to be poor and crumbling
clay, dry and hard now, but soft and sticky whenever it rains.
The cedars in the ravines, which below were fine and thrifty, are
generally dead or dying, probably owing to their Jong inun-
dation. To-day we have made sixty miles ; the country is much
poorer than any we have passed below, and the sand-bars are
much more intricate.

2 \2

35G LIFE OF AUDUBON

" June 4. The country we have seen to-day is a little better
than what we saw yesterday. We passed the old Riccaree
village, where General Ashley was beaten by the Indians, and
lost eighteen of his men, with the very weapons and ammuni-
tion he had sold the Indians, against the remonstrances of
his friends and the interpreter. It is said that it proved for-
tunate for him, for he turned his course in another direction,
where he purchased one hundred packs of beaver-skins for a
mere song.

" Passed the Square HiDs, so called because they are more
level and less rounded than the majority of the hills, From
the boat the country looks as if we were getting above the line
of vegetation ; the flowers are scarce, and the oaks have hardlv
any leaves on them. We are now sixteen miles below the
Mandan village, and hope to reach there to-morrow.

" June 7. We are now at St. Clark and the Mandan village;
a salute was fired from the Fort in honour of our arrival, and
we answered it. The Fort is situated on a high bank, quite a
hill ; here the Mandans have their mud huts, which are not
very picturesque, and* a few enclosed fields, where they grow
corn, pumpkins, and beans. We saw more Indians here than
at any other place since we left St. Louis ; they have about one
hundred huts, and they resemble the potato winter-houses in
our Southern and Eastern States. As we approached the shore,
every article that could be taken conveniently was removed
from the deck and put under lock and key, and all the cabin-
doors were closed. The captain told me that last year, when
he was here, the Indians stole his cap, shot-pouch, hone, and
such-like things. Thgse people appeared very miserable; as
\vr approached the landing they stood shivering in the rain,
wrapped in buflfalo-robes and red blankets ; some of them were
curiously besmeared with mud. They came on board, and
several shook me by the hand, but their hands had a clammi-
ness that was quite repulsive; their legs were naked, feet
covered with mud ; and they stared at me with apparent
curiosity because of my long beard, which also attracted the
Indians at St Pierre. It is estimated that there are three
thousand men, women, and children, who cram themselves into
these miserable houses in winter ; they are said to be the ne

A MEDICINE LODGE. 357

plus ultra of thieves, and that most of the women are destitute
of virtue.

u At the request of the interpreter, one of the Indians took
me into the village to see the medicine lodge. I followed my
guide through mud and mire to a large hut, built like all the
rest, but measuring twenty-three yards in diameter, with a
large square opening in the centre of the roof six feet long by
four feet in width. We entered this curiosity-shop by pushing
aside an elk-skin stretched on four sticks. Among the medicines
I saw a number of calabooses, eight or ten skulls of otters, two
large buffalo-skulls with the horns on, some sticks, and other
magical implements, with the use of which no one but a great
medicine is acquainted. There lay crouched on the floor a lousy
Indian, wrapped in a dirty blanket, with nothing but his head
sticking out : the guide spoke to him, but he made no reply.
At the foot of one of the props that support this large house
lay a parcel, which I took for a bundle of buffalo-robes, but
directly it moved, and the emaciated body of a poor blind
Indian crept out of it ; he was shrivelled, and the guide made
signs that he was about to die. We shook hands with him, and
he pressed mine, as if glad of the sympathy of even a stranger ;
he had a pipe and tobacco-box, and soon lay down again. As
we left this abode of mysteries, I told the guide I was anxious
to see the inside of one of their common dwellings, and lie led
us through the mud to his own lodge, which had an entrance
like the other. All the lolges have a sort of portico that
leads to the door, and on the top of most of them I observed
skulls of buffaloes. This lodge contained the wife and children
of the guide and another man, whom I took for his son-in-law ,
all these, except the man, were in the outer lodge, squatting on
the ground, and the children skulked out of the way as we
approached. Nearly equi-distant from each other were kind
of berths, raised two feet above the ground, made of leather,
and with square apertures for the sleepers. The man of whom
I have spoken was lying down in one of these. I walked up to
him, and after disturbing his seemingly happy slumbers, shook
his hand, and he made signs for me to sit down. I did so, and
he arose, and squatted himself near us; and taking a lar^e
spoon made of a buffalo's horn, handed it to a young girl, who

358 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

brought a large wooden bowl .filled with peminican mixed with
corn and some other stuff: I ate a mouthful of it, and found it
quite palatable. Both lodges were alike dirty with water and
mud; but I am told that in dry times they are kept more
cleanly. A round shallow hole was in the centre, and a chain
hung from above near the fire, and on this they hang their
meat and cook. On leaving I gave our guide a small piece of
tobacco, and he seemed well pleased, but followed us on board
the boat ; and as he passed my room, and saw my specimens of
stuffed animals and birds, manifested some curiosity to see
them.

" The general appearance of the fort is poor, and the country
around is overgrown with the weed called ' family quarter/
And I saw nothing here corresponding to the poetical descrip-
tions of writers who make their clay-banks enchanted castles, and
this wretched savage life a thing to be desired, even by the most
happy civilized men* These Indians are mostly Becarees:
they are tall, lank, and redder than most others that I have
seen, but they are all ' miserable-looking and dirty. They
occupy the village where the powerful tribes of Mandans once
lived, but which were swept away by the dreadful scourge of
the small-pox ; only twelve or fifteen families survive, and they
removed three miles up the river.

" June 8. To-day we have had a famous Indian council on
board our boat. It consisted of thirty-four Indians of the first
class ; they squatted on their rumps on both sides of our long
cabin, and received refreshments of coffee and ship-bread, and I
assisted in doing this duty ; and a box of tobacco was then
opened and placed on the table ; the captain then made a
speech to them, and one Indian interpreted it to the others.
They frequently expressed their approbation by grunting, and
were evidently much pleased. Two Indians came in, dressed
in blue uniforms, with epaulettes on their shoulders, and
feathers in their caps, and with ornamented mocassins and
leggings : these were the braves of the tribes, and they did not
grunt or shake hands with any of us.

•' As soon as the tobacco was distributed, the whole company
rose simultaneously, and we shook hands with each one, and
gladly bid them good riddance. The two braves waited until

AN INDIAN COUNCIL. 359

all the others were on shore, and then retired majestically as
they had entered, not shaking hands even with the captain,
who had entertained them and made the speech. This is a
ceremony which takes place yearly as the Company's boat
goes up. Each Indian carried away about two pounds of
tobacco. Two of the Indians who distributed the tobacco, and
were of the highest rank, were nearly naked, and one by my
side had only a clout and one legging on. They are now all
gone but one, who goes with us to the Yellow-stone River.

" This morning the thermometer stood at 37°. We have
passed the village of the poor Mandans, and of the Grosventres,
to-day : the latter is cut off from the river by an enormous
sand-bar, now covered with willows. We saw a few Indian
corn-fields ; the plants were sickly-looking, and about two inches
high. The prairies are very extensive, stretching away to the
hills, and there are deep ravines in them filled with water
sufficiently saline to be used by the Indians for seasoning their
food.

"June 13. Fort Union. Thermometer 53°, 72°, 68°. We
arrived here to-day, and have made the shortest trip from St.
Louis on record, just forty -eight days. We have landed our
effects, and established ourselves in a log-house, with one room
and one window, intending to spend three weeks here before
launching into the wilderness.

" There has been no ardent spirits sold here for two years,
and the result is, the Indians are more peaceable than formerlv.
On the plains we saw the mounds where many Indians had
been buried who died here of the small-pox. There were
apparently several bodies in each mound, and a buffalo's skull
was put over each one . this relic has some superstitious value
in the estimation of these poor ignorant creatures.

" Our boat has been thronged with these dirty savages ever
since we fastened her to the landing, and it is with difficulty
we can keep them from our rooms. All around the village the
filth is beyond description, and the sights daily seen will not
bear recording : they have dispelled all the romance of Indian
life I ever had, and I am satisfied that all the poetry about
Indians is contained in books ; there certainly is none in their
wild life in the woods. The captain of our vessel told me that

3(0 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

on his first trip here in a steamer, the Indians called her a
great medicine, supposed that he fed her with whisky, and
asked how much he gave her at a time. To which he replied,
A whole barrel.' "

It appears that the Omega did not, as originally intended,
return from St. Pierre, but kept on to the Yellow-stone River.
There Audubon bade the captain adieu with much regret, and
wrote him a complimentary letter, which all the passengers
signed.

" June 14. To-day, Mr. Chantean, and Mr. Murray, a Scotch-
man, arrived from the Crow Indian nation. They told me the
snow was yet three feet deep, and quite abundant near the
mountains. I learned to-day that the Prince of Canino, with
his secretary and bird-stuffer, occupied the rooms I now have
for two months."

The interval between this and the 20th of June was employed
in various excursions and exciting hunts after the buffalo.

June 20. A stormy day prevents out-door excursions, and
Audubon employs it in recording in his Journal an account of
the ravages of the small-pox among the Indians, which he
received from an eye-witness. The Mandans and Reearees
suffered most, though manv Sioux and Blackfoot Indians
perished with them.

" Early in the spring of 1S37 the steamer Assibone arrived at
Fort Clark with several eases of small-pox on board. There an
Indian stole a blanket belonging to a watchman on the boat,
who was then at the point of death, and took it away to sow the
seeds of this disease among his tribe, which caused his
own death and the death of thousands of his nation. When
it was known that he had taken it, a benevolent person on the
boat went to one of the chiefs, told him the fatal consequences
which would follow, and offered to give a new blanket and a
reward besides if he would have it returned ; but suspicion, fear,
or shame prevented the man from giving it up, and the pestilence
broke out and began to spread among the Mandans at first,
to which nation the thief belonged.

" M st of the Indians were distant eighty miles at that time,
killing buffaloes and preparing their winter food ; and the whites
sent an express begging them to return to Jheir villages, and

EFFECTS OF THE SMALL-POX. 361

telling them what would be the fatal consequences. The
Indians sent back word that their corn was suffering to be
worked, and that they would return and face the danger, which
they thought was fabulous. Word was again sent them that
certain destruction would attend their return ; but it was all in
vain, come back they would, and come back they did, and the
plague began in its most malignant form, their habits and
improper food making them a ready prey, and a few hours
sometimes terminating the loathsome disease by death.

" The Mandans were enraged because at first it was confined
to them, and they supposed the whites had caused it, and saved
themselves and the Recarees from the pestilence; and they
threatened the lives of all the former, supposing they had a
medicine to prevent it, which they would not give them. I>ut
by-and-by Recarees and whites died also ; the disease increased
in malignity — hundreds died daily, and their bodies were thrown
beneath the bluffs, and created an intolerable stench, and added
to its fatalness. Men shot each other when thev found thov
were attacked: one man killed his wife and children, and then
loaded his gun and placfhg the muzzle in his mouth, touched
the trigger with his toe and blew out his own brains. One young
chief made his friends dig a grave for him, and putting on his
war-robes, he tottered out to it, singing his death-song, and
jumping in, cut his body nearly in too with a knife, and was
buried there , and others committed suicide after they were
attacked, rather than die of the loathsome disease. The annals
of pestilence do not furnish another such example of horrors,
or where the mortality was so great in proportion to the popula-
tion of the once powerful tribe of Mandans only twentv-seven
persons remained, and one hundred and fifty thousand
persons perished, and the details are too horrible to relate.
Added to this, the few whites were alarmed lest the Indians
should massacre them as the cause of the evil. One influ-
ential chief attempted to instigate the Indians to kill all
the whites, but he was himself seized and died before his plans
were matured ; but in his last moments he confessed his wicked-
ness, and expressed sorrow for it, and begged that his body
might be laid before the gate of the fort until it was buried,
with the superstitious belief that if this were done the white

362 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

man would always look at him and forgive his meditated

crime."

The Journal is taken up until the end of July with narratives
of almost daily excursions in various directions in search of all
kinds of game. Many anecdotes are related of the Indians,
their modes of life, habits, and peculiarities, most of which have
been described by other writers, and hardly merit repeating
again. Audubon found this region so rich in novelties of the
kinds he had come in pursuit of, that he was anxious that
some of the young men of his party should remain through the
winter, " My regrets that I cannot remain myself are beyond
description, and I now sadly regret that I promised you all that
I would return home this fall.

" August 3. We observed yesterday for the first time that
the atmosphere wore the hazy appearance of the Indian summer.
The nights and mornings are cool, and summer clothes are
beginning to be uncomfortable,"

This seems to have caused Audubon to begin to think
seriously of turning his course homeward. The exposure and
hardships he had encountered in this long journey, and on
his hunting excursions, had made an impression on his health.

He began to find that his age was telling on his energy, and
that he could not endure hardships as formerly.

The Journal continues for ten days more, then abruptly ends,
from which we conclude that the writer began to make pre-
parations to return home. He reached New York early in
October, 1843.

CHAPTER LVIIL

The Subset.

When Audubon returned from his expedition to the Western
Prairies he had reached nearly his seventieth year, yet he began
at once to work with his usual energy and diligence. In a little
more than two years appeared the first volume of the " Quad-
rupeds of North America ;" and this was about his last work.
The second volume was prepared mostly by his son Victor,
and was published the year his father died, 1851.

The interval of about three years which passed between the
time of Audubon's return from the West and the period when
his mind began to fail, was a short and sweet twilight to his
adventurous life.

He was now an old man, and the fire which had burned so
steadily in his heart was going out gradually. Yet there are
but few things in his life more interesting and beautiful than
the tranquil happiness he enjoyed in the bosom of his family,
with his two sons and their children under the same roof, in the
short interval between his return from his last earthly ex-
pedition, and the time when his sight and mind began to grow
dim, until mental gloaming settled on him, before the night of
death came.

His loss of sight was quite peculiar in its character. His
glasses enabled him to see objecte and to read long after his
eye was unable to find a focus on the canvas. This fretted him
a great deal, and led to his relinquishing drawing and painting,

364 LIFE OE AUDUBON.

which had always been sources of the purest pleasure to him.
After this his only amusement consisted in walking and being
read to. The following fine though juvenile account of one who
visited him at that time gives the best picture of the last happy
days of the sunset of his life which can be drawn. It appeared
in the " New York Leader :" —

" In my interview with the naturalist, there were several things
that stamped themselves indelibly upon my mind. The
wonderful simplicity of the man was perhaps the most remark-
able. His enthusiasm for facte made him unconscious of him-
self. To make him happy, you had only to give him a new
fact in natural history, or introduce him to a rare bird. His
self-forgetfuluess was very impressive. I felt that I had found
a man who asked homage for God and Nature, and not for
himself.

" The unconscious greatness of the man seemed only equalled
by his child-like tenderness. The sweet unity between his wife
and himself, as they turned over the original drawings of his birds,
and recalled the circumstances of the drawings, some of which had
been made when she was with him , her quickness of percep-
tion, and their mutual enthusiasm regarding these works of his
heart and hand, and the tenderness with which they uncon-
sciously treated each other, all was impressed upon my memory.
Ever since, I have been convinced that Audubon owed more
to his wife than the world knew, or ever would know. That she
was always a reliance, often a help, and ever a sympathising
sister-soul to her noble husband, was fully apparent to me. I
was deeply impressed with the wonderful character of those
original drawings.

" Their exquisite beauty and life-likeness, and the feeling of
life they gave me, I have preserved in my memory , and the
contrast between these impressions and those of the published
works of Audubon is very marked. The great work recalls
the feelings I then had, but by no means creates such emotions.
The difference is as great as the difference between the living
Audubon and his admirable picture by Cruikshank. I looked
from him to his picture in that interview. It was the naturalist,
and yet it was not There was a venerable maturity in the
original that had been gained since the features and the spirjt

HIS END APPROACHES. 365

of the young and ardent enthusiast had been imprisoned by the
artist. The picture expressed decidedly less than the living
man who stood before me. It had more of youth and beauty
and the prophecy of greatness, and less of the calm satis-
faction of achievement; the sense of riches gained, not for
himself, but for the world, and less of all that makes a man
venerable.

" I could sympathise with the manhood that looked out of the
picture — I could find a certain equality between myself and
the man whom Cruikshank had painted. I could have followed
him like his dog, and carried his gun and blanket like a younger
brother, but before the man Audubon, who turned over the
drawings, and related anecdotes of one and another, I could
have knelt in devotion and thankfulness. He had done his
work. He was a hero, created and approved by what he had
accomplished, and I bowed my spirit before him and asked no
endorsement of my hero-worship of Carlyle or the Catholic
Church.

* When I left, I said to him, ' I have seen Audubon, and I am
very thankful.'

" ' You have seen a poor old man,' said he, clasping mv band
in his — and he was then onlv sixty years of age. He had
measured life by what he had done, and he seemed to himsrlf
to be old.

u It is hard to confine one's self to dates and times when con-
templating such a man as Audubon. He belongs to all time.
He was born, but he can never die."

After 1846, his mind entirely failed him , and for the last
few years of his life his eye lost its brightness, and he had
to be led to his daily walks by the hand of a servant. This
continued until the Monday before his death. On Monday morn-
ing he declined to eat his breakfast, and was unable to take his
usual morning walk. Mrs. Audubon had him put to bed, and
he lay without any apparent suffering, but refusing to receive
any nourishment, until five o'clock on Thursday morning, January
27th, 1851, ' when,' says the widow, < a deep pallor overspread his
countenance.' The other members of his family were imme-
diately sent for to his bedside. Then, though he did not speak,
his eyes, which had been so long nearly quenched, rekindled into

366 LIFE OF AUDUBON.

their former lustre and beauty ; his spirit seemed to be con-
scious that it was approaching the spirit-land. One of the sons
said, ' Minnie, father's eyes have now their natural expression f
and the departing man reached out his arms, took his wife's
and children's hands between his own, and passed peacefully
away.

THE END.

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The Bayard Series,—

THE STORY OF THE CHEVALIER BAYARD. From

the French of the Loyal Servant, M. de Berville, and others. By £.
Walford. With Introduction and Notes by the Editor.
" Praise of him must walk the earth

For ever, and to noble deeds give birth.

This is the happy warrior ; this is he

That every man in arm9 wonld wish to be."— Wordswort A.

SAINT LOUIS, KING OF FRANCE. The curious and
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James Hatton.

" St. Louis and his companions, as described by Joinville, not only in
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THE ESSAYS OF ABRAHAM COWLEY Comprising all

his Prose Works; the Celebrated Character of Cromwell, Cutter of Cole-
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others. Newly edited.

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rarely been excelled by any writer in any language." — Mary Russell
Mi t ford's Recollections.

•* Cowley's prose stamps him as a man of genius, and an improver of the
English language.*' — Thos. Campbell.

ABD ALLAH AND THE FOUR-LEAVED SHAMROCK.

By Edouard Laboallaye, of the French Academy. Translated by Mary
L. Booth.

One of the noblest and purest French stories ever written.
TABLE.TALK AND OPINIONS OF NAPOLEON THE

FIRST.

A compilation from the best sources of this great man's shrewd and
often prophetic thoughts, forming the best inner life of the most extraordi-
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VATHEK, by William Beckford.

In preparation.

CAVALIER AND PURITAN SONGS, by Henry Morley.

41 If the publishers go on as they have begun, they will have furnished us
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been issued from the press." — Sunday Times.

" There has, perhaps, never been produced anything more admirable
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•• 4 The Bayard Series ' is a perfect marvel of cheapness and of exquisite
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The Gentle Life Series.

Printed in Ebevir, on Toned Paper, and handsomely bound,
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Price 6*. each; or in calf extra, price 10s. 6rf.

I.
THE GENTLE LIFE. Essays in Aid of the Formation of
Character of Gentlemen and Gentlewomen. 8eventh Edition.
44 His notion of a gentleman is of the noblest and truest order.
The volume is a capital specimen of what may be done by honest reason,
high feeling, and cultivated intellect. A little compendium of

cheerful philosophy*' — Daily News.

44 Deserves to be printed in letters of gold, and circulated in every
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II.

ABOUT IN THE WORLD. Essays by the Author of "The

Gentle Life."

44 It is not easy to open it at any page without finding same happy idea."
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44 Another characteristic merit of these essays is, that they make it their
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which all philanthropic theories, ail general rules or maxims, or principles,
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FAMILIAR WORDS. An Index Verborum, or Quotation

Handbook. Affording an immediate Reference to Phrases and Sentences
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44 The nvst extensive dictionary of quotation we have met with." — Notes
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•* Should be on every library table, by the side of 4 Roger's Thesaurus' "
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IV

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44 The preliminary essay is u<li-icritttn % good, and interesting" —
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V

ESSAYS BY MONTAIGNE. Edited, Compared, Revised, and

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THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE'S ARCADIA. Written

by Sir Philip Sidney. Edited, with Notes, by the Author of u The Gentle
Life." Dedicated, by permission, to the Karl of Derby. 7*. 6d.

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THE GENTLE LIFE. Second Series.

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VARIA : Readings from Rare Books. Reprinted, by permis-
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Contexts :— The Angelic Doctor, Nostradamus, Thomas a Kempis,
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A CONCORDANCE OR VERBAL INDEX to the whole of

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•»• This work affords an immediate reference to any passage in any
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"An invaluable Index, which the publishers have done a public service
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X.
THE SILENT HOUR: Essays, Original and Selected. By
the Author of "The Gentle Life."

Contexts.
How to read the Scriptures From the Homilies

Unreasonable Infidelity Isaac Barrow.

The Great Loss of the Worldling Richard Baxter

Certainty of Death Dean Sherlock.

On the Greatness of God Mus-illon.

Oor Daily Bread Bishop Latimer

The Art of Contentment Archbishop Saudys

The Foolish Exchange Jeremy TuvW

Of a Peaceable Temper Isaac Barrow

On the Marriage Ring Jeremv Tavlor.

Nearer to God Arehbishop Sandy*.

The Sanctity of Home John Ruskin.

The Thankful Heart Uaak Walton.

Silence, Meditation, and Rest
And other Essay* by the Editor Socond Edition Nearly read*

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Rest's Eve of St. Agnes.

Milton's l'Allegro.

Poetry of Nature.

Roger's Pleasures of Memory.

Shakespeare's Songs and Sonnets.

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HE ROYAL COOKERY BOOK. Br Jules Gouffe,

Chef de Cuisine of the Paris Jockey Club. Translated and
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with which his compositions have been typified and illustrated by the pub-
lishers . The recipes contained in M. Gouffi* s work must be studied
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distinguished Brothers, Alphonse and Hippolite, the elder of whom has
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Artists and Arabs; or Sketching in Sunshine. By Henry
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A History of Lace, from the Earliest Period : with upwards of
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Two Centuries of Song; or, Melodies, Madrigals, Sonnets,
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Schiller's Lay of the Bell. Sir E. Bulwer Ly turn's translation ;

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a 2

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Satnrday Review.

Also by the same Author,
Ernest Brscebridge ; or, Boy's Own Book of Sports. 3*. 6d.
The Fire Ships. A Story of the Days of Lord Cochrane. 5s,
The Crnise of the Frolic. 5*.
Jack Buntline : the Life o/ a Sailor Boy. 2s.

A Book of Laughter for Young and Old.

A Bushel of Merry-Thoughts, by Wilhelm Busch. Including the
Naughty Boys of Corinth, the Children that took the Sugar Cake, Ice
Peter, &c. Annotated and Ornamented by Harry Rogers, plain 25 W. ;
coloured 3s. 6d.

Also now ready,
Dame Perkins and her Grey Mare, and their ran with the Bounds, with
coloured Illustrations by Phiz. 5s.

Great Fun Stories. Told by Thomas Hood and Thomas Archer

to 48 coloured pictures of Edward Wehnert. Beautifully printed in
colours, 105. (yd* Plain, Ss. well bo and in cloth, gilt edges.

Or in Eight separate books, Is. each, coloured. 6d. plain.
The Cherry-coloured Cat. The Live Rocking- Horse. Master Mis-
chief. Cousin Nellie. Harry High-Stepper. Grandmamma's Spectacles.
How the House was Built. Dog Toby.

Great Fun and More Fun for our Little Friends. By Harriet
Myrtle. With Edward Wehnert's Pictures. 2 vols, each 55.

Under the Waves ; or the Hermit Crab in Society By Annie
£. Ridley. Impl. 16mo. cloth extra, with coloured illustration Cloth,
45. ; gilt edges, 45. 6d.

Also beautifully Illustrated :—
Little Bird Red and Little Bird Blue. Coloured, 5$.
Snow-Flakes, and what they told the Children. Coloured, 5s.
Child's Book of the Sagacity of Animals. 5s. ; or coloured, 75. 6rf.
Child^s Picture Fable Book. 5*. ; or coloured, 7*. 6d.
Child's Treasury of Story Books. 5*. ; or coloured, Is. 6d.
The Nursery Playmate. 200 Pictures. 5*. ; or coloured, 95.

How to Make Miniature Pump* and a Fire-Engine : a Book for

BoyK With Seven Illustration?. Fcap. 8vo. 1#.

12 Sampson Law and Co.'i

Alwyn Morton ; his School and his Schoolfellows. A Story of

St. Nicholas' Grammar School. Illustrated. Fcap. 8vo. 5#.

•« One of the best books for boys we have read for many a long day.
The moral of the narrative is a striking and noble one, and designed m its
workings to transform the school-boy into the true Christian gentleman.'' —
Ladies' Own Paper.

" This is a good school-boy's £a&/'— Spectator.

" WeU'Wrmen and really entertaining. Joe Simmons is a gem of a
boy." — Athenaeum.

Also, full of Illustrations, same price : —
Stanton Grange ; or. Boy Life with a Tutor. By Her. C, J. Atkinson.
Golden Hair; a Story for Young People. By Sir Laseelles Wraxall,

Bart. With Eight full page 1 11 nitration*.
Black Panther; a Boy's Adventures among the Red Skins.

Paul Duncan's Little by Little ; a Tale for Boys. Edited by
Frank Freeman. With an Illustration by Charles Keene. Fcap. 8r©.
cloth 2s. ; gilt edges, 2s. &/. Also, same price,
Boy Missionary ; a Tale for Young People. By Mrs. J. M. Parker.
Difficulties Overcome. By Miss Brightwell.

The Babes in the Basket : a Tale in the West Indian Insurrection,
Jack Bnntline ; the Life of a Sailor Boy. By W H, G. Kingston.

The Swiss Family Robinson; or, the Adventures of a Father and
Mother and Four Sons on a Desert Island. With Explanatory Notes and
Illustrations. First and Second Series. New Edition, complete in one
volume, 3*. 6d.

Mrs. St owe' s new Book for Young People.
Queer Little People. By the Author of " Uncle Tom's Cabin/'

Fcap. Is.

Also by the same Author

The Little Foxes that Spoil the Grapes, Is.
House and Home Papers, If.

The Pearl of Orr's Island, Illustrated by Gilbert, 5s.
The Minister's Wooing. Illustrated by Phil, 5s.

Geography for my Children. By Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Author of "• Uncle Tom's Cabin," &c. Arranged and Edited by an Eng-
lish Lady, under the Direction of the Authoress. With upwards of Fifty
Illustrations. Cloth extra, As. 6d.

Stories of the Woo<l> ; < r. the Adventures of Leather-Stocking:
A Book for Boys, compiled from Cooper's Series of " Le*tber»8todDiig
Tales." Fcap. cloth. Illustrated, 5s.

Child's Play Illustrated with Sixteen Coloured Drawings by
E. V B., printed in fac-simile by W. Dickes' process, and ornamented
with Initial Letters. New edition, with India paper tints, royal 6Vo,
cloth extra, bevelled cloth. 7f. oU The Original Edition of this work
wa9 published itt < >ne Guiuea.

Child's Delight. Forty-two Songs for the Little Ones, with

forty-two Pictures. 1*. ; coloured, 2f. tot.

List of Publications. 13

Leopold the First, King of the Belgians: from

documents, by Theodore Juste. Translated by Robert Black'

Goody Platte, and her Two Cats. By Thomas Miller. Fcap.
0ro. cloth. If.

Little Blue Hood : a Story for Little People. By Thomas Miller,

with coloured frontispiece. Fcap. 8vo. cloth, 2s. 64.
Mark Willson's First Reader. By the Author of " The Picture

Alphabet " and " The Picture Primer." With 130 Pictures. It.

The Picture Alphabet ; or Child's First Letter Book. With new
and original Design*. 64.

The Picture Primer. 6rf.

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

pHE Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist, in-
cluding his Romantic Adventures in the back woods of
America, Correspondence with celebrated Europeans, &c.
Edited, from materials supplied by his widow, by Robert Bu-
chanan. 8vo. [Shortly.

from unpublished
Black.
[In preparation.

Fredrika Bremer, Life, Letters, and Posthumous Works of.
Edited by her sister, Charlotte Bremer ; translated from the Swedish
by Fred. Milow. Post 8ro. cloth. 10s. 6d.

The Rise and Fall of the Emperor Maximilian : an Authentic
History of the Mexican Empire, 1861-7. Together with the Imperial
Correspondence. With Portrait, 8vo. price 10s. 6d.

Madame Recamier, Memoirs and Correspondence of. Trans-
lated from the French and edited by J. M. Luyster. With Portrait.
Crown 8ro. Is. 6d.

The Conspiracy of Count Fieschi : an Episode in Italian History
By M. De Celesia. Translated by David Hilton. Esq., Author of a
" History of Brigandage." With Portrait. Svo. 12$.

" This work will be read with great interest, and will assist in a com-
prehensive study of Italian history. ,% — Observer.

" As an epitome of Genoese history for thirty years it is erceedingly in-
teresting, as well as exceedingly able. The English public are greatly
indebted to Mr. Wheeler for introducing to them a historian so full of
verve, so expert, and so graceful in the manipulation of facts."— London
Review.

•• This vigorous Memoir of Count Gianluigi Fieschi, written in excellent
Italian, is here reproduced in capital English." — Examiner.

Christian Heroes in the Army and Navy By Charles Rogers,
LL.D. Author of " Lyra Britannica." Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.

The Nav^rof the United States during the Rebellion : comprising
the origin and increase of the Ironclad Fleet. By Charles B. Boynton,
D.D. 2 vols. 8vo. Illustrated with numerous plain and coloured En-
gravings of the more celebrated vessels. Vol. I. now ready. 20s.

A History of America, from the Declaration of Independence of
the thirteen United States, to the close of the campaign of 1779. By
George Bancroft; forming the third volume of the History of the Ame-
rican Revolution. Svo. cloth, 12 s.

14 Sampson Low and Co.'s

A History of Brigandage in Italy ; with Adventures of the
more celebrated Brigands. By David Hilton, Esq. 2 vols, post Svo.
cloth, 16*.

A History of the Gipsies, with Specimens of the Gipsy Language.

By Walter 8imson. Post 8to, lOf . 64.

A History of West Point, the United States Military Academy

and its Military Importance. By Capt £. C Boynton, A.M. Witk
Plans and Illustrations. 8vo. 21*.

The Twelve Great Battles of England, from Hastings to Waterloo.

With Plans, fcap. 8vo. cloth extra, 3s. 6a\

Plutarch's Lives. An entirely new Library Edition, carefully

revised and corrected, with some Original Translations by the Editor.
Edited by A. H. Clough, Esq. sometime Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford,
and late Professor of English Language and Literature at Unirersity
College. 5 vols. 8vo. cloth. 21. lOf.

" * Plutarch's Lives * will be read by thousands* and in the version, of Mr.
Clough.'* — Quarterly Review.

" Jlr, Clough s work is worthy of all praise, and we hope that it icill
tend to revive the study of Plutarch." — Times.

The Prison Life of Jefferson Davis ; embracing Details and
Incidents in his Captivity, together with Conversations on Topics of
great Public Interest. By John J. Craven. M.D., Physician of the

Prisoner daring his Confinement. 1 vol. post Svo. price 8*.

The Life and Correspondence of Benjamin Si 11 im an, M.D. f

LL.D., late Professor of Chemistry. Mineralogy, and Geology in Yale
College, U.S.A. Chiefly from his 'own MS9. and Diary. By George
F)>hrr With Portrait. 2 vol* post 8vo. price 21s.

TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE.

OCIAL Life of the Chinese : n Dncruerreotype of Dailj
Life in China. Condensed from the Work of the Rer. J. Doo~
little, price ** 6d. With above 100 Illustrations. Post
mo.

•• 7V book Irf r< us supplies a large quantity of minute and valuable
v\ f rmatif'x cvn-'crning <i country f high cxoimercuii and natv not import-
ano and <is t whi h the amount of popular information u ere* more than
ordinarily scanty. The author speaks with the authority f an rye-witness ;
and t'u minuteness f de 4 ill which his work exhibits will, to most renders,
go fir ti> e*f.i/'./s>i if» t rustw> rthin* *.%.*'— Saturday Revu-w.

4 * }\\ h*ivc ti > hesitation m saying th it fram tht *e }V7oes may be gathered
more information a' u* the social life <ftk> Crimes* than can be obtained
ti mi any other * >urce. The importance < f the work as a key to a right
understanding of the rhara *mr of so ra*t a jortwi of th? hum y» rare ought
t( runir> it nn er'» >m» »• nrrulnti n " — \th<rurum.

List of Publications. 15

The Open Polar Sea : a Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery
towards the North Pole. By Dr. Isaac I. Hayes. An entirely new and
cheaper edition. With Illustrations. Small post 8vo. 6*.

" The story of this last Arctic enterprise is most stirring, and it is well
for Dr. Hayes's literary venture that this is the case, for it must be con-
ceded that the great number of works on Arctic voyages has somewhat dulled
the edge of curiosity with which they were formerly received by th* public ;
but a spell of fascination will ever cling to the narrative of brave and ad-
venturous travel, and Dr. Hayes's heroism and endurance are of no com-
mon order. . This was the crowning feat of Dr. Hayes's enterprise.
He set up a cairn, within which he deposited a record, stating that after a
toilsome march of forty-six dtiys from his winter harbour, he stood on the
shores of the Polar basin, on the most northerly land ever reached by man.
The latitude attained was 81 deg. 35 min. ; thtd reached by Parry over the
ice was 82 deg. 45 min. What we have said of Dr. Hayes's book

will, we trust, send many readers to its pages." -Athenaeum.

Life amongst the North and South American Indians. By
George Catlin. And Last Rambles amongst the Indians beyond the
Rocky Mountains and the Andes. With numerous Illustrations by the
Anthor. 2 vols, small post, 5s. each.

** An admirable book, full of useful information, wrapt up in stories
peculiarly adapted to rouse the imagination and stimulate the curiosity of
boys ana girls. To compare a book with ' Robinson Crusoe,' and to say
that it sustains such comparison, is to give it high praise indeed." —
Athenaeum.

The Voyage Alone ; a Sail in the " Yawl, Rub Rov " By John
M'Gregor, Author of " A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe. With
Illustrations. 5s.

*• Ho man is better entitled to give such advice than the aquatic adven-
turer whose * Thousand Miles in the Hob Boy Canoe ' has become a familiar
book to every educated Englishman who is wont to seek his pastime on the
deep. * The Voyage Alone ' is suitably illustrated, and through its pleasant
pages, the Yawl Hob Boy will become as widely and favourably known as
the Bob Boy Canoe." — Athenaeum.

A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe, un Rivers and Lakes
of Europe. By John M'Gregor, M.A. Fifth edition. With a Map,
and numerous Illustrations. Also, The Rob Roy on the Baltic. A Canoe
Voyage in Norway, Sweden, &c. With a Map and numerous Illustra-
tions. Price 5s. each volume, handsomely bound in cloth.

" It possesses the rare merit of displaying familiar districts of Europe
from an entirely new point of view ; it is written in a lively, unaffected
style, so that one thoroughly sympathises with the hero of the tale ; and it
is profusely illustrated with a number of spirited ana occasionally very
humorous woodcuts .displaying skipper and craft in all sorts of places and
positions." — Times.

Description of the New Rob Roy Canoe, built for a Voyage
through Norway, Sweden, and the Baltic. Dedicated to the Canoe Club
by the Captain. With Illustrations. Price Is.

Letters on England. By M. Louis Blanc. Two Series,
each 2 toIs. 16*

" These sparkling letters written on and within « Old England' by a wit.
a scholar, and a gentleman."— Athensum.

"Letters full of epigram, and of singular clearness and sense."—
Spectator.

" The author is very fair in his opinions of English habits. English in-
stitutions, and Enalish public men ; his eulogy is discriminating, and his
censures are for the most part such as Englishmen themselves must acknow
ledge to be just."— Saturday Review.

16 Sampson Low and Co.'s

Brazil and the Brazilians. Pourtrayed in Historical and De-
scriptive Sketches by the Rev. James C. Fletcher and the Rev. D. P.
Kidder, D. J>. An enlargement of the original work, presentinsj the
Material and Moral Progr es s of the Empire during the last Ten Years,
and the results of the Anthers' recent Explorations on the Amason to
the verge of Pern. With 150 Illustrations. 8vo. cloth extra. 18s.

Old England. Its Scenery, Art, and People. By James M.

Hoppin. 1 vol. small post 8vo. Is. 6d.

The Black Country and its Green Border Land ; or, Expedi-
tions and Explorations round Birmingham, Wolverhampton, See. By

Elihn Borritt. 8vo. cloth. 10/. 6d.

A Walk from London to John O'Groats, and from London to
the Land's End and Back. With Notes by the War. Bj Elihn Borritt.
Two vols, price 6*. each, with Illustrations.

" No one can take up this book without reading it through. We had
thought that Elihu Burnt? $ * Walk to John O' Croat's Bouse" was the
most perfect specimen of its kind that had ever seen the Hght\ so genial,
lively \ and practical were the details he had brought together ; but he has
beaten his former literary production out of the field by this additional
evidence of acuteness, impartiality, and good sound sense."— Bell 's Weekly
Messenger.

The Diamond Guide to Paris. 320 pages, with a Map and up-
wards of 100 Illustrations. Cloth, 2s. 6d.

Travelling in Spain in the Present Dav by a party of Ladies and
Gentlemen. By Henry Blackburn. With numerous illustrations and
map of routes, Sec Square post 8vo, cloth extra, 16s.

Captain Hall's Life with the Esquimaux. New and cheaper
Edition, with Coloured Engravings and upwards of 100 Woodcuts, with
a Map. Price 7s. 6d. cloth extra. Forming the cheapest and most popu-
lar Edition of a work on Arctic Life and Exploration ever published.

" This is a very remarkable book, and unless use very much misunder-
stand both him and his book, the author is one of those men of whom great
nations do well to be pronoV— Spectator.

Turkey- By J. Lewis Farley, F.S.S., Author of " Two Years
in Syria.'* With Illustrations in Chromo- lithography, and a Portrait of
His Highness Fuad Pasha. 8vo. 12s.

Wild Scenes in South A ft erica ; or, Life in the Llanos of Vene-
xuela. By Don Ramon Paes. Numerous Illustrations. Post 8vo. el. lot. not

The Land of Thor. By J. Rosse Browne. With upwards of

100 Illustrations. Cloth Ss. M

The Story of the Great March : a Diary of General Sherman's
Campaign through Georgia and the Carolina*. By Brevet-Major O. W.
Nichols, Aide-de-Camp to General Sherman. With a coloured Map and
numerous Illustrations. 12mo. cloth, price 7s. 64.

The Prairie and Overland Traveller ; a Companion for Emigrants,
Traders, Travellers, Hunters, and Soldiers, traversing great Plains and
Prairies. By Capt. B. B. Marcey. Illustrated. Fcap. Svo. cloth, *. 4s*

Home and Abroad (Second Series). A Sketch-book of Life, Men,
and Travel, by Bayard Taylor. With Illustrations, post 8vo. cloth,

Ss. 6W.

List of Publications. 1 7

Northern Travel. Summer and Winter Pictures of Sweden,
Lapland, and Norway, by Bayard Taylor. 1 vol. post 8to., cloth, 8#. 6d.

Also by the same Author, each complete in I vol., with Illustrations.
Central Africa ; Egypt and the White Nile. 7f . 64.
India, China, and Japan. Is. 6d.
Palestine, Asia Minor, Sicily, and Spain. 7f. <W.
Travels in Greece and Russia. With an Excursion to Crete. Is. 6tf.
Colorado. A Summer Trip. 7*. &&

After the War : a Southern Tour extending from May, 1865,
to May, 1866. By Whitlaw Reid, Librarian to the House of Represen-
tatives, Illustrated. Post 8vo. price 10*. 6e/»

Thirty Years of Army Life on the Border. By Colonel E. B.
Marcy, U.S.A., Author of •« The Prairie Traveller." With numerous
Illustrations. 8to. price 12*.

INDIA, AMERICA AND THE COLONIES.

HE Great West. Guide and Hand-Book for Travellers,
Miners, and Emigrants to the Western and Pacific States of
America ; with a new Map. By Edward H. Hall. 1*.

Appleton's Hand-Book of American Travel — The
Northern Tour; with Maps of Routes of Travel and the principal
Cities. By Edward H. Hall. New Edition. 1 vol. post 8vo. 12*.

Twelve Years in Canterbury, New Zealand $ with Visits to the
other Provinces, and Reminiscences of the Route Home through Austra-
lia. By Mrs. Charles Thomson. Fcap. 8vo. cloth, 3*. 6d.

Life's Work as it is ; or, the Emigrant's Home in Australia. By
a Colonist. Small post 8vo. 3s. &/..

Canada in 1864 ; a Hand-book for Settlers. By Henry T. N.
Chesshyre. Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d.

" When a man has something to say he can convey a good deal 0/ matter
in a few words. This book is out a small book, yet it leaves nothing untold
that requires telling. The author is himself a settler, and knows what
information is most necessary for those who are about to become settlers."
— Athenaeum.

A History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia ; or,
an Account of the Progress of Geographical Discovery in that Con-
tinent, from the Earliest Period to the Present Day. By the Rev. Julian
E. Tenison Woods, F.B.G.S., Sec., &c, 2 vols, demy 8vo. cloth, 28*.

Jamaica and the Colonial Office : Who caused the Crisis ? By
George Price, Esq. late Member of the Executive Committees of Go-
vernors. 8vo. cloth, with a Plan, 5s.

The Colony of Victoria : its History, Commerce, and Gold
Mining : its Social and Political Institutions, down to the End of 1863.
With Remarks, Incidental and Comparative, upon the other Aostraliao
Colonies. By William West garth, Author of " Victoria and the Gold
Mines/' &c. 8vo. with a Map, cloth, 16*.

Tracks of McKinlay and Party across Australia. By John Davis,
one of the Expedition. With an Introductory View of recent Explora-
tions. By Woo. Westgarth. With numerous Illustrations in chromo-
lithography, and Map. 8vo. cloth, 16*.

18 Sampwn Low and Co.'s

The Progress and Present State of British India ; a Manual of

Indian History, Geography, and Finance, for general use ; based upon
Official Document*, furnished under the authority of Her Majesty's -
Secretary of State for India* By Montgomery Martin, Esq., Author
of a " History of the British Colonies," &c. Post &vo. cloth, 10s. 64.

The Cotton Kingdom : a Traveller's Observations on Cotton and
Slavery in America, based upon three former volumes of Travels and
Explorations. By Frederick Law Olmsted. With Map. 2 vols, post Sto.
U. Is.

A History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Con-
stitution of the United States of America, with Notices of its Principal
Framers. By George Ticknor Curtis, Esq. 2 vols. 8vo. Cloth, 11. 4s.

The Principles of Political Economy applied to the Condition,

the Resources, and Institutions of the American People. By Francis
Bowen. 8vo. Cloth, 14*.

A History of New South Wales from the Discovery of New

Holland in 1616 to the present time. By the late Roderick Flanagan,
Esq., Member of the Philosophical Society of New South Wales. 2
vols. 8vo. 24s.

Canada and its Resources. Two Prize Essays, hy Hogan and

Morris. 7* , or separately, Is. 64. each, and Map, St.

SCIENCE AND DISCOVERY.

DICTIONARY of Photography, on the Basis of
Sutton's Dictionary. Rewritten by Professor Dawson, of
Kind's College, Editor of the »» Journal of Photography;" and
Thomas Sutton, B.A., Editor of " Photograph Notes." 8vo.

with numerous Illustrations. 8s. 6d.
44 The most important <f the numerous books in connexion urith photo-
graphy which have issued fr.m the pre?* for several years* — a book which

is calculated t" prove tmuuntly valuable and useful to photograpJitrs."

Briti>h Journal of I hotography.

A History of the Atlantic Telegraph. By Henry M. Field. I2mo.

7< 6rf.

The Structure of Animal Life. By Louis Agassiz. With 46

Dtag-nuns. £vo. c\oth, 10s. tkl.

The Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology ; or, the

Economy of the Sea andits Adaptations, its Salts, its Waters, its Climates,
its Inhabitants ami whatex er there may be of renera) interest in its Com-
mercial U>e^ or Industrial Pursuit*. By l\n,iuander M, F Manry.LLJ).
Tenth Edition With Chart > Post 8vo. cloth extra, 5s.

44 To Ciptatn M mry ire ar* indebtnl for much t nfmnation— indeed^ for
allthit mankind ;<.>s.<fx>-, >--,/ the crisst of the earth beneath the tins
v nter< >f the Atlantis ,md 'l^cific oceans. Hopelessly scientific womtd
these subjects be in the ha>„l< <fmxt men, yet upon each and all of them
Cnpt.nn Maury enhsts our ntUntion, < r charms us with explanations and
theories, revlete with ov,, } ,nrhty mui genius. His is indeed a nautical
manual, a hand -book ./ the sta. minting with fresh interest every ware
that beat* upon our shores; and it cannot fail to awaken in both sailers
and lamlrmm a craving to knou more intimately the secrets of that irtm-
derful element. The good that Maury has done in mrakening the powers
of observation of the Royal and Mercanttle Xovies of England and America
is i nralrulable."— Blackwood's Ma^rasine.

List of Publications. 19

The Kedge Anchor ; or, Young Sailor's Assistant, by William
Brady. Seventy Illustration*. 8vo. 16*.

Archaia: or, Studies of the Cosmogony and Natural History of
the Hebrew 8criptnres. By Professor Dawson, Principal of McGHJl
College, Canada. Post 8vo. cloth, cheaper edition, 6s.

The Recent Progress of Astronomy, by Elias Loomis, IX- D.
3rd Edition. Post 8to. 7s. 6rf.

An Introduction to Practical Astronomy, by the Same. 8vo.
cloth. 8s.

Manual of Mineralogy, including Observations on Mines, Rocks,
Reduction of Ores, and the Application of the 8cience to the Arts, with
260 Illustrations. Designed for the Use of Schools and Colleges. By
James D. Dana, A.M., Author of a " System of Mineralogy." New Edi-
tion, revised and enlarged. 12mo. Half bound, Is. 6d.

Cyclopaedia of Mathematical Science, by Davies and Peck. 8 vo.
Sheep. 18/.

TRADE, AGRICULTURE, ETC.

HE Book of Farm Implements, and their Construction :
by John L. Thomas. With 200 Illustrations. 12mo. 6j. 6a.

The Practical Surveyor's Guide ; by A. Duncan. Pep.

8vo. 4s. 6rf.

Villas and Cottages; by Calvert Vaux, Architect. 300 Illustra-
tions. 8vo. cloth. 12s.

Bee-Keeping. By "The Times" Bee-master. Small post 8 vo.
numerous Illustrations, cloth, 5s.

u Our friend the Bee-master has the knack of exposition, and knows
how to tell a story well ; over and above which, he tells a story so that
thousands can take a practical, and not merely a speculative interest in it,"
—Times.

The Bubbles of Finance : the Revelations of a City Man. Fcap.
8vo. fancy boards, price 2s. 6<f .

The Profits of Panics. By the Author of " The Bubbles of
Finance." 12mo. boards, is.

Coffee: A Treatise on its Nature and Cultivation. With some
remarks on the management and purchase of Coffee Estates. By Arthur
B. W Lascelles. Post 8vo. cloth, 2s. 6U

The Bailway Freighter's Guide. Defining mutual liabilities of
Carriers and Freighters, and explaining system of rates, accounts,
invoices, checks, booking, and permits, and all other details pertaining
to traffic management, as sanctioned by Acts of Parliament, Bye-laws,
and General Usage. By J 8. Martin. 12mo. Cloth, 2s. 64.

20 Sampson Low and Co.'s

THEOIiOGY.

> HE Origin and History of the Books of the New Testa*

meat, Canonical and Apocryphal. , Designed to show what the
Bible is not, what it is, and how to use it. By Professor C. E.
Stowe. 8vo. 8*. 6d. With plates, 10*. 6d.

" The work exhibits in every page the stamp of untiring industry, per-
sonal research, and sound method. There is suck a tone of hearty earnest-
ness, vigorous thought, and clear decisive expression about the booK, that on*
is cordially disposed to welcome a theological work which is neither unitarian
in doctrine, sensational in style, nor destructive in spirit." — London
Review.

44 The author brings out forcibly the overwhelming manuscript evidence
for the books of the New Testament as compared with the like evidence for
the best attested of the profane writers. He adds these remarks :

1 1 insert these extracts here because the Fathers had ways of looking at
the books of the Bible which in our day have nearly become obsolete, and
which ought, in some measure at least, to be revived. The incredulity of
our own times in regard to the Bible is due, not so much to the want of
evidence as to the want of that reverence, and affection, and admiration of
the Scriptures, which so distinguished the Christians of the early ages,'
words in which we can heartily concur '' — Churchman.

" Without making ourselves responsible for all the writer's opinions , par-
ticularly on the question of inspiration, we have no hesitation in recording
our judgment that this is one of the most useful books which our times hate
produced/' — Watchman.

" The book is very ably written, and will be read with pleasure by all
those who wish to find fresh arguments to confirm them in their faith." —
Observer.
The Vicarious Sacrifice ; grounded on Principles of Universal
Obligation. By Horace Bushnell, D.D., Author of 44 Nature and the
Supernatural," &c. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.

" An important contribution to theological literature, whether we regard
the amount of thought which it contains, the systematic nature of the
treatise, or the practical effect of its teaching, . . No one ccvn rise
from the study of his book without having his mind enlarged by its pro-
found speculation, his devotion stirred by its piety, and his faith established
on a broader basis of thought and knowledge.' 9 — Guardian.
Also by the same Author.

Christ and His Salvation. 6s.

Nature and the Supernatural. 35. 6d

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Character of Jesus. 6d.

New Life. Is. 6d.

Work and Play 35. 6d.

The Land and the Book, or Biblical Illustrations drawn from
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by W M. Thomson, M.D., twenty-five years a Missionary in Syria and
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Missionary Geography for the use of Teachers and Missionary
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The Light of the World : a most True Relation of a Pilgrimes*

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21

The Life of the late Dr. Mountain, Bishop of Quebec. 8vo.
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man. They do prove— and it is a precious and cheering thing, although not
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hunger, and cold and nakedness. The book is a specimen of powerful,
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" This is a most valuable work on a subject of deep importance. The
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of Christian faith and of spiritual life." — Observer.

Faith's Work Perfected. The Rise and Progress of the Orphan
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A Short Method of Prayer; an Analysis of a Work so entitled
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By F. D. Huntington, D.D.

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Entertaining and Excellent Stories for Young Ladies, 3#. 64. each,
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Helen Felton's Question : a Book for Girls. By Agnes Wylde.
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u Written with great power, and possesses a deep and captivating in-
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The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. By Oliver Wendell
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•* Wit, wisdom, observation, humour, tenderness, down to the trickiest
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The Professor at the Breakfast Table. By Oliver Wendell Holmes
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•• A welcome book. It may be taken up again and again, and its pages
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The Rooks 9 Garden, and other Papers. By Cnthbert Bede
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The White Wife ; with other stories, Supernatural, Romantic
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24 Sampson Low and Co.'$ List of Publication*.

The Pearl of Orr's Island. A Story of the Coast of liaise. By
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'Nothing to Wear, and Two Millions, by William Allen Butler. \s.

Railway Editions of Popular Fiction. On good paper, well*
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Paul Foster's Daughter. 2s. When the Snow Falls, 2j.

Lost Sir Massingberd. 2s. Faith Gartney's Girlhood. ls.&f

Bubbles of Finance. 2#. Mrs. Stowe's Little Foxes. 1«.

Profits of Panics. If. House and Home. U.

The Gayworthys. Is. M. Footsteps Behind Him, 2«.

The Autocrat of the Break- Right at Last. By Mrs. Gas-
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The King's Mail. 2s. Hobson's Choice. By Button
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Tauchnitz s English Editions of
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On the Heights. By B. Auerbach. Translated by Bun-

nett. 3 rols.

In the Year "13 :-ra Tale of Mecklenburg Life. By Frits Renter.
Translated from the Piatt- Deutsch, by Charles Lee Lewes. 1 toI.

Faust. By Goethe. From the German, by John Anster, LUD.

lT0l.

Undine ; and other Tales. By Fouque. Translated by Burnett.
1 rol.

L'Arrabiata; and other Tales. By Paul Heyse. From the
German, by Maty Wilson. 1 vol.

The Princess of Brunswick -Wolfenbuttel, and other Tales.

By Heiorich Zsrhokke. From the German, by M. A. Faber. 1 toI.

To be followed by other rolnmes in preparation.

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