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Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent htre filmds d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour §tre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant ie nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 <^. I \ I .'JS it I ^ ■I f I. 11 .. (.;. 3 -- a % THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF AUDUJJON. 'on.-on: n.^rrn ny n,u,,AM c.ow.s .xp ,ons, mam,,,,., Mn,^., AND (.IIAIUNG Clio*. ' I" I I :'!i£ ■ • f I w JOHN ,1. AUDUBON. London : Sampson Low, Son, and ^Lars!on, Lndi^atc Hilt. ^.^i,^M«*-***^* London : Sa/iipsoit Low, Son, and J/ars/oii, Liidi^ah' H/lf, IFH hlVE Ai\D ADVENTURES OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, 77//: SAl IJUM.lsT, '-""■i;ii, iKo.M .MAii:i!iAi.,ssiiri.ii:i. itv jus wilcw, BY lUJJiEIiT BUCHANAN. Ai;m;i«)N- at (iiiKiA- |!a.nk, Luki.t.m.i, (,Fn,m u y/,i! 0/ Tmnshilim iV /•cs^.j-ret/. ] / ^fz^ ^ B^ - 4i^C(, z(>f^3. KDITOU'S IMJKFACK. In the autumn of LS(J7, tli,^ present pul.li.sh.^r.s placed in my hands a laro-e nuuiuseript called the " Lite of Auduhon;' pre- pared by a friend of ^Frs. Audubon's, in New York, chiefly con- sisting,^ of extracts from the diary of the great American naturalist. It needed careful revision, and was, moreover inordinately long. Wliile I cannot Ml expressing n.y admira- tion for the affectionate spirit and intelligent svmpathv with winch the friendly editor discharged his task, I am bound to say that liis literary experience was limited. J\rv business therefore, 1ms been sub-editorial rather than editorial. 1 have had to cut down what was prolix and unnecessarv, and to connect the whole in some sort of a running narrative;-and the result IS a volume equal in bulk to about one-fifth of the ongmal manuscript. I believe 1 have omitted nothin..- of real interest, but I am of course not responsible in anv way for the fidelity of what is given. The episodes, wherever thev occur I have given pretty much in full, as being not onlv much better VI i:i)|'l'(>!l'S IMM'IFACF-. (•u)M[)o:>i(!d tliiiii tlio (liiirv, l)Ut I'l'Hi r of those ussuuiatioiis on wliich Audubui rests his thiiu'. Ill a h.'lter recently receiv^ed from !Mrs. Amliihon, ami written alter lookiii|i;' over a lew ol' the tii'st sheets, 1 tun ealhul to account lor some remark's of my own. It is the excellent ladv's l)(di(.'f that because I am *• a Scotchman, " 1 underrutt! her husband and (»verratc Wilson. lam credited witli an "inimical fceliuL*- towards ]Mr. Audidjon, whose sentiments of gratitude and his expressions of the ni are beautiful towards all his friends;" and while quite agreeing in that opinion, I cannot help retaining my doubt whether the publication of these " expressions" would gratify the ])ublie. Then, again, 1 luiye called Audubon vain, and perhaj)s a little selHsli, and I can perfectly understand how hard these words may seem to the gentle heart of a loving wife. Yet they are nevertheless true, and are quite consistent with the fact that I admire Audubon hu<>elv, think him a grand and large-hearted man, and have the greatest possible desire to see him und(}rstood by the public. But in order to get him understood one must })ut aside all domestic partiality. Call xVudubon vain, call him in some things sellish, call him llighty, and inconsequential in his worldly conduct, — all these qualities are jtalpabh^ in every page of the diary. Ib^ was handsome, and he knew it; lie was elegant, and he j)ridetl hims(df upon it. He was generous in most things, but he did not love his rivals. He prattled about himself like an iidant, gloried in his long hair, admired the line curve of his nose, thought '*' blood " a i>reat thinii', 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 sinq)licity of a cliild. One scarcely knows which to admire most — the mighty determimition which enabled him to carry KJUToii's 1'i;I';Fx\ok, All ""f h\. g,vat w,.rk in the fnco of dimenUi.s ,o hm^r, ,„■ the- ^.■i.tlo and guileless sweetness with whiel, ho tlirend.ont shared I'is thoughts an,l aspirations with his wife and ehildren. |[. was more like a ehihl at the n.other's knee, than a husl>and at tln^ hearth-so free was the prattle, so thorou^l, the confidence. 3Irs. Auduhon appears to have heen a wife in (nerv respect worthy of such a n.an ; willing to sacrifice her personal comfort ut any moment tor the iurtheran.-e of his great schemes; evor re'ady uitli kiss and counsel when such were most needed ; never failing for a moment in her faith that Audubon was destined to he one of the great Morkers of the earth. The man's heart was restless; otherwis.. he would ticver have achieved so much. He must wander, lie must vagabondise, he /nust acrpn're : he was never quite easy at the hearth. Plis love 1<'|' luitnre was passionate ind-ed. pursuing him in all roions burning in him to the last. Among the most touching thiCs mi the d.ary, are the brief exchuuations of joy when somethirg in the strange city-a Hock of wild ducks nverh,.ad in London a gathermg of j.igeons on the trees of Taris^reminds him of tlie wdd life of wood and plain. He was bov-like to the last g-lorying most when out of doors. His very vanity and sellish- uess, sucli 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 be saiabitants told me that thev had seen the whole of this fandly, including both parents, at' church severa times on Sunday." "' n.. latliev of the nahnali.st appears to l.ave cangl.t „t ,™ early age the restless spirit of h,s tinres, and U, fatler, „ ,o sawn, ,t the on y hope (ho yonth had of obtaining di^tinetion >n l.fe . W hen I was twelvo years of age my father provided B LIFE OF AUDQP.ON. me with a sliiit, a dress of warm cloth inp:, his blessing, and a cane, and sent mo out to seek my fovtniio." The youth went to Xantos, 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 bi.'fore 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 liim. After a few more voyages he purchased a small estate. The prosjjerity of St. Domingo, alr.'ady French, so infiuenced the mariner's fortunes, that in ten years he realised a considerable fortune. Obtaining an api)ointment 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 ''"^^""^^leoii, 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 " the blast of a hurricane," but readily appeased. While residing in the AVest 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, ig, nnd a aptain of iorica^ he tJiuied at le-bodied t tweiitj- irc]ias]'nff liis little nd there ages he ominofo, that in ling- an eturned te with First ppoiiit- vessel by the 't have ate on life of great 3count nesty. good aving His itural even of a West fore- iana, is he tion, PURCHASE OF Mrr.LOnoVE. 3 whose heanty and wealtii nniy have made her equally attractive A fam.ly of t .i-ee sons and one daughter blessed thiJ union, and ho sul,c.t of th,s b.r^raphieal skoteh was the youngest o the ons. Soon after Ins bi.th ^Fadame Audubon accom^auied he hushand to the estate of Aux Cayes in the island of Stl Dou.iu.o and there miserably perished chiring the n.emorable risincvof the negro population, •"' Th(3 black revolt so (mdangered the property of tlie foi-ei-ners resKlen m St Domingo, that the plate and n/onoy bolongin "o the Audubon family had to be carried away to New Orl^^ixn^by he more futhfu of their servants. Eeturning to France with his fiindy, 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, ns an oflicer in the Imperial navy. While there he became attached to the army under Lafayette. Movin.^ hither and tiiither under various changes, he seldom or never communi- tTil'i sJ't "'•' ^"' "''"''''' the property which remained to him in St. Domingo was greatly augmenting in value. Durin- a visit paid to Pennsylvania, the restless Frenchman purchased ScundnNfll rTi "\*'" ^^'^'^^--y CVeek,\ear the Schuylkil Ja Is. 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, rehired 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 domam he so generously willed away. MFE OF AUDL'BON. i CHAPTEJi 11. The Naturalist's CinLDiiooD-IIis First Visit to Am-uwA. The naturalist was burn in Louisiana, and his earliest recollec- tions are associated with lying among- the llowers of that fertile land, sheltered by the orange trees, and watching the move- ments of tlie mocking-bird, "tlie king of song," dear to him in alter life from many associations. He hns remarked that his earliest imj^ressions of nature were exceedingly vivid ; the beauties of natural scenery stirred - a frenzy " in his blood, and at the ear best age the bent of his future studies was indicated bv iminy characteristic trait. He appears to have left Louisiana while but a child, and gone to St. J)omingo, where he resided tor a short period, previous to his departure for France, ^^here nis education Mas to be commenced. His earliest recollections of his life in France extend to his home, m the central district of the city of Nantes, and a fact he remembered well was being attended by two necvro servants sent home from Lidia by his father. He speaks ol his life m 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 shops in the village where his summer months were passed and he speaks of the kindnesses of his stepmother as over- whelming. His father had less weakness, ordered the boy SCHOOL DAYS. (1 by id to Ind a llcgTO •eaks itep- the The ■ests was lery Ised, ver- boy to attend to his education, to be sent to school, to bo tutonMl at home. The elder Audubon had known too many changes of fortune to believe in the lickle p^oddcss; and notwithstiind- ing his wife's tears and entr(\'ities, detennining to educate his son thoroughly, as the safest inheritance he could leave him, he sent the vouuLT centloman straiahtwav to school. Audul>on laments that education in J-'rance Mas but miserablv attended to during the vears thai succeeded the great political convulsions. j\[ilitary education had usurped all the care of the First Em})ire, and the wants of the civil population were but sparingly heeded. His father, iVom natural predilections, was desirous that the boy sliould become a sailor, a cadet in the French navy, or an engineer; and with these views before hiiu, he dcciik'd on the course of study his son should follow. ]\[athematics, drawing, geogra])hy, fencing, and music, were among the branches of education ]u'cscribed ; it Ix-ing evident that a comiilex course of instruction was not among the misap]u-ehensions the old sailor's ])rofessional prejudices had nurture:l. Audidjon had, for music-master, an adept who taught him to l>hu' adr<>itly upon the violin, llute, tlageolet, and guitar. For drawing- master, he had ])avid, the chief iuvent(U' and worshipper of the abominations wliich smothered the as[)irations of French artists during the revolutionary generation. NcA'crtheless it was to David that Audubon owed his earliest lessons in traciurj: objects of natural historv, and the mannerism of the <>Teat French artist may still be traced in certain pelantries dis- cernible in Audubon's style of drawing. Atidubon was, more- over, a proficient in dancing, — an accomplishment which in after years he Invl more opportunities of practising among boars than among men. Infltienced by the militarv fever of his time, he 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 sco[)e was allowed him for indulging in nest-hunting pronensities. Supplic^l with a haversack of provisions, he 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 eye. LIFE OF AUDUBON. !;i When the old sailor returned from sea he \vas astonished at the hirgu colleetion his boy had made, paid him some oompli- ments on his good taste, and ashed wliat jjrogress lie had inado in liis otlu'r studies. No satisfactory reply heing given, he retired without re]»roach, hut, evidently mortified at the idleness of the voun<>- naturalist, seemed to turn his attention towards his daughter, whose musical attainments had been successfully cultivated. On th'" day following the disclosure father and son started for liochefort, where tla.' elder held some appointment. Tile journey occuj)ied lour days, and the pair did not exchange one uiniecessary word during the journoy. Heaching his ofTicial residence, the father explained tluit ho 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 di 1 accordhicflv. ]\Ioi'e tlian a year was spent in the close study of mathematics ; though whenever opportunity occurred the severer study was neglected for rambles alt;er (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 A\as sent out to America to superintend his father's pro- perties. Ho has recorded in affecting language his regret at leaving behind him the country where he had sjient his boy- hood, the friends upon w'liose affections he relied, the associations that had been endeared to him. " While the breeze wafted along the great ship, hours were spent in deep sorrow or melancholy musmgs. "On landing at New York I caught the yellow fever, by walkiiig 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. INTHODUCTION TO HIS WIFE. Mr. Fisher, of PhiliKlolplua, knouiu^ his condition, went with his carriage to his lodnin^*, and (h-ovo tlic invalid to his villa, situated at some distance from the city on the road to Trent(jn. ]\rr. Fisher was a (Quaker, and a strict formalist in religious ■^Ji matters ; did not a[)pruve of hiintin;.>', and even objected to music. To the adventurous and romantic youth this home was little iivelii^' than u ju'iscm, and he gladly esca])ed from it. jMr. Fislior, at his request, put him in jiosscssion of his father's property of 3lill (Jrove, on the Perkiominy Creek; and from the rental })aid hythc^ tenant, a Quaker named William Thomas, the youtli found himself supplied with all the funds he needed. At .Mill (irove youn;j: Auduhon found "a Wessed spot." In the reirularitv (w" the fences, the straig-ht and military exactness of the avenues, Au(hil)on saw his father's taste, nay, his very liandiwork. 'JMie mill attached to the pro])erty was to him a daily source of enjoyment, and he was delighted with the re])ose of the cpiiet inilldam whei'e the pewecs were accustomed to build. "Hunting, iishing, and drawing occupied my every moment," he writes ; adding, " cares I kne^^■ not, and cared nothing for them." In simple and unaffected language he relates his intioduc- tion to his wife, the daughter of Mr. Bakewell, an Englisli gentleman >\ho had purchased the adjoining property. ]Mr. Bakewell lived at Fatland Ford, within sight of IMill Grove, but Audubon had avoided the family, as English, and objection- able to one wh(j had been nurtured \\ith a hatred to " per- fidious Albion." The very name of Englishman was odious to him, he tells us; and even after his neighbour had called upon him, he was uncivil enough to postptme his advances in relurn. J^lrs. Thomas, the tenant's wife at IMill Grove, with u \voman's desire to see what the issue might be, urged her young master to visit the Ba]ce^^ell fanuly ; but the more he ANas urged his heart appeared to be the more hardened against the stranger. The winter's frosts had set in. Audubon was lblloA\ing some grouse down the creek, when suddenly he came upon yix. Bake- well, who at once dissipated the Frenchman's prejudices by the discovery of kindred tastes. Audubon writes : " 1 w as struck with the kind politeness of his manners, and found him a most expert marksman, and entered into conversati(m. I admired LIFE UK AUDUliUxV. il tlif hc'uuty of his w el l-t rained do^s, and finally promised to call upiin liiiii and lii.s family. ^Vell do I recollect the morning, and. may it please God that I may lu-M-r forget it, when, for the first time, 1 entered tln' l>akewell household. It happened that -Mr. Jiakewell was from home. I was shown into a parlour, where oidy one yonng lady was snugly seated at work", \\ith her ba(d{ turneil towards the lire. She rose on my entrance, offered mr. a Heat, and assured me of the gratiiication her father would feel on his return, whieli, she added with a smile, wonld he in a few minutes, as she would send a servant after him. Other ruddy cheeks made their ajtpearanoe, but like spirits gay, vanished from my sight. Talking and working, the young lady who renuiined made the time pass pleasantly enough, and to me especially so. It was she, my dear J^ucy liakewell, whj afterwards became juy wife and the mother (tf my children." IMr. Bakewell speedily returned, and J-ucy attended to the lunch provided Ix'fore leaving on a shooting expedition. <' Lucy rose from her s(>nt a second time, and her i'orm, to which 1 had before [)aid little attention, seemed radiant with beauty, and my heart and eyes followed her every step, 'i'he repast being over, guns and dogs were provided, and as we left 1 was pleased to believe that Lucy looked upon me as a not very strange auinuil. Bowing to her, I felt, I knew not why, that I was at least not indifferent to her." Tlie acquaintance so pleasantly begun ra[)idly matured. Audubon and Bakewell were often com])anions in their shoot- ing excursions, and finally the whole J3akewell family were invited to j\[ill Grove. The ])ro])erty of Audubon was separated from Bakewell's plantation by a road leading from jMorristown 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 th(^. 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 matters. '0(1 to cull inoriiiiio-j ■n, lor th(3 <^'iio(J that iir, uliuro licr buck Tod inc a onltl ibel in u /'('w ■!• niddy li«l irojii <'iii{ihi(}cl i]l('('];illy ''ocfune to the •t.' thonoht took some shape in his fervid mind. The \vork he liad i)rei)ared for himself to do was an 'Ornitliologieal JJioo-raphy,' including- an account of the habits and a description of the birds of America : tliat work which in its com],ieted form Cuvier ])r()iioHnced to be "The most ^iuantic bibli(-al enter])rise ever undertak(-n by tlie enterprise of a siuo-lu individual." However, it was only "aiter his drawings and his descriptions accumulated ui)on him that Audubon decided to give the collection the form of a scientiiic work. Audubon speaks of his life at I\[i]l (irove as bein- in every way agreeabh;. He had ample means I'or all jiis A\ants, was gay, extravagant, and fond of dress. He ratlier naively writes in his j(mrnal, "I had no vices; but was thoughtless, pensive, lovmg- fond of sliooting, fisljing, and riding, and had a passion for raising all sorts of fowls, and which sources of interest and amusement fully occupi,Hl my time. It was one of my lam-R's to bo ridi.-ulously fond of dress; to hunt in black satin breech(>s, wear pumps whui shooting, and dress in the finest ruflled sliirts I could obtain from France." He was also fond of dancing, and music, and skating, and attended all \lie balls and skating parties in his neighbourhood. Eegarding his mode of life, Audubon gives some hints uselul to° those" who desire to strengthen their constitution bv an abstemious diet 10 LIFK OF AUDUIJON. \ He says : — " I iito iio biitclicr's iip-ut, lived cliiofly on fruits, vof^t'tublcs, and llsh, iiml never drjink a j^lass nf s|»irits or wine until my weddinjj^ day. To this 1 attribute my continual pood lu^dtli, e?iduranee, and an iron constitution. So stroni;' was the habit, that 1 disliked p)inp' to dinner parties, where ])eo|)l(» Avere ex)»e(;ted to indulge in eating and (hinkinp, and where often there \\as not a sinyh; dish to my taste. I cared nothin;^ for sum|>tuous entertainments. Pies, |iuddin;^s, e{^p;s, and milk or cream was the food I liked best ; nnd nniny a time; was the dairy of IMrs. Thomas, tla; t<'uant's wilV^ of j\rill drove, robbed (jf the cream intended to make butter for tlu; l'hiladel[ihia market. All this while J was fair and rosy as a pirl, stronf? as any one of my afj^e and sex could be, and as active and jiLiile 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 coimection w itb his love of skating and his prolleieney as a marksman. ] laving been skating down the rerkionuny Creek, he met IMiss Bakewell's young brother William, and wag(n'ed that he would put a shot through his cap when tossed into the air, wdiilc Audubon was passing full speed. The experiment was nnide, and the caj) riddled. A still more striking incich.'nt is thus related. "Having engaged in a duek-shooting expedition up the Pcrkiominy Creek with young Bake well and some young friends, it was found that the ice was full of dangerous air-h(jles. On our u})ward journey it was easy to avoid accident, but the return trip was attended with an accident which bad nearly closed my career. Ind(T;d, my escape was one of the inconceiv- able nuracles that occasionallv 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 party through the dusk with a white handicerchief made fast to a stick, and we proceeded like a Hock 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 by the stream under the ice, and 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. My wet INTKHFKnKN'CK OF HIS rAKTNKU. 11 clotlit's Imd to bo clmn^'tMl. One lent nic u sliirt, iinotlu'r iv coat, ami ho apiiarcllcil I rcsniiKMl my hoin'wanl journey. Unal)le to roach Mill (irovo, 1 was takon to .'»Ir. IJakcwrll's lioiiso cliillcd ainl liruiscil. It \va>i three months heforc I rocovored, notw ith>taii(liiig the advice of alih; |»hysiciaii.s called ill from rhilad(l|»hia." 'I'iie quiet life yoUh^' Audiiitoii led at ."Mill (Jrove was inter- rupted l;y an incidi-nt in his lih; which nii<,dit Inive ]»roved sori(JU.s to one owninrosoeuto the? lead mino enterj)rise at Mill (Jrove, l»eo;an to assum<^ an authority ovor youn<^ Au(hd)on which the latter considered unwarranted. An attempt ^\as made to limit his liiKUUios, and Dii Casta, unfortu- nat(dy for liimself, went further, and ol)jected to the proposed union with Lucy Balcewell, as heing an unequal match. Auduhon resented such interference, and demanded najuey from Da Casta to carry him to 1"' ranee. The French adventurer su[i, w I r? •I I CIIAPTEK IV. Result of Auuuuon's Voyage to Fhaxce— Uis Father's consent to ]iis IMahiuaci. — Uenewal of I3ii!D-nuxTiN(i PuitsiJiTs — Examination FOR THE French "Marine, ^iND Appointjient to the 1'ost of jNIid- shipman — Ueturn to America— Chased by a PniVATEEii,-- -Narrow Escape from Losino his (iold. ExPLAiXTXG to bis father the scandalous conduct of Da Casta, young- Audubon prevailed so lar that the traitor was removed from tlu; jiosition which he had hecn placed in with such ht.sty confidence. He had also to request his father's ai)])roval of his marriage with .Afiss Lucy Hake well, and the father promised to decide as soon as he had an answer to a letter he had written to ]\[r. r)alvewell in Pennsjdvania. Settled in the paternal house for a year, the naturalist gratified in every ftishiou his wander- ing- instincts. He roamed everywhere in the neig-hbourhood of the home, shooting, fishing, and collecting specimens of natural history. He also continued his careful drawings of natural history specimens, and stuffed and jirepared many birds and animals— an art which he had carefully acquired in xVmerica. In one year two hundred drawings of European bird,^ had been completed — a fact which displays marvellous industry, if it does not ncf-essarily imply a sound artistic representation of the birds drawn. At this peiiod the tremendous convulsions of che French empire had culminated in colossal preparations for a conflict with lUissia. The conscription threatened every man capable of bearing arms, and Audubon a2)])eared t(j believe that he stood in some danger of being enrolled in the general V V CHASED BY THE KATTLESXAKE. 1?. )X.sKXT TU AMIXATIOX OF j\riD- —Xakhow >a Casta, I'cmoved th such I)proval romised written 1 house \aiidei'- OOfl of atiii-al atural s and it-'i'ica. been '• does )f the »ns of tioiis 'veiy ;lieve noral i \q\\. His two brothers were already serving in the armies of Napoleon as oflicers, and it was decided that their junior should voluntarily join the navy. xVfter passing what he called "a suix-rficial examination" for an appointment as midshipman, ho was onlered to report at Eochefort. Entering upon his duties in the French marine, lie 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 Eosier, 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 Hosier should leave for America as partners, under a nine years' engagement. The elder Au hihon obtained leave of absence for his son ; and alter passports were provided, the two emigrants left France at a periud when thousands would have been glad of liberty to follow their foot- stejis. About two weeks after leaving France, a vessel gave chase to th(^ French vessel, passed her by to windward, fired a shot across her bows, and continued the chase until tlie cajilain of the outward bound wa:- for(?ed to heave his ship to, and submit to be boarded by a boat. Tlu.' enemy proved to be the English privateer, liattlesnake, the captain of which was sadly vexed to find that his prev was an American vessel, carrvin' "'I'l'^^^ i» «>'= first volume of Audubon's 0,n,tholog,eal Biography,' published at Edinburgh in ISM many passages may be cited as an exposition !f tl 1, t ;.spn.at.ns whieh stimulated the young J^^, t W ^ ^^.-eedk. a,;;:;; r^;:r:;;:r ^r crxftir Audubon was not at liP-ivf n >. ^ ' "^^ ^^^' much, and ^^Mme^:r'"'\": '"'"'''''' than a philoL,her Fn '' " ^ '"'^"oodsman service, b\,t his St liUrf 'T, ■'"' '" '"'' e°°" was the secret of his sSet ^^' ""' '"' '^''"''^' '■<'«°'"'»«. Plnmage, attitude, and chCLr nirk's Tti tth"™; favourites. Ii; working tnwnvrU fi • i , feathered ■I) .,/ 16 LTFF, OF AFDITRON. /■I t{ I ■ :> V li arduously at what wo may call forcible photographs in colours, his first aim heiiig* fidelity, and his next, artistic beauty. FTow much chagrin his failures cost him may I e gleaned from tho lamentations he makes over his unsuccessful efforts in tlie introduct(-)ry address referred to above. Ilf^garding the means he adojited to secure a faultless representation ui the animals he desired to transcribe, he writes : — '• Patiently and with in- dustry did I apply myself to study, for although I felt the im[)ossibility of giving lif(! to my productions, I did not aliandon the idea of representing nature. 31any plans were successively adopted, many masters guided my hand. At the age of seven- teen, when I return(Ml from France, wiiitlier I had gone to receive the rudiments of my education, my drawings had assumed a form. David had guided my hand in tracing objects of large size : eyes and noses belonging to giants and iieads 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, wdiicli I henceforth continued, and which is now publishing under the title of ' The Birds of America.' " To resume the narrative of xVudubon's journey back to Mill Grove. Da Casta was dismissed from his situation, and Audubon remained his own master. ]\[r. William Bakewell, tho brother of Lucy, has recorded some interesting particulars of a visit to j\rill Grove at this period. lie says: — "Audubon took me to his house, where he and his companion liosier resided, with Mrs. Tliomas 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, carefully blown out and strung on a thread. The chimney- piece was covered with stuffed squirrels, racoons, and opossmns ; 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 in colours, ity. How from tlio ts in the he means e animuls I with in- I felt the t abandon ceessively t)f seven- gone to 1 assumed ts of large of horses, These, be higher . returned and eom- ontinued. Birds of V to Mill Audubon brother visit to me to od, with 11, I was into a of birds' limney- ossums ; 'cimens, other gs were skill in also a art his 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 bade, 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 nianit'old 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 j\Ir. Bakewell to obtain some knowledge of commercial pursuits before getting married. With this 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 \vt)rk done by tlie imprisoned naturalist was, as usual, wandering in search of birds and natural curiosities. While so engaged he made the accpiaintance of Dr. Hamuel Mitchel, one of the leading medical men in New York city, and dis- tinguislied as an ethnologist. Dr. ]\[itchel was one of the founders of the Lyceum of Natural History, and of the ' Medical Repository,' which was the first scientific journal started in the United States. Audubon prepared many specimens for this gentleman, \Ahich he believed were finally dejiosited in the New York Museum. After a season of probation, during which ]\rr. 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 Grrove with his friend. Audubon remarks that at this period it took him but a few toinutes, walking smartly, to pass from one end of New York to another, so sparse was the population at the date of his esidence. c '^ LIFE OF AUDUBON. He adds, in reference to his absent habits and unsuitability for business, that he at one time posted without soah'ng 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 , fi constable, insisting on his abating the nwmwce. An excellent tji ' P^" ^^^^ ^^^^ sketch of his own appearance at this time has been ^ ' ^ ^""^^ ^y Audubon. He says: "I measured five feet ten and a i half inches, was of a fair mien, and quite a handsome figure ; i( I'^rge, dark, and rather sunken eyes, light-coloured eyebrows', aquilme nose, and a fine set of teeth; hair, fine texture and luxuriant, divided and passing down behind each ear in luxm-iant H ringlets as far 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. J" After returning to Mill Grove, Audubon and his friend Eosier .: planned an expedition towards the west, at that time a wild I ■ ^^Sion thinly populated by a very strange people. i] ibility for it a letter ;s in New )ccasioned mnoyance n throiigli excellent ) has been ;en and a le figure ; eyebrows, xture and L luxuriant excellent s youthful it ashamed 3nd Eosier me a wild CHAPTER VI. Audubon's ^lAnniAOE and Journky to Louisviu.e — His Settlement THERE AND TlEASANT LiFE — CONTINUANCE OE HIS PURSUITS — WEST- ERN Hospitality — Business Prospeci's — Pemoval of Business to EIendersonviijj; — Meeting with Alexander Wilson, the American Ornitholoiii^t and Paisley Poet. The journey of Audubon and Rosier to Kentucky had for its purpose the c]:?;covery of some outlet for the naturalist's energies, in the shape of a settled investment, which would jiermit of liis marriage to Miss Bakewell. In Lciisville Audubon de- termined to remain, and with this purpose in view he sold his plantation of IMill Grove, invested his capital in goods, and pre- pared to start for the west. His arrangements being complete, he was married to 3[iss Bakewell on the 8th of April, 1808, in her father's residence at Fatland Ford. Journeying by Pittsburg the wedded pair reached Louisville with their goods in safety. Prom Pittsburg they sailed down the Ohio in a flat-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 woiulerful opportunities of making observations. At Louisville he commenced trade under favourable auspices, but the hunting 01 birds continued to be the ruling passion. His life at this period, in the company of his young wife, appears to have been extremely liappy, and he writes that he had really reason " to care for nothing." The country around Louisville was settled by planters who were fond of himting, and among whom he c 2 ^ /N. V 1 I 20 LIFE OF AUDUBON. found a roacly welcome. The shootiiif^ and drawing of birds was continued. His friend Rosier, less fond of rural sports, stuck to the count(.^r, and, as Audubon phrases it, "grew rieli, and that was all lie cared lor." Audubon's pursuits appear to have severed him from the business, which was left to Hosier's management. Finally, the war of 1812 imperiUe 1 the prosperity of the part- ners, and what goods remained on hand were ship^ied to Hender- son ville, Jventuclcy, where Ivosier remained for some years longer, before going further westward in search of the fortune he coveted. Writing of the kindness shown him bv 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-inaking weaver, had been driven from Paisley through his sympathies witli 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 Mr. Alexander Wilson, the celebrated author of the 'American Ornithology,' of whose existence I had never unlil tliat moment been n})prized. This happened in March, 1810. Plow 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- A bones, stamped his countenance witli 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 a})proached the table at which I was // working, I thought I discovered something like astonishment in i\ his countenance. He, however, immediately proceeded to dis- ! close the object of his visit, which was to procure subscriptions ;i 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 i\i VISIT OK ALEXANDER WILSON. 21 (irds was stuck to [ind that J severed igeinent. he part- lieiidor- •s longer, coveted. )nisville, r " away ighboiir's itance of Scottish through notable ites, had if Audu- g to re- turalists. 1 by the 3 of Mr. .merican moment ivell do I '„ rather t clieek- 3r. His t of the y cloth. volumes 1 I was ment in to dis- ,'riptions e of his :sed and f of the plates, and had already taken a pen to write my name in his favour, when my partner rather abruptly said to me, in FrcMich, * i\ry dear Audubon, what iiuhiees you to sid)S(ril>e to thiswoi'k? Your drawings are certainly far better; and n;:aiii, you ninsl know as much of the h;ibit.s of American birds as this genth.MUiin.' Whether 'Sir, Wilson understood Frencli or not, or if the suddenne-'S witli 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 1 had many drawings of birds. I rose, took down a large portfolio, laid it on the table, and sliowed him — as I would show you, kind reader, or any other person fond of such subjects — tlio 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 he 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 how examined my drawings witli care, asked if I sliould 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, aud 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 I " "1 a /^i ■ fi 1 ' '! i I; i 1 11 22 LIFE OF AUDUBON. rese.ii-ches, I offered them to him, merely on condition that what I liad dravv)i, or might afterwards draw and send to him, sliould be mentioned in his work as coming from my [lencih I at tho same time offered to ()[)en a ('()rres|»ondenco with him, whicli I thought miglit prove beneficial to us both. lie made; no reply to cither proposal, and before many days had elapsed left Louisville, on his way to New Oi-leans, little knowing 1k)W much his talents were jippreciated in our little town, at least by myself and my friends. " Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, or of his work. At length, having occasion to go to rhiladel[)hia, 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 civility, and took me to the exhibition rooms of Ilombrandt I*eale, the artist, who had then portrayed Napoleon crossing the Alps. JMr. Wilson spoke not of birds or drawings. Feeling, as I was forced to do, that my company was not agreeable, I parted from him ; and after that I never saw him 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 sj)irit are here very marked ; but it has to be borne in mind that, while Audubon was a polished and well- educated French gentleman, Wilson was a poor weaver, educated by the aid of his own industry, and suffering from the many blights that had fallen upon his class in a land where the amenities 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 \ \ \s: T VANITY OF AUDUBON. 28 tlitit what in, should I at tho , wliic'h I no reply t)S('d loft ow imu'h )y myself salh. If Audubon hud oue marked fault, it was vanity ; ho was a queer comiujund of ActiTcon and Narcissus — holdin*^ a ^\\\\ \n one hand and (lourishinf^ a lookinpj-f^lass in the other. It was little not to subscribe to Wilson's book, and it naturally awakened suspicion. like all vain men, tho Frenchman was not imsel- fish, as the reader will doubtless discover for himself in the sequel. ^ him, or iidolphia, lim, and 'd cajole, diibition ortrayod birds or 'onipany I never ne after, •lumo of ? para- which ught to one act ne sub- letters, iracters •iend in on and ! to be i well- lucated many re the Dn the T other grano ^i^S • it I. LIKE UK AI.UUUON. \ •I ., i I i< CHAPTf:K VII. IfETUKN OF Mhs. Audubon to iiku Fathku's House — Audubon and 1?osieu MOVE to Hendebsonvillk — Business Unuemunerative — Determine TO TRY St. Genevieve on the Mihsissipi'i— Saii- down the Ohio and DELAY AT CasII CrKEK — CaMP OF HlIAWNEE INDIANS — WiLD SwAN Shooting with Indians — A Bear Hunt, and Valiant Indian — ToWINfJ UI' TIM', MlSSlSSIlMM — BoAT FrOZEN IN — MEETING WITH OsAGE Indians — Desperate I'Iefort to Hescue the Boat from Ice — Arrival AT St. Genevii';ve. 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 Henderson ville. 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 father's 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 voyage 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 supply- 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 \ 1' H VOYAflK TO ST. OKNEVlfiVK. 25 to St. Genovievo, u settlement on tlio ]\IiH8issippi river, and until it was ascertained how the ontriso would prn.spcr, Mrs. Audubon should l)o left at Ilendersonville, with the family of Dr. Parkin, who resided in the immediate neighhourliood. Of the adventurous voyage to St. Genevieve, Audubon gives this graphie account : — " Putting our goods, whiek consisted of three hundred barrels of whisky, sundry dry goods, ar.d powder, on board a keel- boat, my partner, my clerk, and self dei)arted in a severe snow-storm. The boat was new, staunch, and well trimmed, and had a cabin in her b»)W. A long steering oar, nuido of the trunk of a slender tree, about sixty feet in length, and shaped at its outer extremity like the fin of a doljdiin, 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. " The storm we sot 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 lliver. It was evident that the severe cold had frozen all the neighbouring lakes and lagoons, because thousands of wild water-foMl were flying to the river, and settling themselves on its borders. Wo 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 alFO for St. Genevieve. Here we learned that the IMississippi 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 plentiiully supplied with fish. The large sycamores, and the bare branches of the trees that fringed the creek, w ere favourite resorts of paroquets, which came at night to roost in their hollow trunks. An agreeable circumstance was au 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. Hosier, whose only desire was to reach the destination I.' !.. J ■» '/ r.,1' t: >t,l I '' i 26 LIFE OF AUDUBON. and resume trade, was seized with melancholy at tlie prospect occasioned by tlie delay. He brooded in silence over a mishap which had given me great occasion for rejoicing." A narrative of Auduhon's stay at Casli Creek, and perilous journey up the ]\rississippi, 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, witli half a dozen squaws and as many himters, 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 huntoxS made the best of our way through thick and thin to the lake. Its muddy sliores were overgrown with a close gro\\th 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 nuist jump, leap, or swim, and this not without peril of broken limbs or drowning. " But when the lake burst on our view tliere 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 surfoce, or gently floating along. According to the Indian mode of hunting, we had divided, and approached the lagoon from difl:erent 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 ; for 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 x\ ^ CAMPING AT CASH CREEK. 27 on the opposite side, when they again fired, and I saw the water covered with birds floating \\ith their backs downwards, and their lieads suidc 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. Tliere were plenty of geese and ducks, but no one condescended to give them a shot. A conch was sounded, and after a while the squaws came dragging the canoe, and collect- ing the dead game, which Mas 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 \\alked 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 8 wan liake? " 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. " A\'hen I awoke in the morning and made my rounds through the camp, I found a squaw had been delivered of beautiful twins during the night, and I saw the same squaw at work tanning deer-skius. Slie 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 (^ould see nothing ; and we rambled on through the cane brake until we came to an immense decayed log, in which he swore i : ^ 1 !c fr ■' . .■ t'.i {Hi 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 sealping-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, wliile it can go up a large tree witli 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 T might corao 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 Arkan'^is. " Their example made a stir among the whites, and my impa- tient partner begged me to cross the bend and see if the ice was yet too solid for us to ascend the river. Accordingly, accompanied by two of the crew, I made my way to the IVIississippi. 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 r.ruck; their canoe hauled into the woods, some blazes struck on the trees, and all 8tart«?d for Cash Creek. I'd VOYAGE UP THE MISSISSIPPI. 29 " The niglit was spent in makinj:^ tngs of hides and shaving oars, and at dayb'ght we left the Creek, glad to be afloat once more in broader water. Going^down the stream to the mouth of the Ohio was fine sport ; indeed, my partner considered the worst of the journey over ; but, alas ! when we turned the point, and met tlie mighty rusli of the ]\[ississip[ii, 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 Cordelia,' which was a rope fastened to the bow of the boat ; and one man beino; left on board to steer, the others, lavinj]: 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 Cordelia, I kept my eyes fixed on the forests or the ground, looking for birds and curious shells. At night we cimped on the shores. Here we made fires, cooked su[)per, and setting one sentinel, the rest went to bed and slept like men who had done one good day's woik. 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 twenty 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 7-r I. I) li' ^•/, ■( 1'^ 30 LIFE OF AUDUBON. carcass of a dead animal ; and I was not long in meeting strol- ling natives in the ^^oods. Tlicy gradually accumulated, and before a week had passed great numbers of these unfortunate beings were around us, chiefly Usages 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, Avere much inferior, and killed o^jossum and wild tur- keys for a subsistence. The Osages being a new rai^e to me, 1 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 Mords of English, and their general demeanour proved them to be a nobler race. Yet they were delighted to see me draw, and when I made a tolerable likeness of one of them with red chalk, thev 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 wolve^,. 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 brarches, ten feet high, and then a fire kindled on the toji 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 bear's 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 try 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 V «< LIFE IN THE WOODS. 81 ing strol- ited, and brtunate 3s. The ■ a noble nothing lained in witli tlie vild tur- to me, 1 I habits ; th them, hsh, and ce. Yet tolerable 3ut with the cold e expert id many- Here i of wild y other it earap- wliat a voods of liameter nbs and top with arty lies t of wild eating it was 1 a good and try herd of so, and walked 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 whoaton 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 was 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 di-icd bear's meat we had brought, and slept com- fortably. " AVhat 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 tlieir 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. IFaving rolled the flour to a safe place, slung the meal in a tree, and thrust our gun barrels through the loaves of bread, ^\■o 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. ?^: "i' tff I fCI: trees, and fastened them to tlie sliore above tlie boat, so as to secure it from the ice whicli was accumulating, and to save the boat from being cut by it. We were now indeed in winter quarters, and we made the bust of it. The Indians made baskets of cane, ^Ir. Pope jjhiycd on the violin, I accompanied with the flute, tlie men dauced 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 instatit danger of being cut to pieces by the ice-floes, or swamped by their pressure. Roused from our sleep, we ruslicd 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 M'ere 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 tiiken place about a mile below, when suddenly the great &. "^ AHIUVAL AT 8'!'. ffENKVUCVK. 33 it, SO as to D save the in winter ians made ;ompanied bo squaws pipes with regretted idden and The ice f being cut e. Roused bank, as if •eaking up llery ; and [ the Ohio, th violence, troken into here and e wounded ith furious i. To our n calm and ushed from extremely md fearful y agitated ; hough not nost daring imminent ird it from ust against ot ordered hich were yed by the vore gazing seemed to f the great n dam of ice gave way. Tlie current of the iMississippi had forced its way against that of the Ohio ; and in less tlian four hours MO witnessed the complete breaking up of the ice. "During tliat winter the ice was so thick, the patroin said we might venture to start. The cargo was soon on bourc'., and the camp given up to the Indians, after bidding mutual adieus, as when brotliers part. The navigation was now of the most dangerous kind ; the boat was })ushed by long poles on the iee, and against the bottom when it could be touched, and we moved extremely slowly. The ice was higher tlian our heads, and 1 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 capo. " Rut the village was small, and no market for us, and we 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 wo used our Cordelias, and witli great difliculty and peril passed it safely. It was near this famous tower of granite that I first saw the great eagle that J have named after our good and great General Washington. The weather continued fiivourable, and we arrived in safety at St. Genevieve, and found a favourable market. Our whisky was especially welcome, and what we Imd paid twenty-five cents a gallon for, brought us two dollars. St. Genevieve was then an old French town, twenty miles below St. Louis, not so largo as dirty, and I was not half so pleased with the time spent there as with that s[)eut in the Tawapatee Rottom. Here I met with the Frenchman who aecompanied Lewis and Clark to the Rocky jMountains. They had just returned, and I was delighte;derson- escape from Shootinci of iY— A Tr.niti- ^NTic Doctor. no pleasant bred French ain national be Lack at married at tlio business, his partner, \ across the terrible ad- idino; death. he following )und myself that portion nntry. The ooining as if napsack, my id company, no- attracted of the fawns ^s of danger " ."Mv march was of long duration. I saw the sun sinking l)cucath the horizon long before^ I could perceive any appear- ance of woodlands, and nothing in the shape of man had 1 met with that (hiy. Tln^ track which I followed was only an old Indian trail, and as dai'knoss oversha(h)\v('d ihc ]ii-aii'ic, J fcH sonu.' desire to reach at hast a copse, in wliich I niigiit lie down to rest. The night-hawks were skinmung over and around nu% attracted by the buxzing wings of tlio l)eetles 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 sann^ instant a lire-light attract- ing my eye, 1 moved towards it, full of conlidenco that it proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I was mistakt'ii. I discovered by its glare that it was froju the hearth of a small log cabhi, and that a tall iigure passed and repassed between it and me, as if busily engaged in household arrange- ments. "I readied the spot, aiid presenting myself at the door, asked the tcdl 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 aifirmative. I walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly seated myself by the lire. The next object that attracted my notice was a finely -formed young Indian, resting his head between liis hands, with his elbows on his knees. A lono- 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 api)arently breathed not. Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, and knowing that they pay little attention to the ap})roach of civilised strangers, I addressed him in French, a language not uid'rcquently pai'tially known to the people ol' 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 ari'ow at a racoon in tlu) top of a tree, the arrow had split upon the cord, and sprung back with, such violence into his right eye as to destroy it for ever. , " Feeling hungry, I inquired what sort of fare I might expect. i ' D 2 't! . 1! 1!^ li-. an MI-M-: OF AL'DrUON. tSueh a tiling n« ii hcd was not to l>o seen, but many largo Uiitunnc'd bear and bulfalo hides liiy [tiled in a cornel". J drew a tinie-pieeo I'roni my [uteket, and lold the woman that it win late, and tliat T was fatigued. Slie espied my watch, the richness of wiiich seemed t<» o[)erate on her feelings with electric ([uickncss. Slu; told mo there was plenty of venison and jerlced buffalo meat, and that on removing the ashes 1 should find a cake. But my watch had struck her fancy, and her curiosity had to bo gratified by an immediate siglit of it. I took off the gold chain which secured it around my neck, and presented it to her. She was all ecstasy, s})oke of its beauty, asked me its value, and put the chain round her brawny neck, saying liow ha])[)y the possession of such a watch would make her. Thoughtless, and, as I faucic'il myself, in so retired a s[)ot, secure, 1 paid little attention to her talk or her movements. I helped my dog to a good suppm* 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. lie passed and repassed me several times, and once i)inched me on the side so violently, that the i)ain 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, tilled the \n[)Q of it with tobacco, and sent me expressive glances ^^henever 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 nundjcr. " 1 asked the woman for ray watch, wound it up, and under pretence,' of wishing to see how tlie weather might probably be on the morrow, took up my gun, and walked out of the cabin. I sli})ped a ball into each barnd, scraped the edges of my Hints, renewed the primings, and returning to the hut, gave a favourable account of my observations. I took a few bear-skins, NAIIUOW ESCAPE FHOM ASSASSINATION'. 37 my large 1 di'ow a at it wa.^ ratcli, tlio ings witli )f venison o ashes 1 fancy, and l^lit of it. neck, and its beanly, ,\vny neck, anld nialvo red a s^xjt, }nients. I not long in TerinG;. He •lied me on t ibrtli an t niin(», but o the more If, drew his edg(^ as I and again of it with Dur hostess wakened to I returned ell assured 3t of their and under it probably out of the xlges of my hut, gave a ■ bear-skins, made a pallet of them, and calling my faithful dog to my side, lay down, with my gun dose; to my body, and in a few minutes was to all ai>|icaranc(; fast asleep. "A short time had elapsed when somo voices were heard, and from the corner of my eyes I saw two athletic youths making their entrance, bearing a dead stag on a jiolc They disposed of their burden, and asking for whisky, helped them- selves freely to it. Observing me and the wounded Indian, th(\v asked who I was, and why the devil that rascal (meaning the Indian, who, tlu'y knew, understood not a word of English) was in the house? The mother, for so she proved to be, hade them speak less K)udly, 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 mo to guess. I ta])})ed my dog gently, he moved his tail, and with indescribable ilciisuro 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 di'unk themselves into such condition that I already looked upon them as ho7's de comhai ; and the frequent visits of the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth of their i im, I hoped would soon reduce her to a like state. Judge of my astonishment when I saw this incarnate fiend take a largo 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 SMeat covered every part of my body, in des})ite 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 ('om|)anion, and lay ready to start n\) and shoot the first who might attem})t my life. The moment was fast aj)pi-oaching, 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 wav of desiiatching me whilst her sons should be eimaired with the Indian. I was several times on the eve of rising, and 38 I, IKK OK AI'DCK.OX. A' f i ■■« III #(' Hliootiiifi^ her on tlio sitot, hut slio was not to be |)iniisli('(l llius TIic door WHS suddenly opened, and tliei-e entered two stout truvellers, each with a loiii; rille on Ins shoulder. 1 hounced U]) on my feet, and inakin<^ them most heai-fdy welcome, tohl them how well it was lor me that they shonhl have arrived at that moment. Th(! tahs was told in a nn'nute. 'i'ho drunken sons were secured, and the woman, in spite ol' her del'enee and voeiterations, sharetl the sum(^ lat<'. The Indian fairly danced with joy, and gave us to understand that, as ho could not slee[) for ])ain, ho would watcdi over us. You may sup[»oso we slejit much less than we talked. The two strann'crs «;ave me an account of their once havinjjj been themselves in a similar situation. J.)ay cnmo fair and rosy, aiul with it the punishment of our captives. "They were quite sobered. Their feet were unbound, but their ai"ms were still securely tied, ^^'e marched them into the woods off tlio road, and havin;^* used them as l{efi:ulators were wont to use such delinquents, wo set tiro to the cabin, gave all the skins and implements io the youn<^ Indian warrior, and proceeded, well pleased, towards the settlements." At th(,' [)eriod at which this incident occurred "IJef^ulator Law" was the high tribunal in the Western States. A savage and outcast ]ioi)ulation i'ringed the settled territories, and among these the most dastardly crimes were em-rent. " liegu- lator Law " was administered by a body of American citi/ens, and was akin to a Vigilance Committee in its self-assumed functions. The punishment of felons, who eould <\(;i'y or were likely to escape the law of the land, w^as the special duty of the Regulators, and tlie name acquired a terrible significance in the western wilds. Audubon relates that a notorious freebooter, named jMason, frequented Wolf's Island in the ]\lississipj)i, and with a gang of marauders played pirate with impunity in that river. He strippixl the laden barges of all the valuables, stole hoi'SGS, and proved himself to be beyond the reach of the law. A party of liegulators descended the river, but failed to find him. Finally, he was shot through the ready wit of one man. This liegidator met the rulHan in the foi'est, and, unsuspected, turned after him and dogged his steps. ]\Iason retired to a quiet dell, hobbled his horse to prevent it escaping, and crept into a hollow J ', I I SHOCK <»F AN KAirriK.^tfAKK. 89 troo. Tlie Rcfrulator W(Mit ofl' (or assistmico to tlio nonrost |>liu'o, and rctuniiui; with aniicd iiicii, the pliindn-cr was sliot [)e(l, an and }ihials of different si/es. IMieso had some days before made a narrow escape from destruction, but had been I il\ A FRANTIC DOCTOR. 41 ■t J, fortunately preserved by closing the doors of the cases in which th(}y were contained. " As I have said, we had all retired to rest. jMorning was fast approaching, when the rumbling noise that precedes the earth- ((uako 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, fdled 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 wliich 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 partv, 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 porches, and flew about not knowing whither ; and tlie doctor, recollecting the danger of his gallipots, ran to his ofiice, to pre- vent tlieir dancing off tlie shelves to the flijor. Never for a moment did he think of closing the doors, bnt, spreading his ^.i-ms, jumped about the front of the cases, pushing back here and there the falling jars, bnt with so littlo success, that before the shock was over he had lost nearly 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 IMadrid, and for some distance on the JMississippi, 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." 'I r t • ■<• A h w \ 1 -'i \ I .1 n J CI i.: \A\'E OF Ari)UlK)\. CIIAPTEK JX. AUDUnON Sui'TKliS FItO.M NKW M ISFOIITUNK^ — SkVIONTKKN THOUSAND DoL- LADS Lost — 'i'liAXSI'KKS jus FaTIIKk's I'linriMlTY TO Ills SlSTKK — StAKTS IX liUSlNKSS AT II KNUKUSON Vll.l.i:, ANO Sft'CKlCDS — 1!eI''US1:S A Commission in an Km'kditiox to South Amkuica — Narrow Escapk rUOM a IJUFriAX — FuKCTIKX of a ^IiI.L AXI» IiKNKWED MlsrORTUNKS — ^loVKS TO I,OUISVII,I,K — CoMMKXCKS TO DltAW ToilTRAITS — EkGAGE- SIKNT AT ClXCIXNATI MrsDCM. WiiiiJ-; resilient at Hendersonville, Audulidn entered upon ii new adventure willi liis hrotlier-in-law to carry on business at New Orleans, under tlu> linn of " Audubon & Co." In this sj)eeulation he embarked all the fortune at his dis])osal; but instead of attendin<>' to liis interests he remained hnntiu'i: in Kentucky, an.]/ ERKCTION OF A MILL. 43 recovered a dollar of his money. Returning from r]iila(leli)hia to Ileudersonville, the unfortunate Audubon eheerfully endeavoured to provide for the future, about whieh he felt consideralde anxiety. Gathering a few hundred dollars, ho purehased .some gooils in Louisville, and returned to business in llcndersonville. In liis journey he met with Cieneral Toledo, who was raising volunteers to go to South Ameriea, and who offered him a colonel's commission in the adventure. Audubon, however, preferred remaiiung at home T\u^ busin(>ss prospered ; he pur- chased ]and and a log cabin, willi a family of negroes thereto, and seemed to settle down comfortable. At tliis 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 disidded hand. ] )rawing a dagger, Audulxm stabbed his assailant, whose friends immediately demanded vengeance. Finding, liow- 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 ]iartner, who joined him, and whose presence seemed to herahl disaster. This partner advised him to erect a steam mill at Hendersonville, a place which was totally uniitt(Hl for any such speculation. An English- man, nanni'd Thomas Pease, joined in partnership, and having lost his money in an absurd project, separated from Audubon on no pleasant terms. In ordci to carry on the mill with renewed vigour, other partners were added ; and in connection w ith it j\Ir. A[)[)erson was established at Shawnee 'Town, ]\Ir. Benjamin Harrison at Vincennes in Indiana, and Nathaniel Poj)e, an old clerk of Audubon's, on the ^Mississippi river. All of thc^se parties failed in supporting the concern at Hendersonville, which was only continued through the des])erate measure of taking in still more partners. Tinallv, tla^ mill went down, after ruininir all concerned. Tlu^ naturalist speaks with bitterness of the " infernal mill," and in an e(pially tierci^ strain of a steamer purchased by the conc(M'n, and afterwards sold to a party down the i\Iississippi, who cheated the sellers out of most of the [lurchase money. From this date his difliculties appeared to increase daily ; bills fell due, and unmeasured vexations assailed him. . He handed .A p^ I I" ' ii H 44 LIFE OF AUDLTRON. over all ho possessed, and left iroiidersonvillo with his sick wife, liis gun, liis doi,', and his drawings, — hut Avithout feeling really depressed at his jirospeets. The family reached Louisville, where thev were Icindly r.jceivcd bv a relative, and Audubon luid time to think over omo scheme for raising supi)ort for hia family. Possessed of considerable skill as an artist in crayons, bo conceived the in-oject of starting as a portrait draughtsman. As he started at very low prices, his 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 aflhienco 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 nighi 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 \\aggon, and with the aid of a candle made a sketch which the artist pertly remarks might have done credit to IJembrandt. This success brought other successes, and the portrait j)ainter 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 city, and obtained from this employment additional emolument sullicient to support his family comfortably. His teaching succeeded well until several of his pu|iils started on their own account. The work at the museum having been finished, Audubon fell back ui)on his portrait i)ainting and such resources as his genius could command. Applying lor 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 wandering hahits. On more occasions than this his genius for disc(jvery was made an argument against him. He \\as ever a wanderer at heart, and showed the weaker and sillier side of his nature whenever he .shaped himself to civilized society. I I f CITArTEU X. IlAMnLES IN Kkxtucky — A (1an({ of Wooikhttkus — ('i.f.vkh Woiikmkx — Tnv. FhUiur ok tiik Thikvks — Escapk i'uom Cai'Tuuk— Mioijations INTO TIIK Wilds ok Kkntucky — Auk Yoyaoks ox tiik I'ivkus — 11azai!1)S kkom Inuians — lliKLK Shootino — DuiviN(; Xaii,s with IjUi.lkt.s — DanikI; I'oon " ]5aukin(; SQUiiiiiKi.s" — Snukkino Canhlks, During liis 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 supjdicd abundant fare to his homely table. Wild turkeys, deer, and bears, supplied con- stant wants, after a fashion that suited the luinter well. While resident there, a flat boat reached the shore, containing ten or twelve stout fellows with their wives, and declaring themselves to be " Yankee^-!," asked for work as woodcutters. Audubon, thinking that the boat contained wheat, held parley with the occupants, and finding that they were "likely " fellows, proposed to engage them to cut down a government lot of one thousand two hundred acres of fine timber he had i)urchased. The wood- cutters made fast their craft to the bank, started a camp ou shore, and, with their wives, managed to cook their meals out of the game supplied by the forest. Audubon and his miller v' 'ted the camp in the morning, was rather pleased with the appearance of the I'ellows, and engaged the gang. Commencino- work, they soon showed their excellent ti-aiuing, felling the trees aftor the fashion of experienced woodmen. The daily and 1 I I'll \' 11 t P 4 ;..' \n. I ! i' r . \ I 1 ' 4n rJiM'] OF audi: BOX. weekly allowance of wood contracted i'ov was safely delivered, and An Inbon had reason to feel mncli contentment with his servants. The miller was satisfied; nnd the master, to prove his ai)preciation of the valnahle services, sent varions presents of game and provisions to the strangers. Finding they had neglected to forward their nsnal snpply one day, Anduhon went off to their cam]), t'onml mat the " Yankees " had gone oft' bodily, had taken his draught oxen with them, and had harried, the place of all that could he lifted. lie and his miller hunted down the river for the fugitives, but they had got a start and were not to be caught. Finding an esca])e into the i\[ississip])i, the runawavs vovaged out of reach of their victim, and a rare accident alone placed one of them within Audubon's power. While on board a ^^fississippi 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 spcH'ts, 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 inountains 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 '• salt lick," where game would be plentiful, these western representativesof 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 ujiper 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 same. ^^'ithin these floating mansions the wayfarers lived, not without fear of impending dangers. To show a light through the loopholes within range of a redskin's rifle was certain death 1 I' M«i T)inviX(; N'Air.s with I'.uLLi-rrs. 47 to tho iiiiiiiil(>; and iiinlit and day, wliile these arks drifted under unibrap-eous iorests, their oeeupants were busy eonsich'iiiiL' how tlieir lives nii<>:lit be most dc^arly sold vVudubon jiotiecs cnrious praetiees connected with testing- the skill ol'iiiarksmen, not uneomnioii in his own time in Vir<>inia. " At stated times, those desirini; a trial of skill would bo assembled," writes th(? natu- ralist, " and b(^ttinf,' a triflinir sum, put up a tar<,^et, in tho 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 i)a('('s. Eiich niim cleans the interior of his bai-rel, wliich is called vip'inrj it, places a ball in the ])alni of his hand, pouring as much powder from his horn upon it as will cover it. This quantity is su[)- posed to bo sullieicnt for any distance within a hundred yards A shot which comes very close to the nail is considered tiiat of an indiffei-ent marksman; the bending of the nail is, of course somewhat better; but nothing less than hitting it ri-lit on the head is satisfactory. One out of threi^ shots generallv hits the nail, and shouhl the shooters amount to half-a-dozen, two nails are frequently nei-ded before each can have a shot. Those who drive the nail have a further trial amongst themselves, and the two best shots out of these generally settle the affair.; when all the sportsmen adjcmrn to scmic house, and si)end an hour or two in friendly intercourse, ai>pointing. before they part, a dav for another trial." AVhile at the town of Frankfort, Audul)on had an opportunity of seeing the celebrated Daniel JJoon " barking S([uirrels," or, in less technical i)hrase, striking them out of their hiding-places by firing into the bark of the tree immediately beside the posit ioii they crouch into. Audubon went out with Jioon to see the sport, and writes : — " We walked out together, and followed tho rocky margins of the Kentucky river until we reached a piece of flat land thickly covered with black walnuts, oaks, and hickories. As tho mast was a good one that year, scpiirrels W(>re seen gamboling on every tree around us. jMy companion, a stout, hale, and athletic man, dressed in a hojnespun hunting shirt, bare-legged and moccasined, carried a long and heavy rifle, which, as he was loading it, he said had proved eflicient in all his former under- ,/ s { ■ I ■ i\ : FAi. J, 48 MFR OF AUDUnON, takings, and wliich lio hoped would nut lail on tliis occasion, as lio felt proud to sliow me liis skill. Tiie ^un was wiped, tlie powder measured, the ball patelied with six-hundred-thicad linen, and lln' eharji^e sent home with a hickory rod. We moved not a step from the place, for the scpiirrels were so numerous that it was unnecessary to g'o after tliem. lloon pointed to one of these animals which, had t)bserved us, and was crouched (»n a hranch about fifty paces distant, and bade me mark well the spot where tin; ball should hit. Jle raised his piece ^a-adually, until the bead (that beinj^^ the name given by the Kentuckians to the sight) of the barrel was brought to a line with the spot which 1k^ intended to hit, and fired. '* I was astounded to ilnd that the ball had hit the })iece of the bark immediately b(Mieath the squirrel, and shivered it into splinters ; the concussion ])roduced by which had killed the animal, and sent it whirling through the air, as if it had been blown up. " The snufling of a candle with a ball 1 first had an opj)or- tuuity of seeing near the l)anks of Green Kiver, not far from a large pigeon roost, to which 1 had })reviously made a visit. I heard many reports of* guns during the early part of a dark night, and knowing them to be those of rides, 1 went towards the spot to ascertain the cause. On reaching the place, I was welcomed by a do/en of tall stout men, who told mo they were exercising for the purpose of enabling them to shoot under night at the rellected 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. Kach marksman shot in his turn. Some never hit either the snuff or t)ie candle. One of them, who was particularly expert, was very foitiUiate, and snuffed the candle three times out of seven, whilst all the <»ther shots either [)nt out the candle, or cut it immediatelv under the r.gbt." I 5 r^i ill \ 1 '1 * ciiAPj'Eu xr. ' :'7'^ "*""^ """"' t'"-— w.u, scB^™ ,. ,,„, w,„„„_ "UN .N« T,n; l!.,™oN--|.„,:,.AnAT,oN,, to,, .„,e IIuNT-Koccm OK ■1"..: IIu.vte„s-|.-,:l,,,.n„ Trk,,, to k,^„ Ci,vj,lc. I>raiXfi his ve-sidence in Kontueky, Audubon Imd frenut-ut "Ppo.„,n,t.™ of .joiuins iu the greut Au,o,-in.„ leslival ,' ,ho ,, , "'^•„ ^'"; P^rt'^li'- occasion he describes ns a " Keuluckv the JVargrass Creek, at which all the sottlefs, with theiv wives and famd,es,_ass,sted. The festival was held in a forest glade by the rners SKle: the company arrived in their wa,.T,„„s .nng,ng provis-ons of every kind, such fruits as the ecmntry' afforded, wn,e. and "Old MononRahela " whiskv. When the company had assembled, an immense cannon, "built of wood hoc,,ed w ,th tron, and lighted by a train, was fired, after which orat,ons were made by various oracles. The good thin^ provjded w.re then largely enjoyed, after which daucin. w^ mdulged m wth an onthusiasn, suitable to such an occ^s o" M«s,c was provided by various amateurs, and the fun was o"y closed by a ride home in the starlight. ^ " .\ n.aple sugar camp " was always a plea.sant reft^^e to AudMSon ,lnle wandering in the woods. He describes the wdd appearauee these can.ps presented when suddenly rcacS " th. darkness, afar in the woodland solitu.les, Ld on v ed by the snarling of curs and the bowlings f the s.^ E 50 LIFK OF AUDUnoX, Hugo log fin^s, over wliicli tlic snp^ar caldrouH wovo hoilcd, gave tli(» a|)})('ariino(' of a witcli incantation to a spectacle in wliicli j)ictnr(\s(jut'ly-(ii'<'ssc(l Indians, rough backwoodsmen, and tlKiir strangely-dressed wives and children t()(»k jtart. liaised on a lew stones jtiaced around the tires, the sugar kettles wero constantly tended by the women, while the men "bled" tho sugar maido trees, stuck into the wounds they made, eano ])ipo8, which drained tho juice, and collected tho nnii)lo sap into vessels niado by sjditting up a "yellow poj)lar " into juico troughs. Ten gallons of sap arc required to make one pound of fine-grained sugar, whicli in some instances is equal to tho finest make of candy. Such sugar sold in Kentucky, in th(i time of Audubon, for as much as a dozen cents in scarce seasons. Ivacoou hunting was a pastime much enjoyed by Audubon, and ho has left plentiful records of his enjoyment of tho sport. IIo di'scribes tho 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 reckoiied a cheaper imi)lement than the rifle to secure the prey. From the naturalist's journal the following des(!ription is given, inspired by the writer's own peculiar enthusiasm. The cabin is made comfortable by a huge pile of logs hud across tho fire ; the sweet potjitoes are roasted in the ashes; and when all is ready the hunters begin their Avork. " Tho hunter has taken an axe from tho wood pile, and returning, assures ns that the night is clear, and that we shall have rare sjjort. lie blows through his i-ifle, to ascertain that it is clear, examines his flint, and thrusts a feather into the tonchhole. 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 powder upon it, nntil it is just overtopped. liaising tho horn to his mouth, ho again closes it with the stopper, and restores it to its plac(\ He introduces the powder into the tube, springs the box of his gun, greases tho 'patch' over some melted r 4 St i *v. and lall that tlie id a ;s a ig a der- tho lorn ores ings ■Ited ^4 I 1 •1 ifU'oox iirxTixa. 61 lallow, or dainjts it, tlicii phieos it on tlio lionoycomlicd niuzzlo of his picL'o. Tho bullet is [)lac('d on the patch over the horo, uiid pressed with tlio handle of tiio Unite, which n(jw trims tho edges of tlie linen. Tiio elastic hickory rod, held with heth hands, smoothly pushes the hall to its bed; once, twice, thrico lias it rebounded. 'J'he rillo leaps as it were into tho hunter's arms, the feather is drawn from tho touchhole, the powder lills tho pan, which is closed. ' Xow I am ready,' cries the woods- man. A servant lights a torch, and off wc inarch to tho woods. ' Follow me dose, for the ground is cov<'red w ith logs, and the grape vines hang everywhere across. T(jby, lajld U[) the light, num, or wii'U never see the gullies. Trail your gun, sir, as General Clark used to say — not so, but this way — that's it. Xow then, no danger you see; no fear of snakes, })oor 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 li;^ht. What's that? who's there? Ah! you young rascals! you've jjlayed us a ti'ick, have you. It's all well enough, but now, ju>t keep behijid or I'll ' In fact, the boys with eyes good enough to s(}e in 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 n the head. * Seek him, boys!' cries the hunter. 'J'lu; dogs, putting their noses to the ground, pushed off at a good rate. ' Master, they're making for the cre(dv,' says old Toby. On towards it therelbre we })ush. AVhat woods, to be sure I We are now in a low flat covered with beech trees. *' Tho racoon was discovered swimming in a pool. The glare of the lighted torch was doubtless distressing to him ; his coat was ruflled, and his rounded tail seemed thrice its oi'dinary size ; his eyes shone like emeralds ; with foaming jaws he watched the dogs, ready to seize eaeli by the snout if it came ithin reach. They kept him busy lor 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 i)lace of intimidating his assailaints, excited them the more, and they very unceremoniously closed ujum him. One seized hin\ by the rumi) and tuirucd, but was soon forced to let sro; JO 2 .. H 52 LIFK OF AUDL'nON. unotlitT stuck to Iuh sido, but Koon talvin<,' a biftter-dirootod bito of his imiz/.lf', tlio coon's liito was scaled. He was knocked on tho hoaI,an I Toby remarks, 'That's anotlicr liall" doUar's worth.' as ho lian( Ucs tho thick Inr of the prey. Tho (h>}is are n^ain found h)okin<:; np into a tree iind barkin^^ I'uriitusly. The hunters employ thoir axes, and send the chii)S about. " 'I'he tree bej,^an to crack, and slowly leanin;:: to one sido, tho heavv mass swunj:; rustlinjj; tliroujijh the air, and ledl to the earth with a crash. It was not ono oon that was surj)riscd hero, but three, one of which, more crafty than tin; rest, leaped from the top while the tr(>o was sta^j^-orin/j^. Tho other two stuck to tho hollow of a branch, from which they wore soon driven by one of the do^s. Tyko and Fiion having nosed tho cunnin<^ old one, scampered after him. Ho is broufj^ht to bay, and a rille bullet is sent thron;ih his head. The other two are secured after a (h^sperate conllict, and the hunters, with thoir bags full, return to tho cabin." M Cf J. '.» 1 f ClIAI'Ti;U XII. V,mT „,,,,, ,,„, ,.;,,„,,„,„ nat,„„l,»t, ,!.,,x-KsQ„n-II„ „K,.,n,UM L»l-rur„. llAT, _ l.„KA,„.n,, Jon,SKv im-.m-u,, a Caki-.|!,„k. - icr. "";;::- ^■"'™""" ■" '--•» - «■»— » i-;-.;-,.- Wriir n r,..si,l,.„t i„ Kontm-ky, A.„l„l,on was visito.l by tl,o II • .. t.nt.ve t,, f,„„,„l,t..., as fh„ onntholngist. Tl,e rt,-m,...r «. he.1 ho ,a„l;»wn n,y attention. The naturali.st i.nlled „fl' ,,i, ^ , hlSrnevI" ''' "' "'"' '"■' •■'I'P'"''^' '""■' ■'"«■'■■■'■•' <•••""' This ece,.ntries habits wero neither tidy nor eleanly. Ho y i ' 5 r 'I' ii ■ t II .■'r,| 1 1 f! ;i:: -.1 MI'K OK Ai:i)Ur/)N. would liardly pciTorDi iiccdru] abltitious, uml refused a clianue of (dean elothinu', su'm'csttMl as bcin;' more coinfortable. " His attire," remarks Audubon, '' struck me as exceed! ugly roniark- nblc. A loni; loose coat of yellow nankeeu, much the worse for the many rubs it had trot in its time, and stiuued all over with the juice of jihmts, hun^ loosely about him like; a sack. A waistcoat of the same, witli enormous })ockets, and buttoned up to til!' cliin, rraclicd below over a pair of tight i)antaloons, tla; lower part of which were buttoned down to the ankles. His bi-ard was as loiif^ as I have kncjwn uiy own to b(3 during" some of my peregi'inatious, and his lank black hair hung loosely over his shouhlers. His forehead was so broad and prom incMit that any tyro in plirentdogy would instantly have pronounced it the residence of a mind of strong powers. His words impressed an assnranee of rigioone spent a night under Audubon's roof, jind ndated some of his adventures, among others, the following. On a hunting expiMlition in which Boono was engaged, the wanderer was afraid of Indians, and he con- secpieutly damped out his lire before falling ash'cp. Jle had not lain long Ixjfore strong hands were laid upon him, and Ikj was dragged off to the Indian camp. Avoiding every send)lanc<3 of i'ear, JJoone neither spoke nor resisted. The Indians ran- sacked his po(dvets, found his whisky lliisk, and commenced to drink from it. \\'hile so engaged a shot was lired, and the male saviigcs went oft' in pursuit, while the S(iuaws were left to watch the prisoner. lioUing himself towards tlie tire, Boone burnt the lastenings which bound him. sprang to his feet, and after luudving three notches in an ash tree, afterwards known as ** Boone's Ash," fled I'rom the n(M'ghbourhood. In years after an engineer in Ken- tucky made rhe ash a point for a survey. A lawsuit arose out of a boundary (juestion, iind the only chance of closing it was by identifying " Uoon's Ash." The hunter was sent for, and after some searching he pointed out the tree, in which the notches were detected alter the bark h;id been peeled away. Kooue's extraordinary stature and colossal strength stiuck Autlubon as remarkable among a remarkable race ; and tho drciidtd foe of the red man was notabh; for an honesty and eouragt) that coidd not be 4Ue,>tiuned. :' ("iiAPTi<:i{ xrir. Arm i;oN I.KAVKs ('iNciNNATi WITH Captain ('i-MMiX(i~V()VA(iK in I'i.at Moat Down tiik Oiim am. Mismssiim-i — AitisiVAr, at Nat( mi:/,— Ukactii-i'i, S(i:m;iiy — Fi,(m ks ok \'i:i.ti:i{i:s — Xi: w Fijii:ni>s in XaTiIIKZ— ]:X(IIAN(iIN(i I'oKTKAITS I'oK l5oOTS— DKI-AirrUliK Koll XkW Ornr.ANs— I.osks a roinioi.io — Ashouk' Shooting — 1>oat-taii.i:i» (iuAKi.i; — AiuiiVAi, AT Xkw Oiii.KANs — Want ok Scckss — His l'l!i;SK StoI.KN— iNTKItVIKW WITH JaUVIS, THK I'oitTllAlT-rA INTKIC, AM) DlSAI'POISTMKNT — IIkAIIS OP AN Kxi'l,OIUN(; I'lxi'K.I.ITlUN TO .Mi:xi((>, ANit Kkkoim's to -Join it— Vanjikiua'n, tiik Faintki!. O.v tlio l-ith nl' Ortnhov, 1,S2{), Aiuluboii left Ciiiciniiali in eoiui)any with Ca[»tuiu Ciiinmiii the Ked Hiver, down tlio Arkansas, and homeward to his wife, lie had received letters (»f recommenchition from General, afterwards JVesideut Jlarrison, and from Henry Chiy, and good prospects seemed to dawn. Jlo had deterjuined in any case to comph'te one hundred drawini^s of birds before returning to Cincinnati, and lie lu]line'v A {■ 58 LIFE C»F AUDUBON. " Oil a eloar frosty moniini^ in Dcpombor," writes Andiibon in Ills jonniul, " I airivod at Natchez, and fonnd tlu' Imoo lined .vitli varions sorts of boats I'nll of western prodnee. Tlio crowd was ininienso and the nuirket appeared to bo a sort of fair. Scrambling n[» to the cliffs on wliicli the city is bnilt, I fonnd llcK'ks of vultures flying; along* the jjjround with out- s})read wings in the i)ursuit of food. Large i)ines and superb magnolias crowned the blulTf, and their evergreen foliage showed with magniiicent ett'ect. I was delighted with the spectacle of white-headed eagles pursuing iishing hawks, and surveyed the river scenery sj)arkling in bright sunlight with a new pleasure. Far away across the stream the shores were lost in the primitive forests, ;ind a mysterious unknown seemed to lie beyond me. I was impressed with the pretty houses of the upper town, bnilt of painted brick or wood; and to cf'mpletc my ieeling 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 Xatchez from all ]iarts of the Union. The town owned three thousand inhabitants ; was composed of an upper town and an under town, the latter chiefly built uj) of beacln.'d flat boats converted into cabins by a rascally and nondescri[)t population. The planters' houses in tlie upper town were models of luxury and comfort, but the church architecture prevalent rather detracted from the beauty of the place. I i'uund the mocking bird in abundance, and the })ewee fly- catcher at home in its winter fpiarters. The old S[)anish 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 ama/ed 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 j)lace, bel'riended me in many ways, and 1 also formed an acquaintance with ]\[. Charles Carre, the son of a French nobleman of the old regime. From Carrd I had a history _of Natchez, as he had lived to witness the career of that town under the S[)aniards, French, and Americans." In connecticm with his residence in Natchez, he tells a a signilicant story. A companion of his, voyaging, having worn bis shoes down, had no money to get them repaired or to S KXCIlAXdINU I'OIITIIAITS FUl! BOOTS. 5'.) [)iii'chiiso new ones. Tlio niitumlist wa.s likewise without the means; but Auol boat. J low to recover it was n serious consideration. LettiTs Mere instantly despatched to M. Gamier, M. Carre, and friends of Jlerthoud, to use their utmost endeavours to recover the lost portfolio. After towini; as far as Hayou Sara, the steamer threw off the ki'cl boat, and with the aid of the current and the oars Audubon continued his course to Jiaton Rouge, on the way to New Orleans. Largo lloi'ks of beautiful ducks were passed in various eddies, and the naturalist was amused by groups of negroes cat(diing cat-lish in the river or scoo[)ing out shrimps with their nets. " Nearing New Orleans, the country became perfectly level, and from the embankments or levees wo could see the great river winding on for nules. The planters' 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. ]janding on the banks, I made my way to the swamps, and shot several lM>au- tiful boat-tailed grakles and a whole covey of j)artridges. Thousands of swallows in their winter home flew about us, and the cat-birds mewed in answer to their chatterings. Doves echoed soft notes through the woods, and the cardinal grosbeak sat on the top branches of the magnolia, saluting us by clevatii)"- his glowing crest. On the (!th of -lanuary, and when nearing New Orleans, a sharp frost was lelt which left some truces of m 00 MFK or AUDUnoX. I' ' t I;! ■I ) 1 w\ \. ii; i! L" '1 iromenaders irds, tho time passed more jiloasantly. " Fcbruari/ ."). Spent my time runningafter orders for portraits, It '> i VISIT TO MC. VANDKni.YN. r.l and also in vain cndenvours to obtain a sif^lit of Alexander Wilson's * Ornitliolojry,' bnt was unsuccessful in seeing tlie 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 chiinney-to[), a mocking bird regularly resorts, and pleases us with the sweetest notes from tlu^ rising of the moon until about midnight, and every morning from about eight o'clock until eleven, when he Hies away to the ('onvent 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 th<' fort, about three S([uares 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 Sjiain and the United States is concluded, and that a clause provides that an of the ceded territory. I determined to ti'v for an appointment as draughtsman and naturalist. I wrote to President iMonroe, and was (piito pleased at the prospect before? me. I walked out ni the afternoon of the day on which I fornu'd the project, and saw nothing luit hundreds of new birds in imagination within range of my gun. I hav(^ been struck with the paucity of birds in the neighbourhood of New Orleans during a season I had expected to meet Avith them. IMany species of warblers, thrushes, vVc, which were mimerous during the winter, have migrated c^istward towards Florida, leaving swallows and a few water birds almost the sole n^pre- sentatives of the feathered race. " March 'M. JMy time has been engrossed thinking over and nuiking jdans about the Pacific expedition. I called on i\Ir. Vanderlyn, the historical painter, with my portfolio, to show him some of my drawings and ask him for a recommendation. He said they wvyq handsomely done, and was pleased with the colouring and positions of the birds drawn, lie was however a rude-mannered man, treated me as a men to lay dowu my portfolio in tlio l(jl>liy. I I'clt inclined to walk oil" witlioi . farther coiiiincnt, hnt the thou;^htof i'urthcriii^ my |>rosjie('t.s in connection with the expeilition ii^hiccd m(5 to snhinit. In half an hour he returned with an olliccr, and with an air more becomiufj; asked nu' into his privato room. Yet I coulil sec in Ins cx|ircssion that fcelin<^ of selfish conlidcnco which always iiiii)airs in some (lc;^roc the worth of tlie jj^reatest man who lias it. 'IIk^ [>ers[)iration ran down my face as I showed him my drawings and laid them on the floor. An ollieer vho was with the artist, looking at tin; drawinirs, said with an oath that they were handsome. Vanderlyn made a like remark, and 1 felt comforted. Althou<,di he failed in j)aintin;j^ women himself, he spoke (lis|)ara;^nn<^ly of my own portraits; said they were too hard, and were t(J0 stron<^ly drawn. lie sat down and wrote his note while I was thinking of my journey to the l*acific, and 1 cared not a i)icaynne for his ohjections to my ])ortraits so that my jirospocts of going with the expedition were furthered. Vanderlyn gave me a very complimentary note, in which lie said that lie never had seen anything sup(M'ior to my (h-awings in any country, and for which kindness I was very thankful. Jlis friend, the ollieer, followed me to the door, asked the price of my portraits, and very courteously asked me to |»aint his likeness." I 1 i? I I.I ^l; w 1'. iif ' k. I CIIArTlCU XIV. AununoN I.kavks Nku- Oiii.kans rou KKsinKY- Ahiuval at TIayott SAl.A-KNCiAriKMKNT AT Ml!. I'KlUih's TO Tkac.I J )IIaU 1 NO -PuUsriT <'i'' niiins— I",„:t,;a,t Takkx fkom a Coiti'.si: -Dha^s a IIattm'- SNAKK-Dl^SlXTlOX OK A KaTTI.I-.SNAKk's J'OiSON FAX.;S-l!|.nTKV t.. i\K\v ()km:an.s-1;,.:vie\v ok Wouk i.onk sin, k Lkav.ng IIomk- I'Koi'osAi, to Paint a 1'anouama - IIm-kctku Auuivai. ok Wuk AND I'aMILY. Auduuon's fortuncvs in New Orleans vaiictl oxccedin-ly. i^,,m the soi-ost poiinry and (Irfjiost distivss lio Avas suddenly raised l)y the ]m{)i)y spirit lie possessed and the untiring onei-oy „r his chanu'tor. One day ho wan goin- alx.ut seeking for a patron to obtain a foNv dollars by drawing a i)ortrait ; the next ho was dining Mith (lovernor Itobertson of J.ouisiana, uho gave him a lettcT of recomniondation to President Bronroo in connection with the expedition to Mexico. ][e luul deterniimHl to go to Shipping Port, Kentucky, but his departure was hindered by an engage- ment from a few pupils. J[e writes in his diary :— " June 1(1. Left Now Orleans in the steamer Columbus Captam John D'llart, for .Shipping Port, Kentucky. Been greatly oppressed while at NNork lately, and greatly toruKMited by mosquitoes, which prevented my sleeping at ni-ht ^fuch disappointed by one patron at Now Orleans,\vho afUK-ted great interest m me, but would not pay ono hundred dollars he owed " It happened however that Audubon was not to return to his fannly as soon as he expecte duties iifccptpd l>y Aiidwljon won' ii|)|iiirciilly simple eiKumli. He Wiis to teach 3lis. I'enie's diiUfj^liter driiu- in^ durinst of his time tVeo for limiting;. ]>oai'd and lod^in^ wen^ [)rovided for the two friends, .>n|ieiM's to have been to [)rovide an opportunity for Auduhon t(^ carry on his pursuits under the ^niise of an eiiijdoyment whieli would be conjjfonial, and not interfei'e with his work. " Wc arrived at the landinf^ at the mouth of the bayou on a hot sultry day, bid ndieu to our f(dlow-}>assen<;('is, rlindu-d the hill at St. Francisville, and rested a few miimtes at the house of Mv. >Swift. JMnner was nearly ready, and we wore invited to partake, but I had no heart for it. 1 wished myscdf on board the Colund>us; I wished for my beloved Lucy and my dear boys. I felt that I should be awkward at the table; and a good opportunity haviuf; offered nu5 to go to Mr. Porrie's, we walked slowly on, guided by some of the servants, \\ho had been sent, when the family heard of our coming, to bring our luggiige, 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. 'J'he ricdi magnolias covered with fragrant blossoms, the holly, the bee(di, the tall yellow poplar, the hilly ground, and even the red superior jawbones, but hail never seen one showing the whole exposed at the sanu; time; and having Ixd'ore this su]>posed that it was proliabh' that those lying en(dosed below tht» np[)er one. in nH)st specimens, wore to replace tho upper one, whicdi I thongiit might drop periodi- callv as tlu! animal chanwd its skin and rattles. However, on dissection of these from the liiiament bv which thev were attached to the jawbones, I found them strongly and I think permanently iixed there as follows. Two superior, or next to the ui)per lips (I speak of one side of the jaws only), were well connected at their bases and running jiarallel their whole length, with apertures on the upper and lower sides of their bases to receive tho poison connectedly, and the discharging one a slr>rt distance from the sharp ])oint on the inner part of the fang> The next two fangs, about a (piarter of an inch b(dow, connectcw and received in the same manner, but with only 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 h\v]\ below. ']"he scales of the belly, to the under part of the mouth, numbered one hundred F m i;ii I.IFK OK ArDIIUiN. mid seventy, and tw('nty-t\\<» IVoiii tlie v<'Jit to the tail. The heiif (if the weather was ho j^reut that I cuuhl devote oidv Hixteeii hours to the drawing*'. '■'' Oi'tuhi't' 20. licll IJayou Sara in the llaniapo, witli n niedh'V (»r |iassen;rei-M, and arrivecl Hafely in New Orh'ans. 3Iy h>n;r, no\vin;j; hair, and hiose yidlow nanUeen in Danphine Street at sevonteoii d(dlars jier month, and determine(l to hrinij^ my family to New Orleans. Sinee I left Cincinnati, Octoher I'J, ].S2(>, J hav(? finished sixty-two drawin^rs of hirds and plants, threi- quadrii- peds. two snakes, lifty portraits of all sorts, and haV(^ suhsisted i»y my humhle talents, not having had a dolhir when I starte(l. I si'ul a draft to my wife, and heiian life in New Orleans with forty-two dollars, health, and much anxiety to pursue my plan of collect in<^ all the birds of America," Anduhon speaks with hoyish ^'aioty of the comfort which a new suit of (dothes oave him. He caJleil on .AFis. Clay with his drawings, but |Liot no work — no pu|)ils. He determineil to nudu* a public exhibition of his ornitholoi^ical drawings. rnder dati> Novembe'- 1(), he remarks : '• .Mr. IJasterop ralleil on me, and wished m(> to join him in paintini; a panorama of the city; but my birds, my beloved birds of America, occu|)y all my time, and nearly all my thouj^hts, and I do not wish to see any (^ther perspective than tho last s[iet'inien ol' these drawings." . #t hfso t'llAITHK W. S(itJAITKU 1,111; ON TIIK Mh-'^IS.-'IITI — Till; I'.MKiltANTS (iN TIIKIll \V.\Y — A I'ATKiAKriiAi- .Iiiii!m:y — Tin; I'iiumiskh I.anu — At ituss iiii; MlSSI^rtI|•|•| -II.MiHSIIII'H ANIl I'kVKI! — I .IM lIllllNii IN TIIM V.Wl WkvI" — I!ait ViiVM.r. T(i .\i:\v Oui.kans — ('(imkou'i' am» Km iii:s — Tiik HaIIITS ok 'lllh (>roS>UM — li'olUlKUIKS OK I'oI'l.TllV — A ( Oll'l.i; oK I'KTs IN Tin: "Auk" — A Conskinmknt ok (iro^i .m,s roii IIluoit; — ■ Canniiiai- riton;s>iTn;s oi- •1111; I'iusoxkus. Ai'DUiJuN rcliitcs many iiicidciils horses here and there gives way. and ininiediati! re[)air is needrd. A basket which inis accidentally dro|i[MMl must be gone alter, for nothing that they have can be spared. The roa'ls are bad, and now and then all hands are called to push on the waggon, or prevent it IVoni npsi'tting. Yet by sunset they I'.ave proceeded pi'rhaps twenty miles. Fatigued, all assiMuble round the fire, which has been lightcil ; supper is pre[)ared, and a camp b(,'ing runup, tlu're th('\' pass the night. Days and weeks pass befoic they gain the euij ot their journey. They hav(.' crossed both tlie C'arolinas, (let)ri:ia, and Alabama. Thev have been travelling i'roni the bi'ginning of IMav to tliat of September, and with heavy hearts they traverser the neig) bourhood of ]\Iississippi. Ihit now arrived on the banks of the broad stream, in< y gaze in ama/ement on tho • lai'k deep woods around them. JJoats of various kinds they see ^lidin^- downwards with tin? current, while others slowlv ascend against it. A few iuipiiries are made at the nearest dwelling, and assist(,'d by the inhabitants with their boats and canoes, they at onc(^ ci'oss the ri\t'r, and select their place of habitation. The exhalations arising from tho swam}»s and morasses around them have a powerful efi'ect on these new settlers, but all are intent on preparing for tlu; winter. A snudl patch of ground is cleared by the axe and (ire. a temp(»rai'y cabin is erected; to ea(di of th(3 <'attle is attached a bell before it is let loose into the neighbouring cane-brake, and tho horses remain about the house, where they (ind sullicient fooil at that season. The Hrst tra'ling l)oat that stops at their lauding enables them to })rovide themselves with »me Hour, lish-hooks, and ammunition, as well as other comniooiries. The looms are mounted, tho spinning- wheels soon furnish some yarn, and in a few weeks the family throw off their I'agge 1 clothes, and array themselves in suits adapted to the (dinuite. "Tho fuiher and sons meanwhile have sown turnips and other vegetabl s ; and from some Kentu(d tlie success of a little enterjirisc*. A few cross saws are ])urchas'^d, and som<^ broad-wheel^(l '' carry lo^s " are made by themselves. Lo*;' after lo;i: 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 freslu't sets it afioat it is secured by long^ ^rapo vines or cables; until the })roper time l>einr/ arriv«'d, the husband and sons endtark on it and float down the mighty strf'am. After encounterin*; many difficulties, they arrive in safety at New Orleans, where they dispose of their stock, tlu^ money (»btained for which may be said to be all profit; supply themselves with such articles as may add to their convenience or comfort, and with li^ht hearts procure a passage on the upper deck of a steamer at a very cheap Y',\U\ on account of the benefit of their labours in taking in wood or otherwise. Every successive year has increased their savings. 'I'hey now possess a large stock of hoises, cows, and hogs, with abundance of provisions, and domestic comforts of every k.nd. The (hmghters have been married to the sons ' ft / I If . i'i i »r ' ',11 II i<> 1,11'K OF Al'l)li;(»X. <»r nci^flilxdiriiiii; s(|Uiilt(.'rs, ami Inivo {^iiin(' rather slow — it travels across tiie snow-covered ground ahout as fast as a man could walk — snulling at every ste]> for traces of the prey it searches after. Jlnti'ring some cranny, it pulls out a s(|uirrel it has killed, and clindiiug Ji tree, socn^tes itself among tho thick hranches tf eat its re[)ast. I']\hausted Ity hiniger in th(> early spring, tho opossum will eat young frogs, and the green growth of nettles and other succulent plants. I'nscared by tho watchful crows tho farmt>r has killed, the pest creei)s into tho hen-house, eats the chickens, rohs tho hen of the eggs sh<; is sitting upon, a!id commits its devastations with atldrcNS and adroitness. Prowling about alter sunset it avoids all sorts of jtrecautions, and delies the farmer's guns and curs alik'o. [n the woods it eats tho eggs of the wild turkey, and ravenously devours tlu,' grapes of the grr.pe vine. When attacked, it rolls itself u|) like a ball, submits to be kicked and iiiallreated without moving, I'eigns death, lies ou th(> ground with shut eyes, and cli-ats its assailants into the belief that it has been destroyed. ,\ Ihu its assailant has gone, life seemingly suddenly returns, ami regaining its feet, it scamjiers (.)fl' to tho wilds. "Once while descending the I\rississij)pi, in a sluggish llut- bottomeil boat, ox[)rcssIy foi' the purpose of studying those objects of nature mole nearly connected with ujy favourite piM'sints, I chanced to meet with two well-grown opossums, and bi'ought them alive to the *' ark." The poor things were ])la('ed on the roof or deck, and were imme(liately assailed by tla; 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, aJid for a few moments after, neither evinced the least di[»osition to move; but linding their situation desperate, they lu^gau to swim towards our uncouth iiidder, which was formed of a long slender tree, extending from thcs middle of the boat thirty foot bey(Uid tho etern. They both got 7 <'A\XI1'.A[. riloi'KNSiTIKS OV OFOSSI'MS. 71 Ml.nn it, were taken up, and after\-ar(ls let Ioos(! in tlicir native woods. •'Ill the year 1829, I wan in a porti.m of Lower Louisiana, where th.> opossun. ahounds at all seasons, and havin- l.e.n' asked l.y tin- rre.sid.'ut and Seeretary of tho Zoolo^Mcal (hirdona and Soeiety of London to forward live animals of this species to them, I olfered a pri(v a littl.> above the eommon, and soon Iniin.l myself plentifully supplied, twenty-five luvino- been brou-ht to me. J found them oxtnnuely voracious, ajul not less <'<)wardly. 'j'hey wore put into a larr^c box, with a -reat (|uan- tity of food, and conveyed to a steam(-r bound to New Orleans. Two days afterwards I went to the eity, to see about sendino- them oir to Lurope; but to my surprise I found that the old males had destroyed the youn^fer ones, and eaten oft^ their heads and that oidy sixteen remained alive. A separate box was l.urehase: with his financial dilHcnlties. It took all his means at this time to supj)ly 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 offsprin}?; of a ^Ir. Brand. " March 7. Sprino; is advancinir, with many pleasant associations, but my bodily health suffers from depression. I have resolved to leave for Natchez, but grieve to leave my family. jMy money is scarce, and I (ind great dilliculty in collecting what is o\\ Ing to me. ha AX ICCCHXTHIC I'AIXTKi; Hi ! '^ March hi I>ui,l all my hills in New Orleans, nn.l Imviiu^ put my bajr-a-e on l.uanl of llu' stcumer, Eclat, obtaincri a l.assa-0 to Xatclir/ in fl.e steamer, in retnrn for a crayon portrait of the captain and his wife. -March lU. Opened a clu'st with two hundred of my bird portraits in it, and fonnd them sorely dama^-d hy ihe i)ivak- innr of a bottle eontainin^r a quantitV of onniH)W(lrr. 1 had several portraits to draw during' the passanv. ['March 24. One of the ].:.ssenuvrs" a.ruse.l Ah-x;.n.ler Uilson, the ornithoh.-ist, of intemperate habits, but I li,.d the satisfaction <.f .Icf.'iidin- his chara<-trr from asp<.rsion. I had hope of sueeoss in Natchez, and soon expc-ted to be folI„w<'d by my wife and family. 31y wife in the meantinu. ivnmined at -New Orleans, in the family of :Mr. Jlrand." In <-losin- his recollections of Ntnv Orleans, Au.hiboii relates an umus.nn- history of a painter, whose e<-ccntriciti.-s fascinated th(» naturalist. The i^oium was lirst observed by the natu- ralist on the J.eve<. at New Orleans, and his odd cstume and appearance are thus described :— "Jlis head was covered by a straw hat. the brim of which mi-ht cope with those worn by the fair sex in IS.'U)- his m-ck was ,>xposed to the w.-ather; the broad frill of a shirt then lasluonable, lloj.ped about his breast, whilst an extraordinary collar, carefully arran-ed, fell ov.'r the top of his coat. The latter was of a li-ht-^rrrcn c„I,„„., harmoni/inn- wvll with a pair of f^ow.ng yellow nank(>en tro,.s..rs and a pink waistcoat, from he boscm. of which, amidst a lar^.- bun,-li of the sph.ulid flowers ot the maonolia, protruded par. of a voung allioafor, which seemed more anxious to ob,!,, throuoh the miid.ly waters of a swamp than to sp.-nd its life swin^nn^^ to and fro amongst iolds of the imest lawn. The ^^entleman hehl in one hand a ca^^.' lull of nchly.phnned nonpareils, whilst in the oth.T he sporfMl a Silk umbrella, on wlm-h 1 ,.ould plainly rea.l ' Stol,.,, from f these words being painted in laroe white characters. 11.^ walke.l as ,f conscious of his own hnportance ; that is witl, a o-ood deal of pompo.ity, sino-i,,. ^ Mv love is but a las.ie yj't; and that with such thorou-h imitation ofth,- Scotch em- phasis that had not his physioonomy suggested aimther paren- tage, I should have believed him to be a genuiii,. Scot \ d ) I < (' if* I \i 74 F.I1''K OK Ari)ri',(tN. iiarruwcr affinnintancc jirovcil liiiii t(» Ik; m Vaiikcis iiiid iinxious to make his a<'qMaiiitaii('t', I dcsii-i'd to .sec his hirds. llo retorted, ' What the devil did 1 know about hirds?' I ex- jdaiiied to liim that I was a naturalist, wiioreu[ton he rerpiested me to examine his birds. I did so with some interest, and was preparing to leave, when he i)ad(^ mo come to his lod^in;:,s and see the remainder of his eolIeetioD. This I willingly did. and was struek 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 abftut, and in the. room were two young pupils; and at a glance I discoveretl that Ihe eccentric stranger was, like myself, H naturalist and an artist. Tlu? artist, as modest as he was odd, 8howeuits, and showed a friendly sjiirit which enchanted me. With a ramrod for a rest, he prosecuted his work vigo- rously, and afterwards asked mo to exannne a percussion lock on his gun, a novelty to me at the time. He sna]>i»ed some caps, and on my remarking that he wouhl frighten his birds, he exclaimed, * \K'\i\ take the birds, there are more of them in the nuirket.' He then loaded his gun, and wisliing to show me thai he was a marksman, iired at one of tlu^ jiins on his easel. This he smashed to jiieces, and afterwards put a rille Itullet exactly through the hole into which the pin fitted." (JIIAITKK XVII. Airi(i;n()N's AitmvAi. at N'ATtiiKZ— HN.i.\.,i:.Mi:\T kiiom Mi;. (,>ua«;i.ass— K.MiAfiKMKNT TO TI;A( II DkaWIST. AT W'ASIllNCiTON Cci.MXii;— AlTACK 0|.' Im.VI:i;— ENiiACKMKNT WITH Ml!. l'.l!i:V(>ST— liAI-IXK or A ni!A\VIN(i, AM) l!K.sni,Ts— Ai!i!iVAM)K M i.s. A I'l.iriioN' AT Xatiiii:/.— Hi.:i{ KN.;A(ii:- MKNTuiTii Miss. l'i;uitv— Aidiiion ;,Tui)ii:> (»ii. I'aintino—Dktk.iijiina- TIO.V TO (fO ON AN- KXI'KMTION WITH Ills Flill'.NO, TIIK AliTIST, StKIN — Tiih: N'atiiuai.ist i.kts i.oosk nis Pkt r.iiins— Vimt to I'.avou Saha, AM. l!i:SI|)KN(K AT .IacKSOX— A DkX 01.' (lAMIiLKIIS— Al!ltAN(.i:.Mi;NT TO Stay with nii; I'Kiiuvs— Atta.k oi.- Fkvm!, am. .aki: (.!•• Mus. Ain.uiiox — Lkavks kou J.oui8vii,i,|.; with his son Vk tok— Akhivai. in iiik Ohio, and Wani.kiunos THHornii thi: Wii.i.^, 'I'm: V(.yao;(' u|. the .AIi.ssissi|.|M to Natchez api.cars to liavo Ixvii without any ciiviunstaiico ol' iiiiportaiu'c Under date i\[aivli 24th, 1S22, the natnrah'st rec'ord.s the fact that he had arrived at NatclK^z. " I went asliore to see after work— caHed on ]\[r. Cini,i,dey, who received lue cordially. 1 had prospects of an en^nifrenient with Mr. Qua^ijlass, a Tortuf^nese gentleman, who wished me to <;ivc lessons in drawing and music an(l {•V(Mich to his daughter, thirteen years of ago. I was received at his house, and received a weleomo I'rom his wife. Mv. (^ua-dass arrived at home in the evening, and his appearance was by no means i)repossessing. His small grey eyes, and corrugated brows, did not afford me an ..pportunity ol' passing a favcaimhie jn.lgnient. My time has been mostly engaged in huutin- drawing, and attending to my charge. I constantly regret iC separation from my family." Ere haig he got an appointment to teach drawing in the f 7<; Mi'K or Ai'DrnoN. ■1 I v\ \ (I' I, ■l I I s I ' coIlcM^n at WasIiiii^'toM, niiit' inil(\s IVoni Xat(!lu'/. \\r sent for lii.s sons, and put tlicin losclionl at Wasliiiijjjfoii, l»ut \\as(lr|»ross('(I in spirits Ix-caiisi! his work iiittJi'li'ivd witli liis oniitlioloj^ii'iil pursuits. •' Ju/i/ S. Constant i^xposurf in tlu^ tro]>it'al cliniutc, and tli<> fatigue of my journeys to and IVoni Washington, brought on lever and a renewal of a certain kind doetoi-'s attendance, wlio not onlv would accept of no remuneration, i)ut actually insisted on my taking his purse' to }>ay for tin; exjK'nses connected uith the e(luc!iti(tn of mvsons. Shortly afterwards I nuide an engairement with .Mr. Brevost to teach drawing in an acaden)y just ojiened in Xatchr/ l»y that gentleman. IJut while work Mowed upon me, tlu! hope of comjilrliiig jiiy Ixiok upon the hirds of America became less clear; and lull of des|»air, 1 feared my hojtes of becoming known to lOurope as a naturalist were desiintd to be blasted. I wrote to my wife to join me at Xatche/, and there was hopes of it being accomplished. "■ Jtth/ '211. My friend, .lose])h JMason, left nic to-day, anarling. I gave him paper and chalks to work his way with, and the double-barrelled gun I had killed most of my birds with, and which I had purchased at J'hiladelphia in ISO."). I also began to copy the 'Death of jMontgomery,' from a print. ]\Iy drawing was highly jii'aised by my friends at Natchez, and Dr. J*rovan, lik(; a good genius, in-;isted it shouhl be ratlli'd. I valued it at three hundred dollars, and Di'. I'rovan sold all the tickets but one, at ten dollars ea( h. JIo then |)ut my name down for that, saying he hoped it would bo tho winning one. The rallle took \)\nro in my absence, and when I returned, my friend the doctor came and brought mo throe liundnMl dollars and the picture, beautifully framed, sayinir, ' VoiH' nundter has drawn it, and the subscribers are all aj^reed that no ono is more deserving of it than yourself.'" ^' S('iii ember \. IMy wife writes to me that the child she was in (diargo of is dead, and that consecpieiitly she had (h'termined to come on to Natchez. I roc(dved her with great pleasure at the landing, and immediatcdy got a house hired, in which wo might resume housekeeping. In the mean time my wife engaged with a cleigyman named Davis, in a situation similar to that whicsi she had hehl in New Orleans. I was much |tlease(l with .V. i^V iN'riionicrioN 'in 'riii', artist, s'itiin. (1 till' condiu't of Mr. (^iiii/jflass, whose kindness of luMirt very nmcli belii'd Ids coarse exterior. •' October 27. I met ii {jrentloinan from Mexieo, wlio proposed t(» me fo ^o to ]\rexi('o and estaldisli n |»ii|(er mill in tli.it eoimtry. lie proposed to supply tlie fnnds it' I to»)lv eare of the mill. At Natchez I nu't j\lr. Mnrray, i'ormerly of i 'harlesten, and Mr. JMacUhnrn, formerlv of ( Cincinnati. Thev iiad both snlVenul heavy reverses of I'ortnne, and appeared to me to he in distress. Their chan;;e of I'ortnne was snilicient to reconciU' ino to my own vexations. " Noi'cmht')' .'5. While enp^a^j^ed in sketcliinlo<:,ical pursuits. My best friends solemnly repirded me as a madman, and my wife antermined that my genius SMik "} *^' fi; , I, ^ >i'' S i r h { i 7h Mi'K OF ArnrnoN'. hIiouM prevail, iind tliat my liiiiil smvivss us an (irnitliolo^i^l slidiilil lie ti-iiiiii|iliaiit. '' March, iS'I'.i. My iircparatloiis lor leaving Nutclio/ aliiio-t «M)in|il('t('. *'j1/'/// 1. I,<(1 ;\Ir. Terry's on u visit to .lackson, ISIississippi, Nvliicli I loiiiid to Ite a ini'iiii itlacc, u rcU'lc/vous lor ^aniMcrs and vau:al»oiids. |)is;;:nst('lai'(' and tin- itcoplc, T li'l't it and rcturncil to my wil'c. 1 a^rcrd to remain with tho I't-rrys tliroii'jfliont tla- snmmcr, and tcacli tho younj^ ladioH mnsic and drauin;^'. I continncd to t'xcri'isc myself in painting uitli oil. and >. J was asiw Orleans for Ju-ntucky, where I in- tended to leave mv son Victor with mv wife's I'elations, and pi'oceed on my travels, \ left Dayon Sam with my son Victor on hoard the sti>amer 3Ia^n(;t. bound for the Ohio, and was kindly treated by Captain 3IcKniL;ht, the c(»mmai\der. After a |»leasant voya^^-e wo arrived at the beautiful villa^'o of Trinity, but found the water too low for further navigation. 1 had resolved \o j)ush on my journey, if Victcn* was strong enough to undertake the exei'tion. Other two passengers desired to ac- company ns, and after I had h^ft my luggage to the care of the tavern-keeper, our })arty crossed Cash Creek, at which I had before spent a pleasant time, and [)iished across the country. \VANI)KI!IXv, iiiid liiid im W-av III' liiilin;,'. Clciiviiiu' oiirway, Iii(li;iii-lile lusliioii, tliroiiiih tlif ciiiic Idiikcs — tlii'tiu^rli the hiinit t'urcst — tlinm^'li tlic Iniisli- \V(»(iil-cliul IdinlvH of tln) river, and alou^ the iieliMy shore, we rrached, after twelve^ luiles' walking;, the villa;xe of Ameriea. After retVesIiiii;jf ourselves wo covered aiiotlier seven mihs, jiiid reached a caMn, wlierc wo were well recuived by u stiuatter I'aiaily. "After a hath iii tlie Ohio, my son and niysell' joined the rest, and we enjoyed an exctdlent sn|ii»er, and a cai>i(/d sleep in such heds as could bo provided. Wo roso at break of day and hit our kind host and iiostess, who would roceiv*' no pecuniary I'eward. At Hoveu miles further we found an excollent breakfast at a house owned bv a verv la/v lellow, whose beautil'ul wife appeared to l»e superior to her station, and who conducted tht; household alfairs in a very a^i'eeable manner. We lelt a dollar with one of tin.' children, and pursued our way alon;; the beach of the Ohio. After procccdin:; some distance, my son Victor broke down, but after a rest he s\iddeidy revived at the si^dit of a wild tiiikey. and resumed his join'Uey in good spirits. Wo I'cached llelgrade and continued our journey. Towards sunset we reached the shores of the river, opposite the mouth of the Cumberland. On a hill, the projierty of 3laj(»r !>., W(; Ibund a house and a solitarv woman, wretchedlv poor, but \erv kind. She assured us llial if we could not cross the river, she would i 80 LIFE OK AUDUBON. ^ )^ At an orchard we filled our pockets with October j^eaelies, and when we came to Trade Water river we found it low; the acorns were already drift(^d 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 o])on, 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 M'hat we wanted ? ' The Avay 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." I' f i' n K CJLVPTEK XVIll. Uksidenck at Lot;isviLi,E-.J>A,NTTNa tup: Falls of thk Ohio-Ax AUVKNT.TKE IX THE WoODS-FlOu,.S OF THE JIlSSlSSII-PI-TnE WasTF OF Wateus-Tue Floodej) Fouest-Slauuhteh OF Game-Jjeae. AND Lynxes IIidixg ix Tuees. ''On the 2otli October, L^22," writes Audubon,-! eiitered 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 couuting-liouse of a friend, and I engaged to paint the interior of a steamer. I m as 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. 1 shall not be surprised to find myself seated soon at the foot of iSiagara." Wliile painting he mainly resided at Shipping Tort, a little village near Louisville. Li his journey bet^^een Green liiver and Louisville, he took conveyance in a cart, the owner agreeing to drive the distance. Li doing so, the driver missed his route, and in a storm went far off the way The horses mstmctively led the way to a log hut, inhabited by a nowly-married pair, who did their utmost to show befitting hospitality. Li the midst of a hurricane the host rode off to his fathers, some miles .listant, for a keg of cider ; the ^vi{e baked bread and roasted fowls, and finally determined to sleep on tlio floor, so that the strangers might have the comfort of a bed. G i! , 7i I it V, I IE i. \ ? ■ / f'" iil:' i;!< In,: \f .."/ I • f l . 11 I' lit 82 LIFE OF AUDUBON. Of sueli liospitality Audubon speaks liiglily, aiul socms to lament its dccadonco anioiipj residents in tlie more civilised states of tlu; Union. Some notes npon tlie effects of tlie floods wliicji swell American rivers into inland seas are also contained in tlio journal of his residence at Louisville. Writing of the devastation created by overflows of the J\[ississippi, ho remarks : — " The river rises until its banks are flooded and the Icvoos overflown. It then sweeps inland, over swamps, prairie, and forest, until the country is a turbid ocean, checkered by masses and sti-ips of the foi-cst, thi'ough which the flood rolls lazily down cyi)ress-shadowed glades under the gloomy pines, and into unexjtlored 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 ho slauiihters remorselessly for the skins or feathers that will sell. J''loating on a rait nnide fast by a vine rope to some stout trees, the farmer and his (amily presiMwe their lives, while the stream beai's away tlu.'ir habitation, the'ir cut wood, their stores of grain, theii- stock, and all their household goods. From creeks of the forest other ral'ts Hoat, laden with produce for New Orleans, and guided by adventui-ous boatmen who liavc but vague knowledge of their devious way, and to whom th(,' navigation of an inland river is not less hazardous than a voyage on a stormy sea would be. "I have floated on the iMississippi and Ohio when thus swollen, and have in different places visited tlio 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 ]\nssissippi bottom lands I have ))een struck with awe at the sight. Little or no current is met with, uidess 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 QUADHUl'KDS IIIIJIMJ IN TIJKKS. 83 other (|nmliMii>0(ls tliat can ascend the trees, aw obs^'rved • •roiielied ainonii: their top brandies; huii<,ny in tlie midst of abundance, altlioiinli they see floating around them the auinmls on M'hich tliey usually prey. 'J'hey dare not venture to swim to them. Fatig-ued l)y the exertions which they htive made in reaching dry hind, they will there stand tln^ hunter's lire, as if b) die by a ball were bettor than to perish amid the waste of waters. On occasions like this, all these anijnals are shot by hundreds, "Opposite the city of Natchez, which stands on a bluff bank of considerable elevation, the extent of inundated land is hnmense, the greater portion of the tract lying between the I^lississippi and the Ked Kiver, which is more than thirtv miles, being under water." I) - 1, / 84 I.IFK OF Al'Dl'lloN. !':} ■t ./ 11'. CHAITEII XTX. Airm-iKA- liKAciiKs ?im,Ani:!.i'iii.\— Cai.t.s on his oi.h Friknd Ok. ]\Ikask, AM) KIND Ill-iKl'TlOX — 1 N-l-KdlircTfON TO Si'l.LY ■I'MK PaINTKI!, AND i;i.ri:ivi:s ouATi-rrors Instimmtiun in Fainting in Oii,— Inthodiution TO TlIK FUINCE or CaNINO— 'I'lIK I^BINCKV A'oi.rMK ON OuNITHOl.OfiY, AM) iM^rsTltATIGNS— A(QrA:NTAN( [5 WITIF FiC SrKUR— A GioaNTIC l';N(iUAVi:il~ENGAni-.MKNT WITH FlilNCK CvANlNO— MkKTINCIS WITH n(KiKi: AND JosKi'ii Mason— Adviski) to takf. his DiiAWiNd.s to England— Ooi/oNKss ok Fimncf, Canino— rNAni.F, to Df.ciim: upon a I'UopKU CorusF, — Visit to Mit,t, Giiovf and Fati-and— Dr. HaiuAn's F.XTItKMK KlNDNKSS— A NOllLF GlFT— Lf.TTKIIS OF iN'ITiODUCTION. AuDunoN rcachocl l^liiladdplua ou April T), 1821. Tho jonrnoy to that city was undortakeii as a dospcrato venture to obtain hell) to complete his ornithological work, and he was soon satis- fied that the ventnre wonld be successful. "I purchased a new suit of clotlies, and dressed myself witli (extreme neatness; after which I called upon Dr. I\rease, an old friend. I was received with kindness, and was introduced to a German named Earle, who exhibited my drawings. I was also introduced to several artists, Avho paid me pleasant attentions, and I also obtained entrance to the Philadelphia Athen.Tum and Pliilosophical Library. I was fortunate in oI)taining an introduction to the portrait-painter, Sully, a man after my own h(\art. and who showed me great kindnesses. He was a beau- tiful singer, and an artist whose hints and advice wci-e of grcvat service to me. I afterwards saw Sully in London, where he was painting a portrait of tlie Queen of England, and had an ojtportunity of returning his kindnesses. iN'ri;ui)i;cTi()N Td immxuk caxixo. 85 "April 10. I was introduced to llio J'riiK'o C.niino, son of Luck'ii. and nopliow of Na|M)]i'on IJuonaparte, wlio oxaniiued my birds, and was C(^)nplinicntary in his pruiscs. Ho was at tlio time onga. ^[ease's, and ho expressed a wish to examine my diawinus more particularly. I found him very gentlemanly. Wo called in his carriage, t(M)k 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, ho reju-esented them as if seated for a portrait, instead of with their own lively animated wavs when seelciu"' tluiir natural food or plciisure. 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 jirunounced my birds superb, and worthy of a pupil of David. 1 ibrmed the acquaintance of Le Sueur, the zoologist and artist, who was greatly delighted with my drawings. " April 11. After breaklast met the ])rince, who called with me on Mr. Lawson, the engraver of ]\lr, Wilson's plates. This gentleman's iigure nearly reached the roof, his face was sympathetically long, and his tongue was so long that we obtained no op})ortunity of speaking in his company. Lawson said my drawings were too soft, too much like oil i)aintings, antl 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 Mork \n earnest. Prince Canino engaged me to sujierintend 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 un\villin(»- ll Hi', lAvv: OF Acnrr.oN. k ,t J -t ,1 t'l • I to pay I'cr art, allliongh tlioy affoftod to patronizo it. 1 ex- liil)iti'd prom[»t rdii^f to his wife durinu: her distress after her Imsband's dcvatli. Wlien the uatnralist was abont to leave Philadelphia, Hands ])nrehase(l some of his drawinirs, and on being offered his])ictnro of the Falls of the Ohio, at a sacrifice, declined the jMirchase, but as he was saying good-bye, sqncezed a hnndred-dollar bill into his friend's hand, saying, "• ^Ir. Andubon, acce[)t this from me ; men like you ought not to want for money." '' I could oidy express my gratitude by insisting on his receiving the drawings of all my French birds, which ho did, and I was relieved. 1'his 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 joni-ney of three thousand miles, licfore this I have alwavs thouuht I could work mv way thi-onuh the world by my indnstry; bnt I "see that I shall have to leave here, as Wilson oi'ten did, withont a cent in my pocket. " Juli/ 2n. lleuben Haines, a generons friend, invited me to visit J\Iill Grove in his carriage, and I was im})atient nntil tho day came. His wife, a beautiful woman, and her danghter, accompanied ns. On the way my heart swelled with many thoughts of what my life had been there, of tho scenes I had passed throngh since, and of my condition now. As we entered the avenno leading to jMill Grove, every ste[) brought to my mind the memory of past years, and I was bewildered by the recollections nntil we reached tho door of the house, wliieh had once been the residence of my father as Avell as myself. The cordial welcome of J\rr. Watherell, tho owner, was extremely agreeable. After resting a few moments, I abrnptly took my hat and ran wihlly towards the woods, to the grotto where f first heard from my wife the acknowledgment that I was ni)t indifferent to her. It had lieen torn down, and some stones Wff §'-r \ i 1 1 A f • ^ I'*' mi 1 If I ^,1 «.s I.IFK OF Acnniiox. (•iirt(3(l iiway ; but niisiuf^ my oyos towards heaven, 1 rcpoatt'd tlio proniiso wo han mutually made. W(^ diiiod at 3[ill Grovo, aii was a great painter. '■'■ Auffud \. Called on Dr. 31it('hell witli my letters of intro- (hietioii, who gave nie a kind lettei' of introduction to his IVieiid Dr. IJarniies, explaining that \ wished to show my drawings to tho niemhers of the Lyceum, and become a niendjcr of that institution. *^ AnyUHt ^. I have been making inquiries regarding tho |>uhli('ation of my drawings i . New York; but find that there is little j»rospect of the undertaking being favourably-4'eceivey. 1 oI>- tiiiiKMl some new birds) by the way, and in six days I arrived at Koc'licstcr. '' llochcder, Atigmt 22. Five years a;;<) tliero wen? bnt few bnildiiiii's hero, and the pojiulation is now livi^ thousand; th(^ banks of the rivi'i' are lined with mills and iaetories. The beantit'nl falls of tiie (Jeneseo liiver, about eii;hly feet hi^h and ibnr times as broad. T have visited, and have made a slight sketch of them. One ami a half miles below is another fall of the same h(;i^ht, but the water is much mure bi'oken in its descent. ^'August 2b Took passage for lir.ffalo, arrived safely, and passed a sleepless night, as most of my nights have been since 1 began my wanderings. Li.'ft next morning for the I'^aiis of Niagara : the country is poor, the soil stiff \\\\\{o, (day, and tlui peu[)le are lank and sallow. Arrived at the hotcd, found but few visitors, rectorded my uanm, and wrote under it, ' who, like Wilson, will ramble, but never, like that great man, die under the lash of a bookseller.' " All trembling 1 reached the Falls of Niagara, and oh, wduit 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 dis})lay of the irresistible force of one of His elements. The falls, the rainbow, the ra[)ids, and the surroundings all Uiiite to strike the senses with awe; they defy description \\ith pen or pencil ; and a view satisfied me that Niagara never had been, and never will bo 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 indesci'ibable swiftness below, but was (h'terred from the low state of my funds. Walking along the edge of the stream Ibr 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. " From this point 1 could see tliree-ri, and walked and crouched on iny luinis along a rn'Ta'^'-e was rather heavy, so we hired a cart to take it to jMeadville, for which we offered five dollars. This sum was accei)te(l, and we set off. "The country through which we passed might have proved favourable to our pursuits, had it not rained nearly the whole (I;iv. At night we alighted, a^id 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. Wo found lier a cheerful dame, who bestirred herself actively, got up a blazing fire to dry our wet clothes, and she })ut bread and milk on the table. We asked for a place in which to rest, and were shown into a room in Avhicli were several beds. My comi)anion and myself was soon in bed and asleep); but onr slumbers were broken by a light, which we found to be carricMl by three young damsels, who, having observed where we lay, blow it out and got into a bed opi)osite ours. As we had not spoken, the girls su})posed we were sound asleep, and we heard them say how delighted they would be to have their portraits taken as well as their grandmother, whose lilvcness I had promised to draw. Day dawned, and as we were dressing we discovered the girls had dressed in siknce and left us before we had awakened. No sooner had I offered to draw the portraits of the girls than they disap[)eared, and soon returned in their Sundav clothes. The black chalk was at work in a few miimtes, to their great delight ; and while the llavour of the breakfast reached my sensitive nose, 1 worked with redoubled ardour. if. ,:;ii0' '.'■I •i: V ■ y ' r ' : '- ( 1 ' •&I' ': ? p '! r ^' ! «l. i i if 'f , I'll" I" * I i i;,, ii 'i 11 f 94 ^"^^i^^ OF AUD07!ON «;■« doila.. p,-o,nis«| ,^, :;,'':"'"''""^- ^I«'-« >ve paid •^■g" of f),e 'Traveilo,.' It J- ""■"'"'■ "^ J- i'- ^'nith, ,t Z -■-.V tl,o little villag,. tl„ t o r',"-f""' *""'' " ™lk »■ »">■ support. l'«rti,„;ll "'',<; '""' ">"!-■ oontributiou f^"- good erodontia,, U^ ^ ^'^'V"'"' '">' ••"■™. nn to aliou me („ sit ,,„ p"^ "■'"« a skctel,, I tea- 1 i,i,„ ^'' •-<" '.0 .„.,. aZd .'\f ::;"::'' '.'■^"'"-■"-■^X iie words sounded well ami ,1, ' '" *''"* 'VonioUj- opened it to J,is vieu. He '„" ""f""^ -'"tl'O' "...taut I "'0 on the exeeution of t! e , '■ """'l'"''^'' «'''« oon,pli„>ented ir"»'»- «'-viu, i,iu r:, :s:"f? ?; ^f* «-' a-o. i: ; the world at present, I asked 1 1 ; , ' ''<•** fr'™'' I '■■■•vo iu "ve. but assured ,no that it Zm' "'T"" '" "'« •■""■.™ "« ".any „„,.„ customers ',r 'n'" ''""*"'•" l-oeur ,1 -•■-•<1 to tl,e.rravelle.s- { ."i:^:'- '"-'-d lim, 2l « g t prove propitious. S„,,pt J ' .' '""« ''"'« 'o-morrow ;»y i'air, whic, in tl.ose v " T","'' ''"''^♦' «" •■'™ouut " JMoit u oru„,g I visite,! tl.o mer I . , '"' " ''^'"'o"* s,,irit " ^•-■"'«" on,in, t„at pi-^ri- '•;;;; -^r '•■' '-^"i ll 4 «t over, i m ■«is luittiuo- ce more on 'I'nieiVally J' '>i'ilJ]ant ^l "1 ^-ood ^I's alono Jf FroncJi paid tlio 1 fiy faced % time was \ tlie roof ', at tJio \\aIJv to fibution J and a 3 main Afferent man in 'd him vfectly ti'olio.' tant I V-'' onted "ii my • vo in 1 the I'ma- iring- and ITOW our tof ors. rit. , .y,,- ing 1^ AinnVAL AT 1MTTST3UHG. 95 him Iho room l)ocani(^ crowded witli the villap:o aristocracy. Some lan^du'd, wliilo others expressed their wonder, l»ut my woi'k went on. My sitter invited me to sj)ond the evening with him, wliicli I did, and joined liim in some music on the fhito and violin. I returned to my companion with g'reat }dea,sure ; and yon may iudu'(> how mucli tliat i)leasure was increased when 1 touiid that lie also had made two sketches. Having written a page or two of our journals, we retired to rest. With our ]>(i(']cels replenished we soon afterwards left for Pittsburg, where we arrived in safety. " Sei'itemher 7 . I was more politely n.'ceivcd than on former occasions at Pittshurg, and which I found was due to the recep- tion I had met with in Phi]adel})hia, and some rumours of which liad reached the West. " Octoler 9. Spent one montli at Pittsburg scouring the country for birds, and continuing my drawings. Made the ac- quaintance of the Eev. John IF. jro})kius. Found him an amiahle man, and attended sonic 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. 1 met a j\Ir. 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. Mv. Hopkins I was brought to think more than I usually did of religious matters ; but I confess I never tliinlc of churches without feeling sick at heart at the sham and show of some of their professors. To repay evils with kinclness is the religion I was taught to practise, and this will for ever be my rule." ♦ at ■I I 90 MFF- OF AIT1)U1'.().\. .1; >-l ;ii n 1 I 1 CJlAPrETi XXI. AUDLT.ON r.TiTNOS ABOT'T ANP (\)MMK\('F,S A VoYACJK DOWN THE ( IlIIO TO TIIK Sui Til — AliANDOXMKNT OV TllK Exi'EDlTION AuitlVAl- A'l' CINCINNATI — Visit to Lorisvii.M;, and Mketing w rni iiis Son Vktou — "\'ovA(iK to I'avoi- Saka — A ri,A(iri:-.-.'i'i!i(KKN 'I'own — Adykntiuk in tiik Woods — ^Iketino Mrs. Ai'Druox — 'I'ntNs Daniino-masteu — A Dhoi.l Scknf, — A SrccKssFX'L Speculation — Visit to Exglano, ano Comi'i.etion of THE OltNITIIOl-OCaCAL WoRK EORESEEN. " October 21. Foil some days I have been meditating on pur- cluising a skiff and going down the Ohio and ^Mississippi in it, as I had done years before, I pnrcliased a beat, and iilling it with provisions, bade my friends adicn, and started in company with nn artist, a doctor, and an Irishman. I lianled 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. 3Iy finances were very low. I tried to sell some lithographs of (jreiieral Lafayette, but did not succeed. I .sold my skiff, and t(j(>k 2)assage in a keel-boat to Cincinnati, with a lot of passen- gers, army ofiicers, 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 iVom which I got no benefit. AVithout 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 li'V. Al!i;i\'AL A I' i;AVe)l' SAIJA. 91 )f .f 1 walked past tlieir liouso several times, unable to make np my iniiid liow to ask the favour. I got the loan elieerfully, and toolv a deck-passage t(t Tiouisville. I was allowed to take my meals in the eabin, and at night slept among some shavings I managi'd to serape together. The spirit of contentment wliieli I lunv feel is strangt; — it borders on the sublime; and enthusiast or lunatic — as some of my relatives will have me — I am glad to possess su(;h a spirit. " Louisville, Norciiiber 20. 'J'ook lodgings at the house of a person to whom I had given lessons, and hastened to shipping- port to see my sou Victor. l\eceived a letter from (ieneral 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 pivfer to remind me of my errors. I decide to go down the 3rississip])i to my old home of Bayou Sara, and there o])eu a srhool, with the profits of which to com[)lete my ornithological studies. Engage a ])assage for eight dollars. '•I arrived at ]Jayou Sara with rent and wasted clothes and uncut hair, and altogether hjoking like the Wandering Jew. " 'J'he 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 with greater rapidity than had ever before been known. AVhen 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 inmates had all gone to the pine woods. 1 walked to the l*ost Oflice, roused the postmaster, and learned to my joy that my wife and son were well at 1s\ya. Perry's. He had no accommodation for me, but recommended me to a tavern where 1 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 lani. Perry's, The liorse was soon at tlio door, and with many thaidcs I liado him adieu. j\ly anxiety to reach my beloved wife and chihl was so great thnt I resolve.! to make a straiglit course througli the woods, whieli I thouglit 1 knew thorouglily. and luirdly earing wliere [ sliouhl cross tlie bayou. In loss than two lioiirs I reached its shores, but the liorso re- fused to enter the water, and i^norting suddeidy, turned nnd made off through the woods, as if desirous of crossing at some other phace, and wlien he readied the shore again walked in, and crossed me safely to the other side. The sky was overcast, and the mosquitoes pieiiiiful ; but I thought I recognized the spot where 1 had watched tlu; habits of a wild cat, or a deer, as the clouds broke away, and tluj stars n(nv and then pe(}ped through to helj) me make my way through the gloomy forests. But in this I Mas mistaken, for when (hay 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 1 had l)assed j\[rs. Perry's plantation two miles, 'i'nrning my horse's liead, and jiutting 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 pu})i]s, 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 began 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 (h)Ilars a year — from her industry and talents, which she gener(nisly 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 wont 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 apjirociiited, and im- mediately comiiKniced ju'oceedings. '"1 placed all the gentlemen in a line reaching across the hall, '* A DANCING LKSSON. itorostinf;- A *{'■■ od mo a t tlio door, to roach ■'! to luako i t I know e bayou, lorso re- •ned and ''''4 ' at some ,'■':. alked in, . m overcast, ■,i ized the deer, as pooped y forests. Lind niy- chanced at 1 had Y liorso's u<2,'ht nie Wif(3 Uj) ling- and ad trials : of tlio iten the ,'.; a large ndustry I'- forward 1 ui crease f pupils oodville ■'?' class of _f dressed entered iiid iiii- 99 tlunking to g,vo the young hulies (i.ne to con.pos.^ tln-mselves and <^.t ready when they were call,.,l. JL.w 1 loiknl hofore J rould get one graceful stop or motion ! 1 broke my bow niu] JH-'ary niy v.olm in my cxciteinent an.l impatience! Th(> ffentkMuen were soon fatigued. Th,, ladies were next placed 'M 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 h.re and another tla.-e, a.ul .^as all the while s.ngmg myselt; to assist their movements. 3Iany of the pan.ds were present, and .ere delighted. After this first lesso.i was oy;- 1 was reque.i d to dance to my ami .n.s.V, which I did until the whole roon. came down in thunders of applause in clapping ot hands and shouting, which put an end to my first osson and to an amusing comedy. Lessons in fencing followed to^the young gentlemen, and I went to bed extremely fatigued. Ihe dancing spe>'^'\v ( (riciiiis, May IC, ISL'O. " ' ]>KArv Sill, -^ " ' I have ventured to jmU iu tlio iiands of M\: John d. Auihihon, a ^-entleman of highly resiioetable scientific acquirements, thes(i introductory lines to you, under the persuasion that his acpiaint- iinee caiuiot fail to bo one of extreme interest to you, j\rr. Auduhon is u native of the United States, and has si)ent more than twenty years in all parts of them, devoti.ng most of his time to the slu ill,' u l« v"' '■{' I i loi 1,1 1'l'] OK Arnri'.ox. "June 2'A. Near ('ii\u' Floridji. This nioriiiii^' wo ontorod tlio Atlantic Oot-aii IVoiii tli<; Tlorida Straits witli a f'liir wind. Tli(3 land birds liavo left ns. I Iciivo Amorica and my wil'o nnd cliildrcn to visit I']ii,ij;liind and l]Mri'|i(> and puMisli my ' liirds of Amorica.' "In the (luir of ?d(xico onr vessel was becalmed for many liins, enn'rgo from the water, and K[)reailing their broad wing-like tins, sail through the air and disperse in all directions, like a covey of timid partridges beforo the rapacious falcon. Some pursue a direct course, others (b'veige on either side, but in a short time they all drop into their natural eleuK.'ut. ^Yhih3 they are travelling in the air their keen and hungry pursuer, like a greyhound, follows in their vvako, 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 har})ot)n- ing, those in company malce 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 them. This, however, is the case only Avitli the larger in- dividuals, which keej) apart from the young, in the same manner as is observed in several species of birds ; for A\lien 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 lost companions. The dolphins caught in the Gulf of Mexico during our voyage wore suspected to be poisonous ; and to ascertain wlu.'ther this ^ t\'- "STl ('.\rciIIN(i lioi.l'IIlXS. Ii>;{ was icullv fill' case, diii' cook, who Wiis an Al'iicaii iic^ro, never lioil(«l or iVied one without ijlaclii;^' hesi(h' it a (h»llar. Jf llir Hilver was nut taiiii>h((l hy llie time llie dolphin was ready lor llie lahle, the li-,h Was iirescutecl to ll:e [)ass('nger« witli th(3 a.ssiirance that it was iterfectly p»o(h Hiit as not a sir.<;h! individual of thi' humhcil that we rau;;lit had tl;o property of convertin;;' 8ilvor into eojux'r, I suspect tliat (»iir African sai^c was no nmp:ician. i)ne niorninir, that of tho 22nd of .luiie, the* weather sultry, 1 was surprised, on ;^-ettin<^' out of my hammo(dv, wlueh was shuijj: on deck, to tind the water all round swarnun;:; with dolphins, which wcro sportinj^ in great gdee. The sulors assured me that this was u certain 'token of wind,' and, us thov watched tlu' movement of the lishes, ad(h'd, ' av, and u fair lin'eze too.' I caught several dolphins hi the course of an hour, after which scarcely any remaine of shai'k's ilesh. I thiidc it generally iirel'ers it to the semblance of a ilying-lish, which, indeed, it does \wi often seize unless when the ship is under wt.'igh, and it is made to rise to the surl'ace. There an^ 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 white linen fastened to a hook. Their appetite is as keen as that of the vulture; and whenever a good ojntortunity 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 \\hile lazily swimming immediately under the stern of our ship was found to have its stomach completely crammed with llying-fish, all regularly disposed sido by side, A\ith their tails downwards, which suggests that tho dolphin swallows its prey tail foremost. They looked, in fact, like so many salted herrings packeil 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 weiglit 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. AVhen just caught, \. I' 7" \ 101 l-lli; dl" AIDlMiOX. } I \ / "1 '■ i' .1 i I flic nppor lin, wliicli vciiclics from tlio fordicad to within a sliort (listiiiicc (if tilt' tail, is of a lino dark \>\\w. Tlic upper part of tlio l»(>(ly in its wiiolo l(Miu:th \h a/nro, and tlio lo\\('r jiarts are of ft golden line, mottled lrre<;ularly with deej* hlue spots. "()n<* day si-veral small hii'ds, alter alijrhtinii' on the spars, he- took themselves to the; deek. Oia* of them, a female rico bunting, dr((W our attention moro particularly, for, a fow moments after her arrival, there eanio down, as if it were in her wake, a beautiful peregrine laU'(»n. The jdnnderer liovered about for awhile, then stationed himself on th(» end of one of the yard-arms, and suddenly pouncing on the little gleaner of the meadows, elutched her and curried lier olf in exultation. I was astonished to sec 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, swe})t from one of the trees of the Ijouisiana woods. " One afternoon wo caught two sharks. In one of them wo found ten young ones alive, and quite capable of swimming, as we provi'd by exiteriment ; for on casting one of them into the sea it immediately made off, as if it had been accustomed to shift 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 anuising me, informed me that the rudder-fishes were plentiful astern, and imnuHliately set to d]-essing hooks for the purpose of cat(diing them. There was now some air above us, the sails aloft tilled, the ship moved through the water, and the captain and 1 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 fost in succession that, according to my journal, we caught three hundred and seventy in about two hours ! What a mess ! and how delicious when roasted ! if ever I am again becalmed in the Gulf of IMexico, I shall not forget the rudder-fish. The L'^tle things scarcely measured three inclies in length; they were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It was curious to see them keep to the loe of the rudder in a 1 and VORACITY OK TIIH IIUDDER-FISII. 106 ciiiiipiu't body, aii.l ho voriiciou.s woro thoy, tliat they acluiilly IoiiihmI out of tlici water iit i]w siglit of the l)iiit. I'ut tlic very instiiiit that tlio slii{) bocamo still thoy disjuirscd around her Hides, and would no lonn^or bite. After driftin^j^ ahtn<,' tlie Florida coast a still' breeze rose, and sweeping us uito tiie Atlantic, sent us tar upon our iavourablo voyage." '■ ' 't , ( I* ^ I' I' uA^ 106 LIFl'] OF AUDL'IIUN. ClLVrTER XXIIT. AitiMVAi, A'l' LrviMii'ooi, — I.ivi:i!r(i(>L Fi;n;M)> — Di;awi.\(;s T'xiiu'.itki) hv i)i,.--ii!K IN TiiK lloYAi, In^titi'Tion — VisiT TO Manciii>ti;ii — ()|'i:nin(; (IK J-^rr.s('H!i'i'i()\-r,()nK I'oit (jkhat AVokk — »]i( rioN to Pkoi'Kssou Jami>ox anh 1)i;. Knox — ' oiNnriKiii — Lr/,Ai;s, 'iiiM I'NoitAVKi; — 1)!;a\vin(;s KXiiii)iTi;ii at 'I'iik IIovai, Instiit'- TION — 1)IN1N(; WITH ANTIQ1;A1!IAN SoriKTV — An i;XTl!AOI!l)iNAl!Y V.s- Tl.ltTAlNMKNT SlU WlI-I.IAM J.VI.'DINK — -PlioroSKD A ]\Ii;Ml!KU OF 'I'llH Wkhnkiman RoriKiv — David ])i;rAVsTi:i! — Mi.kctkd a iMK.Mr,i:ii ok AVi:i;nki!;an Soi iktv — Cii;oi!i:i; C'o.Mr.i:, tiik PiiitK.Noi.odisT — 'I'lii: ad- VANTA(iK OK WKAKING l.ONii HaII! — PjiiCK OK TIIK ' ]]oOK OK P)ll!l)s' Visit 'j'o tiik ]']ai!I, of Morton at Dai.mahoy — liLTNTiN(; Hawks — I'kancis Jkikkky. '' Jnhj 20, 1820. Landed from the Uolos at Liverpool, and took lodjiings at tlio Commercial llotol. Callotl at the counting'-liouse of Gordon and Forstall, and went to deliver my letters to ]\[r. Jiathbone, who was absent when I called ; bnt he forwarded a polite note, in which he invited me to dine and meet Mr. Ixoscoo. ^^ July 24. Culled for ]\[r. Jiathbone at his count ing-honse, and was kindly received, and dined at his house in Duke Street. Was introduced to his friend Mr. lioscoe, and his son-in-law, ]\[r. rilemon L. Bariug. Mr. Roscoe invited me to his country- houso next day, and we visited the Botanical Gardens. IJan- sacked the city for pastils to make a drawing for ]Mrs. Rathbono. " l\[y drawings are to be exhibited at the Livei'pool Exhibi- tion. jMr. Ivoscoe promised to introduce me to Lord Stanley, who, he savs, is rather shv. Great anxietv about the success of my exhiliition, which has i)roved a complete success. " Siindaij, Juhj 30. Went to church, and saw a picture of 4 s LIFE IN LI VI-; I! POOL. 107 Christ Ciirino: tlio Lliiul 3[iiii, and listened to the singing of blind mnsieians. ''August 5. I have met Lord Stanley, and fonnd him a fraidc, agreeable man. 'J\ill, broad-boned, well-fornKxl, he reminded me of Sully the i^ainter. He said, ' Sir, I am glad to sec you.' lb' piiiiitcd out one defect in my drawings for which I thanked him, but he admired them generally, lie spent five hours in examining my collection, and said, '1'his work is nin'que, and deserves the i)atronage of the Crown.' lie invited me many times to come and see him at his town-house in ( Jrosvenor S([nare." Under this date, Andubon writes to his wife : "I am cherished by tlie most notable people in and around Liverpool, and have obtained letters of introduction to Baron Humboldt, Sir AValter Scott, Sir num[)hry Davy, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Hannah iMore, 3Iiss Edge worth, and yonr distinunished cousin, liobert Bakewell." ''August I). 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 i)roposal. l^ainted a wild tui-key, full size, for the Liverpool Koyal Listitution. Busy at work painting in my usual toilet, with bare neck and bare arms. Dr. TraiU and Islw Bathbone, while looking on, wore astonished at the speed of my work. " At Liver{)ool I did the portraits of various friends desirous of obtaining specimens of my drawing, and iMr. Eathbone suggested that I ought to do a large picture, in order that the public mio-ht have an opportunity of judging of my particular talents. From various kind friends I received letters of introduction to many distinguislied persons. Mr. Roscoe, in jiarticular, favoured me with an extremely kind letter to jMiss Edgeworth the novelist, m whieh ho makes reference to my pursuits and acquirements in flatterino; lanmina-e." Audubon has copied into his journal many of these letters, but the interest of them is not of suilicient im])ort to warrant their reproduction. By the exhibition of his pictures at the Boyal Institution, Liverpool, he realized lOD/. ; but he speedily removed to ^lan.'hester, and carri.'d with him his collection of drawings for m i'U Pi) ) V H ill: I ' ' ' ) .».! 'I ^1\ \ ^ i t. >. lOS LIFK OF AUDUBON. cxliibition in that city. " Dr. Traill, of tlio Royal Institiitioii, had ordered all my drawings to be })ac'lced up by the curator of the museum, and tlieir transport gave me no trouble whatever. " Septemher 10. I left Liverpool and the many kind friends I had made in it. In five and a half hours the coach arrived at ]\Ianehester. I took lodgings in the King's Arms. I strolled about the city, and it seemed to me to be most miserably laid out. 1 was struck by the sallow looks, sad ftK-es, ragged gar- ments, and poverty of a large portion of the })opulation, which seemed worse off than the negroes of Louisiana. ] exhibited my l)ictures in a gallery at Manchester at one shilling for entrance, but the result was not satisfactory." At ]Mancliester Audubovi made the acquaintance of two very valuable friends — j\[r. Gregg and j\[r. McIMurray. Ho visited many families, and was struck witli the patriarchal manner of an Englishman who called his son " my love." He enjoyed for the first time a day's 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 th(3 Birds of America. " Sej^fenih&r 28. lievisited Liverpool to consult about a pro- spectus for my book. Stayed with Mr. Eathbone, and met there i\h'. John Bohn, the London bookseller, who advised me to go to Paris and consult about cost of publication, after which 1 fought to go to London and compare the outlays before fixing upon any jjlan. Mrs. liathbone desired me to draw the Wild Turkey of America the size of my thumb-nail, lliis she had engraved on a precious stone in the form of a seal, and presented it to me. '' October (I 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 liad been drunk and had no returns to make. I stayed about six weeks at I\Ianchester, btit the exhibition of my pictures did not prosper. I visited JMatlock, and paid five pounds for spars to take home to my wife. I })ulled some flc^wers from the hills she had played over A ^\ YI81T TO EDlXBrRGII. 100 gar- when a oliild, and passed through the vilhigc of Bahcwoll, caUod after some one of lier family. " I detorminod to start for Ediuhurgli, and paying three pounds fifteen shillings for coach-hii-e, started for that city. " Odoher 25. Left Manehester for Edinburgh ye.sterd.iy, follow- ing the road by Carlisle into Scotland. Was struck with the bleak ai)[)earance of the country. The Scottish shepherds looked like the poor mean whites of the Slave-states. 'Wq 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 ])nncan — on Dr. Charles and "Dr. Pfenry at the Infirmary, and upon the celebrated anatomist Dr. Knox. I'rofcssor Jameson received me with the greatest coldness — ex[)lained there was 1 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. ]Ie said his own engagements would prevent his calling for some days. " Dr. Juiox came to mo in his rooms dressed in an overgown, ami with bleeding hands, which he wiped, lie 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 nmch struck with Edinburgh — it is a si)lendid old city. " The lower class of w^omen (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 Shawnej women. Their com}ilexions 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 })rogress. Miss Ewart called to see my drawings, and was delighted with them. She exclaimed, after looking at them. 'How delighted Sir ^^'alter Scott would be with them!' I l)resented a letter to Mr. Patrick Neil, the printer, who received me with great cordiality, invited me to his house, and jtromised to interest himself for me oenerallv. jMr. Andrew Duncan aave I y i' 110 LIFE OF AUDUBON. r fA W V \ m )): I \ %^'i \ I I 01 1110 a noto to Francis Jellfroy, the famous editor of tlio ' Ediii- burj2;li Keview.' " October 30. Called on Mr. Francis Jeffrey, who was not at home ; wrote a note for him in his libraiy, which 1 found was filled with books tossed about in confusion, pamphlets, portlblios, and dirt. "Prospects more dull and unpromising; and I went to Mr. Fatrick Neil, to express my intention of going on to liondon, as my pictures of the American Birds were evidently not ap- preciated in Edinburgh. He remonstrated kindly, spoke en- couragingly, and introduced me to IMr. Lizars, the engraver of Mr. Selby's Birds. " j\[r. Lizars had the greatest admiration for Selby, but no sooner had he looked into my portfolio than he exclaimed, ' j\[y (jrod, I never saw anything like these before ;' and he aft(;rwards said the naturalist, Sir William Jardine, ought to see them immediately. " November 1. Professor Jameson has called^ ^l\\ liizars 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 s{)lendid house. The Professor's appearance is somewhat re- markable and the oddities of his hair are worthy of notice. It seems tc stand up all over his head and })oints in various direc- tions, so that it looks strange and uncouth. Around a rough exterior he ow'ns a generous heart, but which is not at first discernible. I felt my career now certain. I was spoken kindly of by the newspapers, aiifl 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 ])romised to introduce my work to tlie public in his ' Natural History Magazine,' and Professor A\'ilson (Christopher North) offered me his services in the pages of ' jMaga.' " Professor AVilson likewise volunteered to introduce me to Sir Walter Scott, and ]\[r. Combe, the phrenologist. J^fr. Syme, the portrait painter, requested me to sit for my portrait. A \ ^ I Ins re- It L'OC- ?son iral i-tli) tu me, A I 1)1 NX MR OF TllK AXTIQUAIMAN SOCIETY, 111 ( \ I coinniittco from tlio Iioyal Institution of Edinburgh oulloil npon mo and offered mo tlio use of the rooms for the exliil»ition of my drawings, and the receipts from this source amounted to t^'i per day. '•' \Miat, however, most pleased me was the oiTer of 3[r. l^izars to bring out a first number of my 'Birds oi America,' tlio plates to bo the size of life. I have obtained from Mr. Ivathbono his name as a subscriber, and have written to him with a prospectus, and explained that I shall travel about with a specimen nund)er until I obtained three hundred subscribers, which will assure the success of the work. Sir William Jardino, now in the midst of his extensive ornithological imblication, spends many hours a day beside me examining my manner of worlc, and he has invited me to make a long visit to hi.s residence in tlio country. *' November 28. Saw to-day the first-proof of the first engrav- ing of my American Birds, and was very well i)kased with its np])earan('o. " Xovemher 2d. Sir Walter Scott has promised to a friend to come and see my drawings. Invited to dine witii tlio Antiquarian Society at the Waterloo lioteL Mot the Earl of Elgin at the diniiei-, who was very cordial. The dinner was sumptuous, the tirst 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 c(nn- jiany to order by rapping sharply on the table, lie then rose and said, ' The King, four-times-four !' All rose and drank the monarch's health, the president saying, ' ip ! ip ! ip !' followed by sixteeen cheers. 3[r. Skein, first secretary to the Society, drank my own health, prefacing the toast with many ilattcries, and which made nie feel very faint and chill. I Mas exi)ected to make a speech but could not, and never had tried. Being called on for a reply, I said, ' Gentlemen, my incapacity for words to respond to your fiattering notice is hardly exceeded by that of the birds now hanging on the walls of your Institution. 1 am truly obliged to you for your favours, and can only say, wn with the perspiration running over me. and was glad to drink off •!i ■ I i'lf I I f.',' >.ih I A' \ A. , ' ' I 4 \ '; r . / - I i r/ ll'J I.1FI-: OF AUDUBON. a frliiss of wiiiG tliat Mr. Tiizars kindly handed to nio in my distross, ("^oiuo Scottish son^s wore suii !/.li <%■ . » w-m (1 i I 111 « r' ■' f : »t I I •*•■ ,1^ I J f .1 i '1^ ■ I 'A - « t I :i 114 LIFK (tF Ari)UlU)N. Duke of Northumberland, who has promised to snl),scribo for my work. I liave taken to dressing again, and now dress twice a-day, and A\ear silk stocking.-s and pumps. I wear my hair as long as usual. I believe it does as much for me as my ixiintiiigs* 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. 1 have presented my painting of the American Turkeys to the Koyal 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 ]\Iorton'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. H(; 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. " ]\Iy 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, so 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 used of old for hunting with, and which wore to be brought to * Italics !nv our own. Ed. ).scribc for Iress twice my hair as ixiintings* expenses, and eighty over eight ually eom- )f societies, igs. It is only hope it last, e crowded and they sented my ;itution for lire at one MEI<:TIN(i AVITII .JKFFK'KY. j^^) I the hoxuQ in order that T miglit liave an opportunity of witnoss- % nvr their evolutions and flight. Tlio hawks were hronght with bells and hoods and perched on gloved hands as in the days of chivaliy. The countess wrote her name in my subscription- boolc, and offered to pay the price in advan(;e. I " Becemler 31. Dined with Captain Basil Hall, and met : Francis Jeffrey and Mr. ]\['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 evenin- Jeffrey seemed to discover that if he was Jeffrey I was Audubon " ,f' 1.' Audubon, ny on the ■ Morton's y received I, tottering idge. H(! 3 is about plexioned, She was iavy black niture and ,nnounced, 3ry attend, napkin, so V I visited with tails :3on-hawks rought to t I I 2 . r I W W: no Lii'i: (U' Arnrr.ox. 1 I'r )i '^,:- f' i ? CIIAPTEU XXIV. KniNr.lTlKn; — 'I'lIK IIOYAl- SdCIKTV — p(ir(ls 3iil(l be cr, since II half of ijck, and ned and at room, ;o a seat it, where lire from 10 intro- lieh the Walter I'ather of attention iiguished ^titution. 1 ft Saw tli<; pictiin* of tlie lUack (^x-ks, wliich wih |)ut up tlicro for iiiihlic iiis|t('('ti('r lately accosted me in the street, and suggested to me, that if 1 would paint anOsago Indian hunting wihl turk'eys, 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 1.1. Worked all the morning at the Royal 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. " Fehruarjf 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 saAv many there whom I knew. But the Ladies Mansfield passed me several times, 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 > I'ArKR ON IIAUJTS OF TUK \VII,l) I'KiKoN. llre enjoying them freely, 1 siiy it to my sluime, that I had not ta(( conlldeuce to lay my Hngi'rs on a single thing." An interval of a week occurs in the journid, and it is explained by the fact that Audnbon was busily engaged in other eonii)0- sitions, and writing twelve letters of introduction to |iorsons in America for Captain J>!isil Hull, and preparing an arti(d(! on the hidiits of the wild pigeon, which ho had been requested to do, to read before the Natural History Society. Dr. Jirowster saw the latter before it was read, and requested permission to publish it in his journal. "This," says Aubnbon, "was killing two I)irds with one stone, because I had promised to write Hrew'ster an article. I began that paper on Wednesday, wrote all day, and Silt up until half-past three the next morning ; and so absorbed was my whole soul and sj)irit in the work', that I felt as if I were in the woods of America among the pigeons, and my ears were fdled with the sound of their rustling wings. After slee]>ing 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. "Ca})tain 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 3larch, and on the fifth of the month the ballot takes place to decide my election to the Royal Society, which, if successful, j!l I 1 ! ,( ' I ■ ■ ii | B i Hi> i nmr u m -m - i i- i m m-^ua.^^^trz. \ I P, lit •' \ ] ; if t I' i )' t J ^■' i\< J 1 ' (• : ii > ? ^_.r4 ly my-i 120 LIFH OF AUDUJ50N. will be of great auVaiitage to me ; and. whether successful or no I shall leave Edinbui-gh five days after, to visit all the principal towns in the three icingdojns, to obtain suhscribers for my work. " Fehruanj 28. A few clays of idleness have completely sickened me, and given nie 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. ^Iv. Kidd, 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 thouglit 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 liave been compelled to hammer and stammer as if I were ^^orkillg in opposition to God's A\ill, and so now am nothing but poor Audubon. I invited him to come to my rooms daily, and to eat and drink wilh me, and give me the pleasure of his company and tlie 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 si 'dd assist with his advice ; and proposing to begin it to- morrow, I took down my portfolio, to select a drawing to cojiy in oil. He had never seen my works before, and api)eared astonished as his eyes i anged over the sheets. He expressed the warmest admiration, and said, ' How hopeless 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 him that the reason why my works pleased him was because they are all exact copies of the works of God, who is the great Arciiitect and perfect Artist ; and impressed on his mind this fact, that nature indifferently copied is far superior to the best idealities. " March 3. For the last few days I have worked with my brushes, while it has snowed and blowed as if the devil had cut the 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. Dini'd at Mr. Eitchie's, who is a well-meaninf>: man, and has a well-dointr wife. The com l>any was niixca, and some o f tl 10 niffret lieuts il or no irincipal for my iipletely evils so ve tbeui idscape, Iked on nts, and life if I \ It is iier ond I, and so come to ; me the taste in in the ihich he n it to- to co])y ppcared ssed the the task ce this ? for the pleased of God, essed on snperior nth my had cut U blasts low. It )in('d at 'll-doing' red i( 'nts SERMON BY JtKV. SYDNEY S^U'ril. 121 were raw ; there were learned and i<^norant, wise and foolish, making: up the heterogeneous assembly. I enjoyed myscdf; 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 fandliarity .mnoyed every one present. I felt more pain for his host than shame for himself. During the evening be 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 La|»liind winter. Breakfasted with the ll(n'. IMr. 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 worhl. Ibit so long as I have two feet and legs, I never desire to try one of these machines again ; the quick u})-and-down, short-swinging motion, reminded me of tlui sensations I felt during the great earthquake in Kentucky. But I was repjiid for the ride by hearing a sermon from the liev. Sydney Smith. It was a sermon io me. Oh ! Avhat 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 (here must be within him ! lie made me smile, and ho 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 mo, by portraying my sins, until he made my cheelcs crimson witli shame, and tilled my heart witii pouitcntial sorrow. xVnd I left the church filled with veneration for God, and reverence for the wonderful man who is so noble an example of bis marvellous handy work. We returned to ]Mr. Newbold 's for liuich, and from there I walked, tumbled, and pitched home in the deep snow." March 5, In a letter to ]\[rs. Audubon of this date, he tells her of his election as a member of the Boyol Society, and says : " So poor Audubon, if not rich, thou \\'\\i be honoured at least, and held in estecju amonu' men. y4 I 'i i ',■1. ■ 'i !l 1 4", n ii /IS ' U w 1:' t I ^ I Ii 1 I • » 1/' I'. 122 LIFE OF AUDUBON. "March 0. Fiiiisliod my picture tlijs moriiinp^, and like it better than any I liave painted." [Ife does not say what this picture is, but it is evidently the one mentioned as begun with young Kidd.] " jMr. Ivitchie, 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, wliich 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 1 am yet undetermined whether to go first to Glasgow or ] )ublin, 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 iMr. Tytler's, whei'e, among other agreeable ladies and gentlemen, I was introduced to Sydney Smith, th'^ fomous 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 Londim 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 desini to be honoured by being the bearer of a few lines li^i. LETTER FllOM SIU WALTEIl SCOTT. l'J3 baft'S- irom your own hand to whoever you may please to intro- duce me. " ' I beg this of you with the liope 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 higldy 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, witli the highest respect and admira- tion, " ' Your most obedient, humble servant, " ' John J. Audubon.' " That same evening the following answer was received. "'Deaii J\[i?. AuDunoN, " ' 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 wdiat I have had the pleasure of see- ing, touching your talents and manners, corres2ionds with all I have heard in your favour ; and that I am a sincere believer in the extent of your scientific attainments, thougli I have not the knowledge necessary to form an accurate judgment on the subject. I sincerely wish much your travels may piove agree- able, and remain, '• ' Very mucli your " ' Obedient servant, " ' Walter Scott.' " ' Ediiiburgh, March 8.' " 'SSpent the evening at Miss O'Neill's, the actress. Several ladies and gentlemen of musical ability were present, and after tea Miss O'Neill arose and said she woukl open the concert. She was beautifully dressed in })laiu white muslin, her fine K 1,1 I! • f iff 'W 1 iV $ ;i i! w J{ ' ; \ k i ■■ > ■!i' ,f^ .f I i S' 1': i(! ^-^ i/' / • I 124 LIFH OF AUDUBON. unl)iirn hair lianging in flowing ringlets about her neek and rose-coloured scarf over her shoulders, looking as differently from what she does on the stage as can be imagined. »Sli(3 sang and pla}X'd sweetly, her large, dark, languid eyes expressing tlu.- deep emotions of her soul. 8he 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, ' ]\[r. Audubon, music is like ])aint- ing, it never fatigues if one is fond of it, and I am.' We had an elegant su})p(3r, and after that more music, and then more refreshments and wine ; this gave new impulse to the song. Miss O'Xeill played, arid called on the singers to accomjiany her. The music travelled along tlie table, and sometimes lea})ed 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 s})ite of many entreaties, shook liands with Miss O'Neill, bowed to the company, and made my exit. March 13. Breakfasted with the famous ]\rrs. Grant, her son and daugliter the oid\' other company. She is aginl 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 thounht 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 Eiddell's. Tlie 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 ]\[rs. Hay and i\Irs. Ca})tain Hall been present, I should have been very miserable. After dinner, however, my drawings were examined and i)raised, and they seemed to look on me as less a bear, and I felt relieved. My good friend ]Mr. Kay asked a young liussian nobleman who was jn-esent 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 rnosPEC'i'us of the r.O(^K of bhidr. 125 neolc and (lifferontly fSlie siiw^ ressing the ?ing for a ne person and glees, 11 with her , and said iive j)aint- Wc Iiad hen more the son^^ ipany her. :)ed across ny Matcli, I, in spite ed to the , lier son and very a Iked of liei'c wlio lor the ■ masters' -iiddell's. mes and . did not luid not lid have igs were as less a asked a not li'ive iinied to ii a way issment. and the frnits of my own labonrs, and what others will not do for me I will try and do for myself. I was very sorry that ]\[r. 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 liobert Inglis, both noblemen of distinction, and patrons of the science I cultivate. The style hero 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 groat work. " TJie Prosi^cctus. "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 species imdergo in their progress from youth to maturity have been depicted. The plants are all copied from nature, and, as many of the originals 'I' 't.'i III ■1' .1 1 1' u ! i TT^ '\ r <' ; I Iff 1 1 ■I; I, ^.:- ru I If r f J il \ I ! jl : i ' S' ! h \ I /; I- I ■ I !/( !/' ii' 12G LIFK OF AUDUBON. arc remarkable for tlioir 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 hi 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. 3Iarch 19, 1827. This day my Hair was sacrificed, and the will of God usurped by tlie wishes 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 l)erformed upon all the victims murdered by the Guillotine. My heart sank low. JOHN J. AUDUBON, M()UnNIX(r I'Y)I! HIS TIAIIi. 12; Tlie margin oftlie slioet is painted black, about tliree-fonrtlis of an inch deep all around, as if in deep mourning- for the loss whicli he had reluctantly submitted to in order to please his friends. He consented, sadly, because he exi)ccted soon to leave for London, and Captain Hall persuaded him that it would be letter for him to wear it according to the prevailing ^\Mk\\ luslnon ! I fi'tii 't li m ! i f ni J'. r 1 1 < f It i A 1 \ f . ! ;jh 1 ' 1 % i.f '\ ■ r P' <,. '/ f /, 128 LIFE OF AUDUBON. CHAPTEll XXV. raoviNciAii Canvass for SuiisciuBKRs — Visit to London' — Siii Thomas LAwiji'.Nf'K — Tin; Ami;i;ican ^Lnistku — Phtuuk of tuk King of Unuland's Puivate ]j\vv: — Thk (iitKAT Wuuiv IX I'uoouKss — Skaucii FOR a C'ui.OUUUIl — liORUOllS OF LoXUON — TlIK (JuEAT WoHK PltESKNTEl) TO THE King. Quitting Edinburgli Avitli a liigli 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 IManchester, securing a few subscribers at two hundred pounds a head in each place. His diary chronicles minutely all his affairs — dining-out, tea-drinking, " rcceiving,"- -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 somewliat doubtful of the relevancy even of what we select. " Sir Thomas Laurence. — 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 my letters and portfolio, n' VISIT TO SIR TIIoMAS LAWKEXCK 129 M Thomas VlN(i OK -Skakch mitable snal in lid very Slircws- lundrcd itely all none I quite ncident igraver, i a real Live — to success morauda much, select, lit artist )rks are in the at that Portfolio, with some orif^inal drawings. Tlio servant said liis master was in; I ijfavo my name, and waited about five miiint(\s, when ho came down fVoiii hisroc^ni. Ills manner and recojition impressed me most I'livourably, and I was snrjtrised to lind him (h'essed as if for the whole day, in a sim}»le but ch-an garb, lie shook my liaud, read my letters, and so gave me time to glance at the marble figures in the room and to examine his face. It did nijt show the marks of genius that I ex})ected in one so eminent, but looked pale and pensive. After reading my letters ho said lio was pleased to meet another American introduced to liim by liis 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 w rote tlio appointment on it, and put it back in its ])lace. '• Sir Thomas is no ornithologist, and theret^)rc could ]iot 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 tho rules of drawing any obj(}ct whatever, as well of the forms and composition, or management of the objects offered for the inspection of his keen eyes. I thought from liis face that he looked at them with astonishment and pleasure, although lie did not open his li})S until I had shown the last drawing, when he asked if I 'painted in oils?' On answering him in the affirmative, he invited mo to examine his rooms. The room where lie 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 iinished, of a nobleman, and on a large easel a full-size portrait of a noble lady, represented in tho open air ; and on the latter he went to work. I saw that his pallet was enormous, and looked as if already prepared with the various tints wanted by some one else, and that lie 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, ami in a deliberate way which did not indicate that he was in any haste to finish it. He next laid down liis pallet, and, turning to the chalk drawing upon the uiqiainted canvas, asked mo liow I liked his manner of proceeding? IJut as no compliment could K , I \u <••} \ » il, l|' i ff'j « i 1 > ; \) I d'l \ !i [ f. H; ■ ^'\V I H i II !■ t / I I I f) If i' I, is i ( ' I V'.o lAVl) OF AriMiriON. !)(' )>ai(l l)y mo to sivli nii jirtiHt, I moroly stiid that I t]iou;j,lit it tile very (jiiintessonfc df liis art. A Wiiilcr tlicu ciitorcd, and aiuiouiiced that broaklast was ready, llo invited mo to renmin and join liim in his ' Innnblo meal,' wliieli I dech'ncd, whih- wo walked downstairs to;^otlier. I remark<'d on tho very hir/^-e munher of unfinished i)ortraits I saw : to wliieli lie mildly re[)lied, * J\ry dear sir, this is my (»nly 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 enf^s, seme dry toast, and tea and coffee. Tie took the first, and I the last : this finished, I bid him "t TAINTS A I'KJTUKK FOl! (fKOIIGl': IV. i;".l ^11 OHI^llt it Tcd, aiul ) veiimii) whiU' we ry larog.' I had sliown it to Sir Walter Waller, wbo was bis majesty's oculist, niid bo liked the picture so mucb, and was so pleased witb ray intention, as was also my friend Mr. ChildriMi, the curator of the Dritisb J\ruseum, tbat they pnnailed on Sir Thomas to come and see it. He came, and pushed off my ndler easel, bade mo bold up tbe picture, walked from one side of the room to the other examining it, and tben coming to mo tapped Hie on the shoulder and said, * Mr. Audubon, tbat picture is too good to be given away; bis majesty would accept it, bul you never would be benefited by tbe gift more than rcM^eiving a letter from bis private secretary, saying that it bad been placed in his collection. Tbat picture is wortb tliree hundred guineas: sell it, and do not givt it away.' I tbanked bim, exbibited tbe })irture, 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 Jobn lleppinstall of Sbeflield, England, and invested tbe amount in spoons and forks for my good wife. " Witbout tbe sale of tbese pictures I was a bankrupt, before my work was scarcely begun, and in two days more I sbould bave seen all my bopes of tbe publication blasted ; lor jMi-. Kavill (tbe engraver) bad already called to say tbat on Saturday I must pay bim sixty pounds. I tben was not only not worth a penny, but bad actually borrowed five pounds a few days before to purchase materials for my pictures. But tbese pictures wliicli Sir Tbomas sold for me enabled me to jiay my borrowed money, and to appear full-banded wbeu Mr. Havill called. Tbus I passed tbe llubicon ! '' At tbat time I painted all day, and sold my w ork during the dusky liours of evening, as I walked tbrougb tbe Strand and otber streets wbere tbe Jews reigned; popjiing in and out K 2 n I < ' 'J I i f ,'t I' ■' s. ''M i M [•ifii ; Ir . IE t W'\ i \ * i' " ii } if ■/' 'i! I ', I I * l.T. Lii'M'- OF Ari)i'i'.oy. of .Icw-sliops or ;my ntln'1's, iiihl iKVcr rcrnsiiij^ tlic ofl'cis iiukIi' iiH' I'lip llic |iirfiir('s I curried (|iiil(' IVcsli IVniii tlic r.iscl. S|:ir1- liiii;' iiiiil siir|irisiiii,' as tliis iiuiy seem, it is iicvcrtlu'lrss triii-, iind one dl' tlw fiiriuiis events ol' my most oxti'iKd'diimry life. Let me iidd llel'e, lll;it 1 Sold seveil copies of t lie • J']Mtril|>lied Otter' 111 liondoii, ]\Iiiiicliester, and Iii\(r|M)i»I. Iiesides one copy jiresentcd to my iViend 3Ir. l{i(diard IJatldioiie. In otiier pictures, also, I sold I'l'om >e\rn to ten co])ies. mei'eiy Iiy cliaiij^'iii^' the course of my raml)les ; and strange to say, tliat when in al'ti'r vciirs and hetter times I called on the dilVereiit (nsueis to nlioin I had sold the copies, ] never I'oiiiid a siniile oin' in their hands. And I recollect that once, throu^'h inadvertence, wjieii I calle(l at a shoji where I had sold a copy of a picture, the dealer hou^ht the duplicate at the same [>rice ho had t ! \\ lial has hecoiiio of all those pictures?" Ahout this date Sir liohurt Peel retiirne(l a letter Aiiduhoii had hrouiiht to him <'ron\ Lord ^leadowhanlc, and rerpiest*' 1 him to hand it over to his successor. 'J'his Audiihoii interprete 1 a-< givin;^- him to umlerstaiid that he need trouhle him no more. 'J'lie letter \\as written with the view of ,i;aiiiiii<; a presentation to the kin^", and the writer was not a man to easily relinquish an ideaoi- an object which ho had onoe determined (m. Accordini^ly, Ik; says, '• I made iq) my mind to <>() directly to the Ameri<'an minister, ]\[r. Oallatin, ami know from him how .1 shonld proceed, and if there were really no chanco of my a]>]»i()achin,<>' the kinix nearer than hy passim;" his castle. To pay a visit of this sort in London is really no joke; but as I thon^ht th(^re was a possibility of it for niyscdf, 1 wanted to liav(* the ophiion of t)ne who I believed was capable of decidinj^' tho matter. "As 1 reacdietl his presence he said, Ian !j,h in ir, ' Always at home, my dear sir, when I am not out.' I understood hiiu perfectly, and explained the object of ray visit. His intellectual face liiLihted up as he replied, ' What a simple man you must ho to believe all that is said to yon ah(nit heiiiii- introduced to his nnijesty ! It is imi)ossible, my dear sir; the king sees nobody; he has the Liouf, is peevish, and spends his time playing whist at a shilling a. rubber. I had to wait six weeks before I was ])resented to lilni in my position of ambassador, and then I merely -aw him >ix or se\en minut(.'S. Lie stood only during I ^ 1 VISIT "lO [,()i:i) SPKXCKII. I;;; J rs nimlt' Sl.ivl- .'SH tl'Mi', iiiry lilt'. ill alter wncrs t«» i« in tli"ir IvcrtciK'f. II |)i('tniv, iiitl jjjivtii K'stclliiiii 'prctc 1 ii-^ novo, 'ill" ion to tlie m idea or iui^ly. 1i>! minister, cd, and il' i;j; ni'urer 11 Lontlt'ii ility of it _ believed Mway;^ id stood liini ntellectnal )U must 1)0 ccd to Ids OS nobody : yinj»- wbist }fore I Nvas nd tbeii 1 nly diiriii;^' the liiiw tlu^ public I'liiietioiiaries iVom foreign eoiintrics |M>s.'d liiiii. and seated iiinisidf iinniediutely afterwnr Is, payin^^ searcfdy jiiiv att( nti"M to tile miMieroiis court of I'JiLrlisli nolileuieu and "entleiueii ^ircseiit.' 1 waited a nionient, and said that I tlionjiht the Duke of Nortiiuinberlaiul wouhl interest hinistdf for nie. Auain he laughed, and assured mo that myuttem[)ts tiiere would prnve inefieetuah ' 'riiink/ediitinued he ; ' I hav(; called liundreds (<[' times on like men in l']njj;land, and been assuri'ij that his Liraee, or lordshi[>, or hidyshiit, were not at home, until I Jiavo ^I'own wisei', and stay iit lionu' niyselt', and mendy attend to my li'>nti(al business, and (Jod only knows when 1 will have done \\'\\\\ that. It re((uir(.'s written aiipointim'iits of u niontii or six \\eeks before an interview can be obtained.' I then changed the eonvi'rsation to other subjects, but he kindly ro- turned to it a_i;'ain, and sai kin<^ hold u levee whilst you are here, I will take you to Court, and present you as an American seientitie j^'entleman, but of course would not mention your work.' I remained with him a full houi-; and, as 1 was al)out to leax'e, he asked me for all the cards 1 had in my case, and said he would use them well, and liud me visitors if possible. '•June 18. The work on th(^ first nund»er is yotin the hands of ."\Ir. bizars, in IMiidtur^h, and this tlay I rec(.'ivod a letter Ironi him, saying- that 'the eolourers hud all struck work, and that my work was, in consequence, at a stand.' lie asked nie to try to lind some peisons hero who would en_ij,a^e in that part of tho business, and said ho would exert himself to make all ri^ht auain as soon as possible. This was fpiito a shock to my nerves, and for nearly an hour I deliborati^d whether I should not 's house about twelve o'clock, and met there Dr. Walter- ton and the lit. Hon. William S. Tonsonby engaged in conver- sation with Lady Spencer, a fat woman, of extremely engaging and unassun\ing manners. She entered into conversation with me at once about the habits of the wild turkev, how to tame iliem, anil the like; while the gentlemen examined and ^ivaised aiy drawings, and the two lords subscribed foi- my work; and I werit off rejoicing, between two rows of line waiters, who seemed l>. ■'M k 11! 'J t f. I .' (n ■ h f ' » K • i ■-'W. \ V^ ' 'i ^ ( t Ml I u t !^l 'i; . ' 134 IJFK OF xVUDl'liON. to wonder wlio tlie devil I could be, that Lady iSpencer should shake luo l)y the hand, and accompany me to the door. "From tliere I wont to My. Ponton's, and met Dr. Dilxlin, 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 homo I found a note from j\Ir. Vigors, giving the name of another sub- scriber, and informing me of the arrival of Charles Uonaparto in the city. I walked to the lodging^ of the Prince of Musignano : he was out. I left my card, and soon after my return a servant told me he '.\as below ; I was Lot 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 line 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 ^^ith intense pleasure. He said they were Avorthy 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 ws tilt; result. Age, about sixty-five ; size, corpulent, five feet and live, English measure ; head large, face wrinkled and brownish; eyes, very brilliant and sparkling; nose, aquiline, lai-ge, 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 Ijiiron Cuvier; I have described him almost as if a new species of a man, from the mere skin. But as he has invited us to dine with him next Saturday at six o'cloek, and I expect to have an opportunity of seeing more of him, I will then describe his habits as far as I am able. *' Si'ptemher 5. After a breakfast of gra})es, figs, sardines, and FreiH'Ii coffee, friend Swainson and I proceeded to the Jardin dcs riantcs, by the side of the river Seine, wliich here, Lucy, is not so large as the Bayou Sara, where I have often watched the alligators while bathing. Walking in Paris is disnirreeable in the extreme. The streets are actually paved, but w ith 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 s[)leiidid statue of Henry IV. We were more attracted, however, by the sight of the immense number of birds ofTered for sahj along the quays, and saw some rare specimens. A woman took us into her house, and showed us some hundreds from Bengal and Senegal, whic^^ quite surprised us. " Weary with wa. .ang, we took a cabriolet, that brought us for twenty-five sous to the Jardin, and we went to our appointment with Baron Cuvier. We saw him, and he gave us a ticket to admit us to the ]\[usee, and promised us all we wished. In the ^lii.M. Valencienne was ((pially kind. Having in my 1^ f! '! iH 'V i M 1 ■Ijl ill! f TT ( i \S I !■; ; ; ■ 1 ! i\ i 1 li ( 11 •' • < It ^ iJJ .'( 4 I ll i\ i, < /, li I I I " *. ,1 n t 140 Lll'K OF ACnUIiOX. pot'l'L'ot u letter of iiitrodnetleu to (looffroy (It; St. Jlihiire, wo went to his house in thi^ ^•jinleiis, and with him we were parti- cularly pleased. Hi; oH'ered his services with ^^ood ^raeo, much as an En-'lish wntleman would h ive done. j\l. (leonVov proved to us that ho understoo'l the diirerenco of ideas existing;- between Enu'lish and Frenchmen perfectly, lie re|ieat<'d thu words of Cuvier, and assured us that mv work had n( ver heen lioard of anywhere in France, lie promised to take us to the Academy of Sciences on 3Ionday next. "We finally reached home, dr(}ssed, and started to dine with ]>aron Cuvier. We arrived within a minute of the ap})()inted time, were announced by a servant in livery, as in England, and the JJaron received and presented us kindly to his oidy daufiht(;r, a small, well-made, ^ood-lookinp; lady, with black sitarklingeyes, and altoi;etlier extremeiy amiable. xVs I seldom ^o anywhere without meeting some })erson I have known elsewhere, so it proved here. I found amoni; the company which had arrived before mo a fellow of the Linmcan Society, who knew me, and who seemed to have spoken to the IJaron 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 ]?aroness led the way with a gentleman, the Baron took his daughter under his arm, but made My. Swainson and myself go before him; and so the com[)anyall followed. 3Ii-. Swainson was seated next to j\[ademoiselle Cavier, who, fortunately f(jr him, speaks excellent English. I was opposite her, by the side of the l>aron, 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 ]Ongland — no, not by any means ; but wo had u good dinner, served a laFrancjaisc : all seemed ha}>i>y, and all went on with more simplicity than in London. The waiter who lianded the wine called out the names of three or four difl'erent sorts, and each person had his choice. 1'he dinner iinislKnl (I mean the eating part), the Baroness rose, and all followed her into the drawing-room, which is the libraiy of the luiron ; an; Geoifrov, who took me to a man who stuffs birds for the I'rince d'Essling. He told me the Prince had a copy of my work (}>robably Wilson's or Selby's ?), and said he would sub- scribe if I would call on him to-morrow \\ith him. Aftcn* tin's I walked around the boulevards, looking at the strange things I saw there, thinking of my own strange life, and how wonderfid my present situation in tho land of my father and ancestt>rs. Prom here I went to the Ijouvre, and as I was about to pass the gates of tho Tuileri(>s, a sentinel stopped mo, saying no on(f could enter therewith n fur ecq). I went to another gate, and ])assed without challenge, and went to the (J rand Callcry. There, among the Raphaels, and Correggios, Titians, Davids, and thousands of others, I feasted my eves and enlarircd my Ivuowledge. Prom there I made my way to the Inslitut do i m le )i II. Ill- 4 \ It 1 !' '' '.I il m m-' , rr. \s { W' -H \ \ \ if. '- ;l ' \ ' , , • ^1 \ i. i f \ i 'f ' l1 ^1 ■i i i f ;t^ . V i;' ' « I ', ( i! K 142 LIFK OF AUDUBON, Fninno, and by nppoiiitnient presented my prospoftus to the secretary t)t' the library. Then; I met yonn;^' Geol'lroy, an amiable and learned young man, who examined my work, paid mo every attention, and gave mo a room to myself for the inspeetion of speeimens and to write in. How very different from ihi) public institutions in England, where, instead of being bowed to, you have to bow to every one. The porters, elerk-.s, and secretaries had all received orders to do everything 1 required, and I was looked upon with the greatest respect. I hav(! 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 ! " Sepfemhey 10. Called on the bird-stuffer of the Prince d'Essling, who proposed to take me to the Prince's town residcmce. We were conducted into his museum, which surpasses in mag- nificence, and in the number of rare specimens of birds, shells, jind books, all I have yet seen. We strolled about for a ■while, when word was sent us, that the J'rince 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 tlu^m askinl me some questions, and looked at me with seeming curiosity ; but as soon as a print was seen, they both exclaimed, ' Ah, c'est bien beau !' and then asked me if I did not know Charles P)ona- 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. ^J'he ]'rince 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. lie 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 Putland. This Prince, son of the famous ]\rarslial i\rassena, is thirty years of ago, apparently delicate, pale, slender, and yet good-looking, entirely devoted to Natural History. His wife is a beautilul young woman of about twenty, extremely graceful and polite. TlfR KINCi'S LIBIIAHIAN. l.'l l'',i Tlicy lioth ooinplimonlod mo on the purity of my Fronoli, iiiid wislk'd me all tli(3 success I deserved. J went back to my friend in the cabinet, well contented, and we retnnit d to our ]od<,Mngs. Not liking our rooms at our hotel, to-day 1 shall remove to the Hotcd de France, where 1 have a larf^e, clean, and comfortable room, and pay twenty-iivo sous per day. Jliit I must tell thee that in Franco, altliou,ui;h a man may l)e a prince or duke, ho is called simply monsieur, and his lady, madam, and all are as easy of access as men without a ^reat name : this mailo me quite at my <^as(! with Prince d'Esslin<,^ '' tSejifernher 11. I have been travellinj^ all over J'aris to- day, and have accomplished nothing. Called on M. (Jeofl'roy St. llilaire, and he gave mo some good adsico and directions respecting obtaining the king's suhscription, and others. " Sqiteinher 12. Visited, at his library, the librarian of the king, jM. Van Praet, a small and white-haired gentlenum, who assnred me in the politest manner imaginable that it was out of the question to subscribe ibr so heavy a work. lie how- ever gave mo a card to introduce me to M. liarbier, a librarian belonging to the king's i)rivate library at the Ijouvre. Here 1 learned that the inland })Ostago 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 retacking ; but at last I reached the j)lace, and entered a gate fronting the river, and found M. Barbier absent. But later iii 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 king's household. I wrote to him in French, th(3 first letter 1 have written in this language in twenty-five years, and I dare say a very curious one to such a personage as he is. ^'' Seidemher 13. Took my portfolio to Geoftroy de St. llilaire, and then to Baron Cuvicr; the former, after examining it, retracted his opinion respecting its size, and expressed himself l)leased with it. A Mens. 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 .1 1 m .4 1 in "i ,11 \\u 'I. . h . y if i / MI 1,1 FK OF AFDI'I'.OX. colourors iniicli more scaico. I liavo just rctuniod with fiicnd Swaiiison IVoin llaroii Cuvier's, wlio ^Wos rocej)tions to .scicntilic 111011 cvory Saturday. IMy hook was on tlio tahic, and Ciivicr roecivfd mo witli csjxM'ial kindnoss, and put me at oaso. Mens, ('oiHh'Ih)t J found romarkahly amiahlo, and tlio conij)any was miicli tho same as on hist Satmchiy. I found imicli pleasure in oonvcrsalion with Cuvicr and 'SI. do CondiUot. Tho former williiifi-ly assented to sit to Mr. I'arkor for his portrait, and tlio other told me if 1 visited Jtaly I must make his house my home. My work was examined, and Cuvier pronounced it the finest in existenee of the kind. As we attempted to make our escape Cuvier noticed us, and ran after us and took us by tho hand, and wished us to return ; but we had a long and dark walk before us, and on that ground excused ourselves. " Sejitemher 15. France is poor indeed! 'i'liis day I have attended the lloyal Academy of Scic.'uces, and had my jdates examined by about one hundred persons. 'Fine, very fine!' 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 IManchoster, and mentioned it. They stared, and seemed surprised ; but acknowledged that England, tin? little island of England, alone was able to support poor Audubon. 801110 went so far as to say that, had I been here four months ago, T should not have had even tho Prince d'Essling for a subscriber. I*oor 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 hapjiy, or lucky, it was in me not to have come to France first ; for if I had, ray work now would not have had oven a beginning. It would have perislunl like a flower in October; and I should have returned to my woods, without tho hope of leaving behind that eternal fame \, >icli my ambition, industry, and perseverance, long to enjoy. Not a subscriber, Lucy ; no, not one ! " I 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 wijie our feet: we needed it, for we were very muddy. This over, we followed the man up- ICO Ui: lore of Avaiter tdcd it, km n[>- I'.AItoX cr VI Kirs SAN< TI'M. It: stairs, and in tli<' liisl i m \v(^ entered i saw a .sli;^dit li;::in"o in Mack ^didihLi' out at an (>|»|i<)sile door like a svlpli. it was ]\Ii,ssCuvier, not (|nit(> ready to receive company. OlVslie (lew, like a doV(? before falcons. ILowevor, we followed onr man, wild cverv moment tnrned to ns and rei)oated, • I'his way, fijcntle- luen.' Then we passed tliron^^li eii;lit rooms filled with beds or books, and at hist reached a sort of laboratory, the sanctnm sanctorum of Cnvier ; nothin*:; there but books, the skeletons of animals, and reptiles. Onr conductor bid us sit, and hd't us to seek i'or tlu' J>aron. ]My eyes were occupied in the interval in examining' the' study of this great man, and my mind in rellect- in<:f on the wonders of his knowledge. All but order was about his books, and I concluded that he read and stu(b"cd, and was not fond of books because he was the owner of tliem, as some great men seem to be wliom I have known. Our couihictor returned directly, and lotl us to another laboratory, where we found the l)ar.»n. (Ircat men show politeness in a part icuhir way ; they receive vou without much demonstration ; a smile sulhces to assure vou that vou are welcome, and keen about their avoca- tions as if you were a member of the family. " .1 ('ii I i .ill Mil' (III )' (jri- V 1/ i ,- f ^u l< 140 1,1 FF'! OF AI'nni'.ON. CHAPTER XXVIT. Paris — fi-vii-R — Kkdonti';, tmk Fi.owkh-Faintf.r — Civiku's F»i;roi{r (^n Till. l)|!A\V!N(iS— (illKAT (I ATIIKItIN(i A'l' Till'. iNS'lTfLTK— TlIK I!i:i'OllT QldTFK — TllK DUKI; Ol- ()|!M:ANS — flKnAHl) — F>1I!I>S IN FaIMS AM) WiiiM'KRs KitoM Till-; Woods — Faiikwki.l to Fkanck. " Paijkku was introduced wliilc Ciivicr was lookinpj at a small lizard, tlirou,<,di u vial of spirits that contained it. I see now Ills speaking ovi-, half closed, as if quizzing its qualities, and as ho wrote its name with a pencil on a label, ho bowed his body in acrpiiescence. * Come and breakfast witli me, ]\lr. Parkci-, on Thursday niwt, at ten o'(dock, and I will be your man ;' and on ho went quizzing more lizards. '■^ Heptemhcr 18. Went with Parker to J>aron Cuvier's. We met ]Miss Cuvier, who had mado all ])reparations to receive us. The Baron came in and seated himself in a comfortable arm- chair. Great men, as well as great women, liave their share of vanity, and I soon discovered that the Baron thinks himself a fine-lo(dving man. His daughter seemed to understand this. and remarked, more than once, that her father had liis undi r lip much more swelled than usual ; and she addend that tlu; line of his nose was extremely iine. I passed my fingers ovei' mine, and, lo ! T thought just the same. I see the Baron now quite as plainly as I did this morning, an old green surtont about him, a neckcloth, that would have wrapped liis 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 ftlistened from under his thick li VISIT 'l(» ilKPOXTK. 147 I '!< ( : rvK.rouT U!1S AM> a small see iioNv ties, and )\v('ss, and she listened with a nx'lanchnly air that d(>pressed my own spirits. The l>aron soon expressed himself latigucMl, and went out, and 1 advised Parker to keep him as short a lime as [lossiltle. \\'(> were in one of his lil)raries, and ho asked his daughter to show us two portraits of himself, painted some ton years ago. They were only so so. !I\[oanwhilc the Baron named next Thursday for another sitting. '^ Si'.ptemher 2(1. This morning I had the pleasure (»f seeing the venorah](! liedonte, tho (lower- painter ^lar excellence. After reading licsuenr's note to him, dated live years ago, he looked at me fixedly, iind said, ' Well, sir, I am truly glad to hocomo acquainted with you;' and without further ceremony ho showed me his heat works. If is flowers are grouped with peculiar taste, well drawn and precise in tho outlines, and coloured with a pure hrilliancy, which resembles Nature immeasurably better than I ever saw it before. Ivedonto dislikes all that is not pure Nature ; he cannot bear drawings of stuffed birds or qua(lru[)eds, and expressed a desire to see a work wherein Nature is deline- ated in an animated way. lie said he dined every I'riday at tho Duke of Orleans' ; ho would take my work there next week, and obtain his subscription, if not tho Duchess's also. He asked for a prospectus, and invited me to rc^turn next Wednes- day. 1 looked over hundreds of his drawings, and learned tliat ho sold thorn at high })rices, some as high as two hundred and fifty guineas. On my way home I met the secretary of the king's lihrary, who told mo that the Baron do la Boullorio had given orders to have my work inspected, and if a})i)roved, to subscribe for it. I have found that letters of introduction are not as useful here as in England. Cuvier, to whom 1 had no letter, and to whom my name was unknown before my arrival, is tho only man who has yet invited mo to his house. I wished to go this evening to his scientific soiree, to uhich ho L 2 M \Y ' ;i" 1 r i. m k\ ■ i M Hs r.IKF, OK Al'l>ri',0\. ,. / I ! 'I 'I I If I I '■>] k invited inc. I»li1 I (lid iKil, Itccaiisc I liiivc liccu lao silccrssivo Sfitnrdiiys, iiiid I am alVuid of intriidiii;^", altlioii^Ii tlu^ nido awliwardiicss I j'onncily iMt lias worn iicafly smooth. ^^ Sp2>fc)nher 22. This was the jj,raiid day a])[)oint(Ml l.'y ]>aroii Olivier for roadiiin- liis rcjxtrt on lay work at the I'l-cncli Institnto. Tho Fronch Institute! Shall I call it superior to the Hoyal Academy of Loudon ? I cannot better answer tlie intorroresi(h'nts of tliesc institutions on my woi-k. l>y partieuhir invitiitiou of th" Baron, I was at tlie Institute at half-past ou(\ and no Uaron tlu^i*'. I sat o}»[)osite the clock, and counted the minutes (»n(; aftci- another; hut tlu.' (dock, insensihh; to my imjjaticncc, moved rcfiulaily, and tickcfl its time just as if Auduhon had nev(.'r existe(l. I undertook to count the numerous volumes which filled the compartments of tlm lihi'ary, hut my eye hecauie l)cwildered, and as it reached the distant centi'e of th(> hall, rested on tin; figure of ^'oltair(;! Poor Voltaire! had he not his own share of troubles? how was la; treated? Savants like shadows passed before me, nodded, and |)roceeded to their seats, and resting" their heads on their hands, looked for more kuowledg'e indifferent uiemoirs. I, Lucy, bejzan join-neyin^ to AuKM'ica, saile(l up its rivers, across its lakes, alou;^ its coasts. and up the i\rississippi, until I I'eached Layou Sara, and lea])- ing on shore, and traveisinii; the maj^nolia for(\sts, bounded towards thee, my dearest friend, — when the clock struck, and suddenly called me to myself in tla^ Koyal Listitute, patiently waitiiijU' for the r>ar(m. "The number of savants increased, and my watch and the clo(dv told that the day was waninji'. T took a book and read, but it went into my mind and left no impression. Tin* savants increased mon; and more, and l)y-an(hby amoiifjj them my (piick ey(> discerns the Uaroii. I had been asked fifty times if I were waitini; for him, and had been advised to go to his house; but I sat and watched like a sentinel at his post. I heard his voice and his footstep, and at last saw him, warm, apparently fatiirued. and vet extrenudv kindlv, eomin-i- towards nie, willi a ' ^fv dear sir, T am s(»i-rv to know that von have waited s" • • • loim- Ikm'c ; I was in m\- cabinet ; coni(> with me.' I Jiirinii' jill this talk, to which I l>owt'd, and followed him, his hand Wi.> 'I m SSIVO mil rciii'li i(ir 1<» ■r tlic lliesc Biivon, tliorc. ; after moved 11('Y(-'V wliicli Lccuinc \c liall, he ii(»l Savants [o thcii- i)V more 'yinii; to ^ coasts, (I leaji- i)oim pencil with <;reut rajtidity, and I (h'seovercd tiiat he was actually engaged in making his i-eport. I thought of I.a I'ontaine's ' Fahle of the Tiu'tle and the J hire,' antl of many (itjier things ; and I was surprised that so groat a man. who, (tf coiu'S(^ being grout, must take care of each of his actions with a ihousantl times more earo than a common individual, to prevent falls, when surrounded, as all great men are, hy (•iiv\ , cowardice, malice, and all (»tlier evil spii-its, shuiild leave to till' hi>t moment the writing of a report, to ev(M'y word of which file ' I'orty of Franco ' would lend a critical ear. W'c^ were now in his cahinot ; my onoi'uious hook lay before him, and I shiftcfl swiftly the different jdatos that he? had marked for exaniination. J lis ptmcil kejit constantly moving ; he turned and returned the sheets of his pampldi't with amazing accuracy, and noti'd as cpiickly as ho saw all that he saw. We were both wet with p('rsi»iration. Wdion this was done, lu; invited me to call on him to-morrow tit half-[iast ten, and went off towards the council-room. '' Si'pfeiither '23. I waitt^l in Cuvier's deiiartmental section until ])a>t eleven, when he came in, as much in a hurry as ever, and yet as kind as ever — always the ])i'rfect gentleman. The rc|»ort had been read, and the Instilut<', he said, had subscribed fill' one copy : and he told nie the report would appear in next S.iturday's ' ( Jlobe.' I called on M. l''ouillet, iiriucipal librarian of the Institute, to iuipiire how I was to receive the subscription, he is a large, stout man, had on ii hunting-cap, and Ijegan by assuring im^ that the Institute," was in the habit ol" recei\ ing ii ih"«;count on all the works it takes. j\Iy up[ter lip curhd, not with pleasure, but ;'. sneer at such a reipiest : aiiense ever to be remunerated ; Ml the niattei" dropped. " S<'2^fi'inbc'r '1\. To-day I was told that (Jerard, the great tJerard. the jaipil of my old master J)avid. wished to scm' me and my works. J pi'opose to visit hiiu to-moirow. " Scjifi iiilnr 2"). I have trott<'d from [tillar to post thrtiugh this big town, from the Palais Uoyal ti» the .lardin dii Luxem- I'oiirg, in search of I\rons. l.e Medeein l>ei'trand. aftt r ii coiiy el t'uvier's Keport : such is man. all avaricious of jiraise bv if' ii' 1|!. I. i ii I i.li^ ' I *■ M 'f rr / 1 I ( « ; ' 1 ! I ! i W V I '» '/ tM 150 1,1 1'K OF Ai;i)(II'.()X. iiiitiii'c. 'I'hrco times did I upil in the school of David. Having retui-ned to Ids own countrv, he thouuht he could not mak<^ a better use of his talents than by representing the most brilliant productions of that hemisphere. The accurate observation necessary for sucli re[iresentations as he wished to nuxke soon reiulered him a Uiiluralist. "'it is in this double cai)acity of artist and savant that he produced th(> work, which has been offered to the inspection (tf the Academy. You have been struck by the size of the book, which is equal or suj)erior to the lar<:^est of that kind that luis ever been published, and is nearly as large as the double jtlates t»f the desciii)tion of Egy[it. This extraordinary dimension has enabled him to give spi>cimens of the eagle and vulture of tlieii- natural si/e, anil tt) multiply those which are smaller in such a manner as to re[>resent them in every attitude. '"lie was thus able to re[)resent on the same plates, and el' the natural size, the plants which these birds most comm(iiil\ fre(pient, and to give the fullest detail of their nc'sts and '• ' The execution of these plates, so remarkald'' for tin ir size, )X IlAllON crVlKK'S l!i:i\)]!'J'. mi iM ji])poiirs to liav(! siicfoedod C(iiially well with roj^Mrd to tliu (IrawiiiiJ:, tlio ongnivinii-, uiid tlio c'(»louring. And althon.;li it is dillicult in colouring to give porspcctivos with as iniich ulUn't as ill painting, ip'oijurly so calk'd, that is no defect in a work on natural liistory. Naturalists iirel'ur the real colour of objects to those accidental tints which are the result of the varii.'d reflections of light necessary to conipleto picturesciue re- presentations, but foreign and even injurious to scieiitilic truth. •' ' 3[r. Audulion has already i)repared four hundred drawings, which contain nearly two thousand ligures, and he proposes to publish theiu suc(!0ssively if he receives suflicient 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 expeiist; renders it almost iiuiccessibh^ to the greater part of those to whom it would be most nocesj^ary. It certainly cannot be said that the price is exorbitant. One number of live j)lates costs two guineas; each })late conu's to only ten or twelvi; francs. As there will be juiblished but five numbers a year, the annual expense would not be enormous. It is desirable, at least for art as W(,'ll as science, that the great public libraries — and the wealthv, who love to enrich their coUectimis 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 31itchell, llarler, and JJonaparte give back with interest to Europe what America had received. Wilson's history of the '' ]jirds of the I'liited States" equals in elegance our most beautiful W(»rks on oniithol(»gy. If that of 'Mv. Audubon should be completeil, we shall be obliged to ackuowledg(; that America, in magnili- ecnce of execution, has surpassed the old world.' '" Sepfonher oO. Mv. Coutant, the great engraver of l*aris, cuiiie to see mv work to-dav. AN'hen I opened the btiok he stared: aii■ 152 LIFK OF AL' I )Ur.()X. " Tlic l*uliiis lioy.il (if the Dnko of Orlouns is iU'tually tlio entrance of tlio Piiltiis Uoyal, tlio puhlic walk to wliicli we u'o almost every ev(Miinf;, an(»k olV my fur cap, and walked in without ceremony. I ^ave him my card, and le- (|U(,'sted him to send it up-stairs. He said 3lonsiegnenr was not in, but 1 mi^ht go into the antechamber, and I ascended one of the finest staircases my feet had ever trod. 1'hey parted at the bottom, in a rounding form of about twenty-four feet in breadth, to meet on the second-llooi', on a [datlbrm, lighted by a skylight, showing the beauties of the surrounding walks, and in fntnt of which were three doors, two of which I (I'icd in vain to open. The third, however, gave way, and I found myself in th(! outer antechamber, with about twelve servants, who all rose n[) and stood until I seated myself (»n a soft, red, velvet-covered bench. Not a word was said to me, and I izazod on the men and place with a strange sensation of awkwardness. The walls were bare, the lloor black and white s(piares of marble, over which a sergeant paced, wearing a liroad belt. I waited some minutes, looking (*n this dumb show, and wondering how long- it would last, when 1 accosted the sergeant, and told him I wished to see the duke, and that I had c(^me here by his order. ITe made a profound bow, and conducted me to another room, where several gentlemen were seated writing. I told one oi them my (irrand, and he immediately showed me into an im- mense and tdegantly-furnislu'd a[iartmeut, and ordered my book to be brought uj». In this room I bowed to two gentlemen whom I knew belonged to the J.egiou of Honour, and walked about, examining the fine maible statues and jjictures. A gentleman soon entered the I'oom, and coming towards nie with an agrei'abh^ sniil<% asked if perchance my name was Audid)on. 1 bowed, and he I'cplied, ' lUess me, we thought you had gone. and left vour i)ortf()Iio. ^Iv uncle has been waitimj; for vou twenty nunutt s : nrav, sir. follow me.' We entered another room, and ] saw the duke a[)proaching me, and was introduced tf> him by his nephew. I do not re -ollect ever having seen a liner nam, in fei ni. deportment, and elegant manner.-;, than !l '■ IX ^ MKETS TIIK DCKK (>F ORLKAN'S. 1 5;5 Older. M rouin, :fl )no of S in 9 r b()()lv fl Icnu'U ^ valkt'd ? s. A ^ 1 (• with : 1 tlnbuii. f 1 o'oiu'. |ji i)r yt»ii 9 nother ■ nliK't'd '9 sec 11 U -:. than ^1 this Duke of OHeans. lie luid my book brouirlit in, and helped me to untie the strings and arran;^e the table, and be^an bv saving that he felt a great pleasure in subscribing to the work (if an American; that he had been kindly treated in tlu? United States, and would never forget it. When the portfolio was opened, and I held up the ])late iA' the Jjaltimore oriole, with a nest swinging amongst the tender twigs of the yellow [)oplar. lie said. ' This surjjasses all I have seen, and I am not astonished now at the culogium of M. IJedonte.' lie spoke partly in I'jiglish and partly in I'rench, and said much of America, of I'ittsburg, the Ohio, New Orleans, the ^Mississippi and its steam- lioats; anil then added, ' You are a great and noble nation, a nonderful nation!' Tlu^ duke proniis<.'d to write to the Emperor (if Austria for mo, and to the King of Sweden, and other ci'owiied heads, and to invite them to subscril»e, and rerpiested me to send a note to-day to the ^linister of the Interior. I re- mained talking with him and his nephew more than an hour. T asked him to give me his own signature on my li>t of sub- scribcrs. lie smiled, took it, and wrote, in very legible letters, • Le Due d'Orleans.' 1 now thought that to remain any longer would be an intrusion, and thanking him respectfully. I boweil, shook hands, and retired. As I pas.>.e(l down the servants stared at me with astonishment, wondering, doubtless, what could have ol)tained me so long and intimate an interview with their master. " Ocfuher 1. Called to-day on M. Gerard, of whom France may boast without a blush. It was te-n o'clock when I reached his hotel ; but as ho is an Italian, born at Konie, and retains the habits of his countrymen, keeps lat<.' hours, and seldom takes his tea before one o' clock in the moi'iiing, I found him jusl uj», and beginning his day's work. \\ hen 1 enteied his iwoiiKS they were lUhnl with persons of both sexes, and as soon iis my name was announced, (JeranI, a snniU, well-formed man, came towards me, took my hand, and said. * \\ elctnne, brother in arts!' I liked this mui'h, and felt giatiliecl to iiave iuoken the ice so easily, and my pers[)iration subsiih d. •' (ierard was all curiosity to see my drawings, and old iiedonte, wild was also present, came to ine and spoke so highly of them 1m lore they well' opened, that I feaied (Jelaid Would be (lis- 'I ■ I'iii' 1 'I .n ,'. Ill i \ 4ii '■^■'1 ' i 1 i ■ , '1 ' ■ ■ ■! ; ; \ ( .« '1 1 1 < ( ' ■^1 , 1 \ Ih 11 ft, %■ (ff \h ii I ',!i it ;r^ ifi: ij.. . 164 LIFE OF ATDUBOX, uppointod. However, tlio book was (jpeiUMl accidciitjilly at the plate of till.' [)arrut!S, and (ierard, taking it up without sjicakiuf:^, looked at it with an eve as critieal as uiv own lor several minutes, jnit it down, and took \\\) the niofkin;;-birds, and then ollerini^ me his hand, said, * j\Ir. Audubon, you are the king ol' ornithologieal painters. We arc all ehildren in Franee or Eur(»pe. Who would have expected such things from the woods of America?' I received com[)liments on all sides, and (leranl talked of nothing but my work, and asked me to give him some jirospeetuses to send to Italy. He also re})eated what JJaron C'uvier had said in the morning, and hoped that the ^Minister would order a number of copies for the government. I closed th(! book, and sauntered around the room, admiring the suj)eib prints, mostly taken from his own paintings. The ladies were all engaged at cards, and money did not a})j)ear to be scarce in this part of I'aris. Mrs. Gerard is a small, fattish woman, to whom I made a bow, and saw but for a moment. The ladies wen; dressed very finely, quite in a new fashion to me, pointed corsets before, with some hanging trimmiugs, and very full robes of rich and din'erently-coloured satins and other materials. '* October 20. Nothin"- to do, and fsitiirued with lookinj"- at i'aris. Four subscriptions in seven weeks is very slow work. . . . . The stock-pigeon, or cushat, roosts in the trees of the garden of th(! Tuileries in considerable nund)ers. Tln^y arrive about snuset, settle at iirst on the highest trees and driest naked branches, then gradually lower themselves to the trunks of the trees and the thickest parts of the i'oliage, and remain there all night. They leave at the break of day, and fly ofT in a noi-therlv 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 lloyal the common sparnjws are jjrodigiously ])lentiful ; very tame, fed by ladies and children, and often killed with blowguns by mis- ehiev(Ais boys. The mountain iincli passes in scattered numbeis over Paris at this season, going northerly. And now, my love, wouldst thou not believe me once more in the woods, and hard at it ? Alas! 1 wish 1 were. AN'hat i)reci(tus time] am losing in this l"]uropf ! ^^'hen shall I go home? '* Uciobcr 2(1. I have not written for several davs, because ' t , i 1 •i 'I LHAVKS I'Ains F()|{ KNULAND. 155 I liiivo boon Wiiitinti-, and liud no incliiiulion. IMcanwhilo a note ciinio Ironi JJaron (1(> la P.onilloric, annoiinoing tlio kinj^'s subscription for six coj)ios; and 1 havo appointiid an a^a-ntln l/aris, and am now roady to leave. I liavc bid adieu to^Jkron Cuvici- and Geoffrey St. JJihiiro, and liave taken a seat in tlio rotinuhi for Calais and London direet. 1 have paid twenty franes in advance, and Ion-,' for to-niorrow, to be on my way to F.n<,dan(l. I shall have been absent two numfhs, have expendeir forty pounds, and obtained thirteen subserilx-rs," ih J! If; ' i ''II t M .fi ■■.!,' ' fv hV 15(1 \M'l] OF AUDIJIION. 'h V ) . (^iiArrEii XXVI n. liKTriiN I'o LoMMiN — 11ai;1) at Woiik — Skts Saii, i hk Amkkk a. " Loudon, Nov. 1). This is an eventful day in tlie liistory of my ^nnit work on tlw^ IJirds of America. 3Ir. Ilavell lias taken llic drawings which arc to form the eh.'venth nnml)er, and it will be the first nund)er for the year 1S21). I wished several numbers to be engraved as soon as jjossible, for reasons which, if known to thee, Lucy, would fill thy heart with joy, ^' Noremher 10. I am paintinj^ as much as the short days will allow ; but it is so V(,'ry cold to my southeru constitution, that [ am freezing on the side larthcst from the fire, J have finished two pictures lor the Ihdce of Orleans — one of the grouse, which 1 regret to [)art with without a copy, though 1 have taken the outline, *' Dcceinher 2.'3, Alter so long an absence from thee, my dear I look, it will be difilcult to wrjt(^ up a citunected record of intervening events, but I will tiy and recall what is worth rccordiuii'. 31 v nuiin occupation has been i)aintini>- everv day. I have finished my two large pictures of the ICagle and the J.and», and the Dog and the IMieasants, and now, iis usual, can scai'ce Ixnir to look at them. ■\Iy amiable pupil, JMiss Hudson, has kept me conij)auy, and her j)eneil has turned some of my drawin:i,s into jjictnres. I have dined out but once, with my friend J, (r. (Jhildreu, of tlu' J>ritish ]Museuiu, on the Coronation Day ; and there I met several friends and scientific acquaintance. The want of exercise, and close application. :l'\ ^ (MIIMSTMAS IN' KNdLAXl). I.-.7 have it'diict'd my llcsli very inncli, mixI I would liave Itccn oil' lor 31ivii('ho.st(M', liiviTjiool, iVc, l)Ut liiivo had iio comphtc coiiy (if iiiv \V(trk 1i> take with me. *' Deceit ihcr 'I'k Another Christmas in Mn^dand! I dined at Mr. (loddard's, in tlie furtliest o[)j)(isit' end oi' London, with u company motly Ameriean. Sir 'J'homas Laurence called to see my i)aintin;>;s wliih^ I was absent. 31 r. Ilavell sliowed them to him. and nuuh' tlie i'oUowin^^ report to me: — ' rj)f)kinii' at the picture ol' th(3 Ea^de and the Land), he said, •' 'IMiat is a tine pii-ture." He examined it (dosely, and tlieii turned to the Pheasants, whieli I call " Sauve rpii pent;" this lie hxtked at I'rom dilK'erent points, and with his lace close to tin; canvas, and had it rolled to dilVeront points, for more li^iit and new views, hut expressed no opinion about it. The Otter came next. He said, "The animal is very fine." Ho loft, and promised to return in a few days.' I mot him soon after, and he told me he would call and make soleotion of a picture to he oxhihited at Sonu'rset IFouso, an I ir.s 1,1 1'l' Ol' AIII)i;i!nN (1 II' u «• I »i CilAJTEli XXJX. AMKiurA — Fntr.sns ix Ni:\v YnitK — Two KnsonKs : Tin: (Ii!i:.\t V.co llAKi:Ot'R AM> TIIK (illKAT I'lNH SwAMT. "/PnE cry of 'land, land, land!' tlirico ropoatcd, ronsod mo from my torpor, and acted like champaiziio lo rofrosh my spirits. I rusJK'd on dock, find saw in tlic distanco a deep j?ray lino, like a wall alonf^ tlio horizon, and toward which the ship was rolling: and rnttin^ her N\ay. My heart swelled with joy, and all seemed like a jileasant di-eam at lirst ; hut 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 knei^s, and raisin*;' my eyes to heav(>n — that ha})py land ahove — 1 oft'ered my thaidtan('OH, and Dr. Pax- allis took ino to tli<» ( 'olloctor of tlio Customs, who, on roadim;' I*n'sid('iit Jackson's letters to me, pfiive free admission to my hooks and lufrj^a;^e. I\[y work was exliihitc^d la^re, and a rejiort niiide on it to the X(!W York Lyci-nm ; and I maile the ac(piiiintance of 3[r. William ('oo[)er, the friend of CJiarloH J>onajiarte, a fine kind person. ** iirrt// 14. I left New York for Pliiladelphia, in company uilli ^Ir. Thomas Wharton, an excellent, but not n^narkahly intellectual man. and took hoard with j\ri's. i>radley, in Arch Slreet. There 1 spent three days, and then remove*! to Camden, New Jersey, where I spent three weeks in ohservin;^' the hal>its of the migratory warblers and other birds which arrive in vast nund)ers in the H[)ring. From th<>re I retnined to IMiiladelphia to visit the sea-sliores of New Jersey." Here follows his elaborate account of that visit. "GiiKAT E(iG IIaruouij. " Having made all the necessary preparations to visit the sea- shores of N(nv Jersey, for the pur[)ose of making myself acquainted with their feathered inhabitants, f left early in .huu\ Th(i weather was })leasant, and the country seemed to siuile in the prospect of bright days and gentle gales. Fisher- men-gunners passed daily between Fhiladelphia and tlie various small seaports, with Jersey waggons laden with fish, fowls, and other i)rovisi(;n, or with such articles as were re({uired by the families of those hardy boatmen ; and I bargained with one of them to talco myself and my baggage to (ireat ]*]gg Harbour. One afternoon, about sunset, tlu; vehicle halted at my lodgings, and the conductor intinuited that he Mas anxious to proceed as quickly as [)ossible. A trunk, a couple of guns, and such other articles as are found necessary by persons whoso pursuits are similar to mine, were immediat(dy thrust int(» the waggon, and were followed by then' owner. The conductor whistled to his steeds, and off we went at a round pace over the loose and dee]) sand that in almost every part of this state forms !' I if: fil ^h ■ ( 1 u ^ Lii KK) i.ii'i: (U' .\i'i»ii:(»\. (I' \i I ' * [: ■~ I. Ill 'i I ( llir liasis of lln' idjids. Al'lfi' ii wliilc we ov<'l1ii(il< ii wlmlc rjiiiiviin <►(' siinilar vdiiclcs iiKiviii^ in tlic siiiiic ilircclioii ; mitl when wo pit iK'iir tlinii (Hir liorscs sluclvcMicd llicir jiacf to ji r<'j:ulur UiilU. tlu- driver lcii|ii'd (Vnin liis sfiit, I t'nllowiil liis f'xaiiijdc, and we presently fonnd ourselves in the niid>l ol' a ^ronp of merry \vaj;i;'oiiers, relating' tlieir adventnres of tln' woclv, it Iteinir now Saturday niiilif. One pivc intimation ol the nundier of ' shee[>'s-lieads ' he liad taken t(t town ; another H|)ok(» of the curh'ws which yet remainecl on tlic sands ; and a third lioasted of havin^jf pitherod so many (h)Zens of marsh hens" ('n^ tlie coast withcait the hird in question. Not knowing the animal In- had nann-d, I e»»nfessed my i^noranoo, wlien the whoh- party burst into a loud laugh, in which, there being nothing better for it, 1 joined. "About midniiiht the caravan reached a hall-way house, whore we rested a while. Several roads diverged from this spot, and the waggons sejiarate(l, one; only keei»ing us company, 'riie night was dai'k and gloomy, but the sand of the road indicated our course very distinctly. Suddenly the gallojiin^ of horses struck my ear, and on hjoking buck, W(! perceived thai our waggon must in an instant b< in innninent danger. The driver leaped off, and drew his steeds aside, barely in time to allow the runaways to pass without injuring us. Oil" they wt-nt at full speed, and not long aftei- their owner came up panting, and informed us that thev had suddonlv taken friiiht at some noise proceeding I'rom the woods, but hoped thoy wouM soon sto]). Immediately after we heard a ciash; then Ibi- a few moments all was silent; but the neighing of the horses pre- sentlv assured us that they had broken loose. On reaching: the spot W(! Ibimd the waggon upset, and a few yards further on were the horses quietly browsing by the road-side. "The iirst dawn of moin in the Jerseys, in the month ol June, is worthy of a better description than I can furnish ; and therefore I shall only .say that the moment the> sunbeams bla/ed i>ver the horizon, the loud and mellow notes of the meadow lark saluted our «'ar.s. On each side of the road were filtEAT VA\(\ IIAIM'.OI'I!. Ifll ()j)on \V(Mi(ls, (til llic tallest trees oi' wliieli I oliseive I iit ititcivalft llu' nest <»l' u lish-luiwk, inv above wliieli the wliite-hn listed liinl slowly \m*]i,l^'<1 its way as it comnieii I its early journey to the seii, the odoiir of which tilled nio with deli;;ht. In hall' iiu hour more we were in the centre ofdlreat \']<^'^ llai'li(»nr. '• 'riiere J had the ;;()od fortune to l»e receiveil into the houso of a thorou^ihhrod lishernian-^Minner, who, besides owniiiij: it coni- fortahle cot, only u lew hundred yards from the shore, had un excellent woman for u wife, and a littlo dau;i,'hter as playful us a kitten, thou;,di as wild as a sea;^ull. Jn less than half an hour I was (|uite ut home, and the rest of the day was s[)ent in devotion. Oysters, tlu»u;^di reckoned out of season at this |u ri(»(l, are as good as ever when fresh from their beds, and my lir.st nical was of some us lar;^v and white us any I have eaten. The sij^ht of them. j)laecd before nu' on a clean table, with an hon(!st industrious fannly in my couipany, never failed to alVord more iiU-asuro than the most sumptuous fai'e under different circunistanecs, and our conversation beinp; simi)le and harmless, piiety shou(^ in every face. As we became bett(>r acquaintetl, I had to answer several cpiesticms relative to the object of my visit. The good man rubbed his hands with joy as I s[)oko of shooting and tisliinir, and of l(»ng excursions through the swamps and marshes around. I\Iy liost was then, and I ho[)e still is, u tall, strong-boned, muscular man, of dark complexion, with eyes as kticn as those of tlie sea eagle. He was a tough walkei", laughed at diHiculties, and could j)ull an oar with any num. As to shooting, I have often doubted whellier lie or j\[r. JOgan, the worthy pilot of Indian Isle, was best ; and rarely indeed have 1 soeu either of them miss a sliot. "At daybreak on j^Ionday I shouldered my double-barrelled gun, and my host carried with him a long fowling-piece, a })airof cars, and a pair of oyster-tongs, while the wife and daughter brought along a seine. The boat was g(Jod, the breeze gentle, and along the inlets we sailed for pans well known to my eom[tanions. To such naturalists as are qualiiitid to observe many dil'ferent objects at i\w same time, Great Egg Harbour would jtrobably afford as ample a Held as any part of our coast, excepting th(3 Florida Keys. Birds of many kinds are abundant, as are iislies and testaceous ani- mals. The forests shelter many beautiful plants, and even on the M '•'i'ld ii. . )' 5 ' V 1 •I .1 ' . 'I I I r i 1 <' ! !ll ■H /. n;2 LIFE OF AUDUI50X. 1 i I \ i> I m I .i lit '■ ji» ,.H (Irycst sand-liar you may soo inseots of tlin most luilliaiit tints. Oin- principal objj'ct, lio\v«,'vor, was to procure cci-taiii liirds known there l>y tlie name otlawycM'H ; and to acconi])lisli tiiiswo entered and lollowed Ibr several miles a winding- iidet or hayoii, wliicli led us to till? interior of a vast marsli, where, after some search, we found the hirds and their nests. Our seine had liccii j)lace(l acntss the channi'l, and when W(^ returned to it the tide had run out and left in it a nuiuher of line fishes, sonu' of which we cocked and ate on tlie spot. ()n(\ whi(di I coii- sidei'ed as a curiosity, was saved and transmitte(l to Jlaioii Cu\ier. Our ri'jiast ended, the seine was sjiread out to dry, and we a;j:ain hetcjok ourselves to the marshes, to }»ursue oui- researches until the return of the tide. Ilavinji; collected enouj^h to satisfy us, we took up our oars and returned to tla^ shore in front of the fislieruniu's house, when; we dragged the seine several times with success. "In this numner I passeil several weeks along those; delight- ful and healthy shores — one davii'oinii' to the woods to S(>arch tli(^ swamps in which the herons hred, passing another amid the joyous criesof the marsh hens, and on a third eai'rying slaughter among the whitohreasted seagulls; l»y way (»f amusement sometimes hauliii'j: the fish called the ' sln^ep's-head ' from an eddy alonir the shore; watching the gay terns as tliey danced in the air, or plunged into the water to seize the tiny fry. ]\lanya di'awing I made at lOgg Harbour, and nniny a jileasant day I spent aloii;.; its shores ; and nnich pleasure would it give m(> once nn»re to visit the good and happy family (Captain Horam's) in whose house i n'sided thei'<'. " Stpfcmbey 1. J laving accomplished my pui'|)ose in visiting the sea-shore of New .l''Ncy, I returned to I'liiladclphia, and made ]u-eparation8 to go ..» the < ireat Pino Swamp, in Xoith- umherlanj ("(amtv, Pennsylvania. "TiiK (;i;eat I'iNi: Swamp. "[ lelt Philadelphia at four of the morning hy the coacli, with no other accoutrements than T knew to be absolutely necessary for the jaunt which I intended to make. These consiste*! of a wooden box, contaim'ng a small stock of linen, drawing-paper, my j(furnal, colours and pencils, together with k^ ^l^^T^ : I TIIK (JUKAT PINK SWAMP. Ifi3 tweiity-fivo |i( muds of ,slu)t, some flints, ii duo quantuiu of ciisli, inv K""' ' l't''ii' Jiit^lvct,' lUid ft lieart us tnio to iiiituro u.s ever. "Our coaelu's nvn nouu of tho host, nor do <'M'y moves with tl»e vtdocity ot'tho.so ot'sonu? othor countries. Jt was (•i;:;lit, and ,1 (lark nij^lit, wlu-n 1 rcaduMl 3I,iuc!i Chunk, now ho ('(dohratcd in the rnit)n lor itN rich coal-mines, and oi<;hl,v-eio;ht miles (hstiint from rhiladel[)hia. I had passed throuj^di a diversitied Cduntry, part of \vhi(di was hii,ddy cultivated, while tin? rest wa.s yet in a state of nature, andconscMjuently much more a^^recahhs to nie. On alij,ditin,u; F was shown to the travellers' room, and on aslcinf^ for tho landlord, saw comin;^ towards me a fine-looldn;^ V(tun,:j^ man, to whom I made known my wishes. Ho spoke kindly, and offered to lod^e and board mi^ at a much lower rat(3 than travellers vho go there for the very simjd(» pleasure of heiiig drairged on the railway. In a word, I was tixed in four minutes, and that most cond'ortably. No sooner had the* approach of day been announced by the cocks ol' the little villa^'c, than 1 marched out with my ^un and notr-book, to jiidi^c for nivse'f of the wealth of the countrv. Afur travcM'siny: nuich ground, and crossing many steep hills, \ returned, if not wearied, id least much disapj-'ointed at the extraordinary scarcity of birds. So 1 bargaineil to b • carried in a cart to the central parts of the (Jreat Pine Swam[); and although a heavy storm was I'ising, ordered my conductor to proceed. The weather had become tremendous, and wo were thoroughly (Ircncheil. Wc^ winded i-ound nmny a mountain, and at last crossed the highest. iJut my resolution being lixi 1, tli" imy was obliged to continue his di-iving. Having already travelleil liftcen nules or so, wo left the turnpike and stru(dv up a narrow and bad road, that seemed merely cut out t(» enable the people of the swam}) to receive t\\o nec(!ssary supplies from the vilbiLic which 1 had left. Sonu> mistakes were nnide, and it was almost (lark when a post directed us to the habitation of a Mr. .b de lijdi Irish, to whom f had bec.'U recommen\ i, ?t l!;j. ■(.I I I I ill' 1 V % [ f r^ < It )' i'oposal, ahhongh lier husband was then from liome. As I immediately fell talUinii about tiie iiatnic of the e(mntrv, find if birds were numerous in the neighbourhood, i\Irs. Iris'-, more au fait to household alfairs than ornithology, sent for a nepliew of lier Inisband, who soon made his ajipearauco, and in whose favour I became at once prepossessed. He conversed like an educated person, saw that 1 was comfoi'tably disposed of, and finally bade me good-night, in such a tone as made mo quite happy. " The storm had rolled away before tlie ilrst beams of the morning sun shone brightly on the wot ibliage, displaying all its richness and beauty. jMy eai's we'"o greeted by the notes, always sweet anefore I had gone many steps \\m woods echoed to the re})ort of my gun, and 1 picked from anu)ng the leaves a lovely bird long sought for, b'lf till then sought for in vain. 1 needed no mor(^, and stand. ag still ibr a while, 1 was soon convinced that the (Jreat Pine Swamp harboured many other objects interesting to me. The young man joined me, bearing his riile, and ol'fered to accompany me through the woods, all of which he well knew. Ihit 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, s})oaking of nothing else than the [licturesijuc beauty of the country around. '• A few days pass(Ml, during whii'h 1 becauK^ acquainted with my hostess and her sweet children, and made occasional rambles, but sjn'ut the greater jmrtion of my time in drawing. One morning, as I stood near tin. window t)f my room, 1 remarked a tall and powerful num alight from his horse, loose the giith of Ids saddle, raise the latter with one hand, pas.« the bridl(> over the head of the aninuduitli the otliei', and move towards the house, while the horse betook himself to the little brook te I 1 uich was iconniHJii it<'rin^ I lown tin- iliould Ix- ; m-iililicd |)r()|K)S!vl, lu^diiitt'ly )ir(ls \vor(^ u fidt to 'W of hov ISO favour oclueati'd lally biul(5 ins of tlio liiyiiiir ill) Iho notes, md othov oclmcd to 10 loavos a in vain. was soon my other l)i'ari)i_u' )(ls, all of to paper uid ; ami rcMnnid (•tnros and stdres. a few himdi'ed yards Imm the iionse. In America. I>nsine>s is tlio lirst ol)je(!t in view at all times, and rij;'ht it sluadd he ssc. SiMiii aftei', my hostess euteied my room, aeeompanied liy the liiit'-iookiiig woodsman, to whom, as ^Ir, Jedediah Irisli. I was iiitrothieed. lieader, to deserilie ti» yon tin* (pialities of that (xeclleiit man. were \ain; \ on shonld know him as I do, to estimate tin' vahie of sneli nn-n in our se(|nt;stered forests, lie not only nmde me wh. and (hdi^htful troiit that tenin_L;' to him, as he reail his favonrite [loems ol r.in'iis, wiiile my pencil was occn[)ied in smoothing- and softening' tlie drawing of the hii'd hefoi'e me. \\'as not this enough to rei'all to my mind the early impressi(jns that had heen made U[)oM it by the descri|>tion ol'tlie golden age, which I here found reuli/ed? The Jichigh al)out this plaee forjns nunuu-ous shoi't tiniis between the mouuiains, and affords l're((uent falls, as well as. Ik'Iow the falls. dee[» pools, whitdi render this sti'eam a most valuable one for mills of any kind. Not many years before this date my host was (du)sen by the agent of the liohigh Coal ('enipany as their millwrighl. and nninager for cutting down tile line trees whadi covered the mountains around, lie was young, robust, active, industrious, and persevering, lie nuirched to the spot where his al»oile now is, with souk; workmen, and by (lint oi' hai'd laboui' iii'st cleai'etl the road mentioned above, and reacliecl the v'wcv at the centre of a bend, \vhere he fixed on ei'ecting Nai'ious mills. The pass here is so narrow that it looks as if formed by the biu'sting asiuider of the mountain, both >ides iisceialing abru[)tly, so that the place wliei'e the settlement was inad<' is in many parts diflieult ol' access, and the load then Hiwly cut was only sullicient to jxM'init men and horses to eonui to the spot where Jeilediah and his men were al worlc. So great in fact wei'e the diflieulties ol' access, that, as he tohl me, jioint- ing to a siiot about loO feet above us, thev f<»r mauv nioidhs ' 11' If' > f ' ) ' I. II i I I I . M 1 1 1 ii f./ i} '■""/; r « b li IV I jtf \\\ il i.U lit ■t )• ,t ' ...»' It'll; 1.1 1'K OF Aihrnox. Kli|)|)('(l from if llicir b.'irrcllcd provisions, assisted l»y ropes, t(» tlicir camp hclow. ]>iit no sooner was tlu^ first saw-mill erected, than tlio ax<'men be^^an their devastation. Trees oiu^ alter anothei- woro, and are vet ('(jnstantlv heard falliiiir dnriiiir the (lavs, and in calm ni'dits the frreedv mills told the sad tale that in a centnry tlu^ noMe lorests arttnnd shonld exist no more. Many nulls were erecf<'d. many dams raised, in defiance of the inipetnous JicliiLili. One lull third of the trees have already been culled, turiu'd int() hoai'ds. and floated as far as Philadel- phia. In such an und<'ital\in^' the cuttinL,^ of ''he trees is not all. They have afterwards to he hauled to the edi^c of the mountains l)orderinir the river, launched into the sti'eam, and led to the nnlls, over many shallows and dillicnlt ])Iaces. AMiilst I was in the {Jr(>at I'ine Swamp, I IVe(piently visited one of the principal jdaces for the launching of loiis. To see them tundilinp^ from such a heiiiht, toucliini;" here and there the rouiih antile of a jirojcctinii^ rofdc, hounding' from it with the elasticity of a foot- hall, and at last fallifii!; with awful ciasli into the river, forms a sitrht interestinir in the liiuhest deiiii'c^ but imi)os.sible for me to describe. Shall I tell you thai 1 have seen masses of these loL!s heaped above each olliei- to the muuber of five thousand? J may so tell you, foi- such 1 have; seen. My friend Irish assured me that at some seasons these |iiles consisted of a nnndi seen floating down the dancinu; sti'cam, here striking against a roclc, and whirling many times round, there suddenly checked in dozens by a shallow, over which they have to be for'.'ed with the handspike's. Now they arrive at the (.'ih^o of a dam, and when the [arty has arrived at the last, which lies just where my friend Irish's eam[) was i'wA l\»rm(Ml,tli(^ drenched leader and his men, about sixty in nundier. make theii' way hom(\ liupcii(l it \^T> TllK KIVKU LKIIIGII. Ki; tlic f'veii'iig and a portion of tlio nitilit in jianoinirnnd froli.'lviii<^ ill tlicir own sini|il(' manner, in tlio most jicrt'oct amity, seldom trniiMinjj: themselves with the idea of the hihonr prepared I'or then; on tile niorrow. That morrow now come, one sonnds a liorii from the door of the storehouse, at the eall of wliich they idl return to their work. The sawyers, the millers, the rafters, and raftsmen ar(^ all immediately laisy. 'I'he mills all are l^diii;^-, and thu loj;s, which u few months hefore were the >u|iportors of broad and leafy tops, are now in the act (»f liein<4- split asunder. Th(> hoai'ds ai'e then launched into tin,' stream, ami rail- are formed of them foi' uiarket. ••|)urill^• the summer an 1 aiitinnnal months, the Lehiudi. a small river of itself, soon becomes extremely shallow, and to lloat the rafts would prove iinjiossiJ)lc, had not art managed to provide a suj)ply of water for this express purjiose. At the breast of the lower dam is a curiou>ly-constnicted lock, whi(di is opened at the api»roach of the rafts. They pas-; thnaigh this lock with the rai)idity of lightninir, propell.-d by tht; water that had l»eeii accumulated in the tlam, and which is of its(df fr:o there and try for yourscdf. I'or my i>ari, I can oidy say that 1 have l)(>en nuuh* weary with pulliug up from the rivulets the s[>ark!ing tish, allured by the struggles of the common grass- hojipor. ''A condcul affair luippiMuvl with some beai*s. whidi I shall reltite to you, good reader. A [larty of my friend Irish's raftsmen, returning from ]\[aueh (Jhunk one afternoon, through sundry short cuts over the mountains, at the season when the liurklcberries are ri[)c and [)lentiful, were suddenly ajt[irised of « I'H i' ■'f ' i 1 ll hi if Ml j V\H MKK <>1' Alltll'.oN. ! ■/ I > [' ■ * n\ llio proximity of some of tlu'so aninmls, by thoir snuniiit2: tlic air. No sooiu-r was this pcrcciviMl than, to tin- astoiiisliiacnt of the ]iarty, not fi'ucr than ciij^ht licars, I was tohl, niadc their apiKiirancc. Eadi man hoin|j^ [»rovi(lc(l with his short-handh'd axe, faced ahont a!id wiHinuly eame to the scratcdi ; hut the assaih'd soon ]>r()ved the assailant>, and with claw and tootli (h-ove olV the men in a twinklin( laware, towards my former lodging^' in the Jerseys." [I ! i Ilinu; tlic tnncnt ol" ido tlu'ir -litindlctl but thf 11(1 tooth lu'd from soon ])i'o- iio boars •ir homos, (1.1 J it cannot to hnive r birds to oliildron slioulder- di recti y ^ood time the night, fd {it my St. The mo still ore day- ind found aving as louj^dits, t should of whom I id I was just as di rested, •r to take •st wharf, towards (MIAPTIOK XXX. Tin; .Mkiiinu with iii> Wiik and S — lii;ri-i!N with iii> Wii-i: td ilNdl.ANn — I'Ki'VINCIAI. 1'aN\ A>> - ThK < •i:Mllln|,( h. ICA I, I'.li k , |; AIM V — Assi>'n';i> liY W. M( ( Iiilivkav — I'iki.kai ion m' tiik Woiik — I!i;vii;\vs — I.MMKNsi; Si:m !Ii:ai.i/.i;ii AM) I'.\i'i:mii:i> — Saii-s aijain I'dU Amkiiha. Aftkk romaininj^ a io'W days at his l(»djj:in[^s, Audubon start<'(l oi'f ti) liiswife and children, who were then residinnding a few days at Louisville. I took passage on another steamer going down the 3[ississippi, and in a few days landed at J>ayou Sara, and was soon at the house of .Mr. .lohnson, and came suddenly on my dear wife : we were both overcome with emotion, which found rebel' in tears." lie remained three months with his wife, but was stillactivcly \ if' iV «. ,' ii. I , ■. ! I'lil \ I I 170 Mi"K ol' AI'DriioX. •M • y .< I !i; cmj^loycfl. Ho linntcd tlio wodd.s for l»inls ami aiiiiiiiils, and brou^lit lliom li(»in(3 Jilivoor freshly killed, to draw from. 1'lioro arc several exfjuisite uidiiiished deer-lieads, in his ^'reat portfolio ol' uidiiiished dra\viii«;s, which were be;^!!!! at that time, lie drew also, at ihis time, the picture of the "JJlacU Vidtinc Attackiiijj^ the Herd of Hcer," S(;voral lar;,^' hawks, and some hcantii'ul s(|uirrels. Ifiiviii;^: added coiisiderahly to his collection, Ik' he^^an a<:::iiii lo think of returning' to England, to increase tin? drawinii:s already in tin; jirocess of jiuhlication there. "Onr ])lans," he ^vrites, aventh of .lanuary took passage in the splendid steamer IMiiladelphia for Louis- ville, payiuLf sixty dolhu's faro. \V(! were four-teen days ^cttin;;- to Louisville, having' had souk^ trf)uhlo with the en^dne, I passed my time tlu're at iMr. iJerthond's and your undo W. Bakewtdl's, and amused myself huntini:- and stullinii- hirds until tho soventh of j\rarch, when wo took a steamer for Cincinnati, and thence to A\'heeling, and so on to A\'ashinn:t()n in the mail-coach. Conj^^ress was in session, and I (>xhiltited my drawinixs to the House of liepresentativos, and received their suhsci'i[)tion as a body. 1 saw tho I*resident, Anritisli ^luseum, and on tlie sixth of IMay I took my seat in tin* «^reat hall, and |'aiil my entrance fee of (ifty ponnds, thou^rh 1 felt myself tliat I had not llic (jnalilications to entitle mo to such an honour." Soon after Ids arrival in l']n;;!any iMr. Dlaclc of Kdinhiirn^h. "I applied to 'Sh: James ""A'ilson, to ask if ho knew of any person who would undertake to correct my und;rammatical aiamiscrijitf!, and to assist mo in arran^ini;: the more seientill(^ l)iirt of the ' l)i(-»grai>hy of the IJirds.' lie ;j,ave me a card witli the address of j\Ir. W. 3[c( Jillivray, spoke well of him iuid of his talents, and away to 31r. .Alct ;illivrav I went. Ih; hud long known of mo as a natui'alist. 1 made known mv husiuoss, ami a haruain was >oon struck-, ilo au'reed to assist i \ I ( . :tl |- 1 it' \\ :i 1./ Il t Vi ii IT'J 1,1 1'K (»r A (■ 1)1 r.n\. nil', uimI correct my iiiaiiuscii|ils Inr two i^iiiiiciis per sIhcI tif sixteen piij^es, and I tlmt io^fr!i|ihy, it wivs known in l*](iinhnr;,Hi tlmt I had urriveihand Professors Jameson, < iraham, and otiiers whom I had known, eaUed on me; an;s than three ('(htions of ' NN'ilson's ( )rnitIioh»;,'y ' were alxait to he j»iihlishe(l, one by .Fameson, one l»y Sir \\. .lardine, and another hy a IMr. Drown. .Most persons would pmhalily have- heen diseouraufcd hy this infoi'ination. hut it only had a ;^oo(| elVe<'t on me, hecause sinc<^ I have heen in l]n;^dand I have studied the character of iOui^lish- men ns carefully as I studied the hirds in America. And I know full w(dl, that in lln^^Iand noV( Ity is always in demand, and that if a thin;; is W(dl known it will nut r('cei\e much suppoi-t. \Vils(tn has had his day, thou^dit I to myself, and now is my time. I will write, ami I will hope to he read; and not only so, hut I will push my puhlicatiiai with such unremitting vigour, that my hook shall come Ixdore the [aihlic before ^\ ilson's can he p>t out. " Writing- now hecame the order ol the (lay. I sat at it as soon as I awyri;^ht there, '• 1 made an arrangement with .Mr. Patrick Neill, th(i printer, who undertook the work, for 1 was from necessity my own publisher. 1 oflered this famous book to two booksellers, neither of whom would _i;iv(; me a shilling- for it, and it was fortunate that they would not ; and uu>st happy is tint man who can, as I did, keep himsfdf independent of that (da>s (»f men called the * <>:entlemon of the trade.' Pool- ^\'ilson, how happN he uduM have l)een, if he had had it in ids J)uwer to bear the exjx uses of his own b(,'autiful work ! ^ i;i;vi i:\vs <»i' iiis iiook. 17.T "March I.">, is:'.|. My 1» to 1 )i-. i liil'liiii :iiii| Mv. Mc.Miwtrir, itt riiila(lrl|iliiii, iiiid aUo oiir limidrcd pounds >ti'ilin,ii' to -Mfssis. 'I'. Walker and Sons, to lie paid to \U\ lliirlan to sccuiv tin- coji) rii,dit. and liiivc llu- liooU pnMislird I here. " Marck 2iK ls;;i. Mad.- iin iiirrcfMncnt with Mr. .1. !!. Kidd. a vouny: painter whom I ha\e known I'oi" t!ie last I'onr years, to copy some (»r my drawiu;js in oil. and to pnt liaek;^ronnds to them, St) as to make them a|ipear like pietni'es. It was onr intention to send them to the exhihilion lor sale, and to divide the anioimt hetwecn ns. lie painted eie;ht, and then 1 |iro- p(»se(l, if he witnll jtaint tln^ one hnndred en;^r;i\inu:s which (•iiniprisi> my Inst volnme ol' the ' Ihrds of America,' 1 wouhl |iav liini oiie hundred pnimds. "April ir». W\' left I'ldinhnr^h this day. and proceedcMl tt)wards London hy tho way of Newcastle, York, Jiceds, [Manchester. and liiver|)ooI. At the lattei' place We s|ient a lew da\s, and travelled on that extraordinary road called the railway, at the rate of twenty-four miles an hour. On arrivin^i' at London I fniuid it urgent foi- me to visit J*aris, to collect monies due me hy my ap-nt (I'itois) there. •'Several reviews of my work have appeared; one in ' l>Iack- weod's ]\lafrM/.ine ' is particidarly i'uvonral»l(!. 'I'he eclitor, .lohn A\ ilson of E^ ^ v^r^ '^'^ X #-5^ v^^^ #^ s:

r our situation doubly uncomfortable, there was an establishment for jerking beef on the nearer shore to the windwai'd 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 tlie 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 'jerlvcr'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 fi'om 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 thc-ir way, and as the dense mists dissolved ii; 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 ,1 M I f III 1'! 'N ^ 1 1 •11 \ ■f ■ ' 'i i' ? ! 1 178 1% LIFE OF AUDUBON, '' I ' ' '' ! I ii^Jf.^i] 'ill! the suporb featliorcd g^amc of tho swampy tliickots, and with both ho comes to offer tliom for onr aceoptanco. Ahxsltliou fallen one, descendant of an ancient lino of free-born hnnters, would that I could restore to thee thy birthright, tliy natural independence, tho generous feelings that were onee fostered in thy bravo bosom ! But the irrevocable deed is done, and I can merely admire tlie perfect symmetry of his frame, as he dex- terously throws on our deck the trout and turkeys which he has captured. lie 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 wliich tliey had snapped off lay ihwting around on the dark waters. A ride bullet was now and then sent through the eye of one of the largest, which, with a tremendous s])]ash of its tail, expired. One morning we saw a monstrous fellow lying on tho shore. I was desirous of obtaining him, to nudce an accurate drawing of his head, and, accompanied by my assistant and two of the sailors, proceeded cautiously towards him. When witliiii a few } ards, 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 iro, rose on his legs, blew in a fright- ful manner, and fell to the earth. My assistant leaped on sluyre, and, contrary to my injunctions, caught hold of tho animal's tail, when the alligator, awakening from its trance, with a last effort crawled slowly towards the water, and plunged heavilv into it. Had he thought of once flourishing liis tremendous weapon, there might have been an end of his assa.ilant'b life ; but he fortunately went in peace to his grave, where we Jeit 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. Tlie river was blocjdy for yards around, but although the monster })asse(l close by the vessel, we could not secure him, and after a while he sank to the bottom. dark e eye s tail, n\ tlio curate id two within ounce 5 hand. s hu!j;e tVight- shcrc, iimal's a last leavily endi)n?i >= lU'o ; ,ve left nothev ows of there, attercd d at a river pasf^cd a wh-ilc JOUIJNEY TlllJOrCill A PINK I5AURKN. ITli " I'iarly one morning I liii'ed a boat and two mm, with a view of n.'turninj;- to St. Angnstino hy a .sln)rt cut. Our ba^pi^c being placed on board, J bade adieu to the ollieeis and crew, and olT we started. About four in the afternoon we arrived at th( sliort cut, forty miles distant from our point of departure, and whci'o we had expected to procure a Nvaggon, but wen.' dis- appointed; so wo laid our things on the bank, and leaving one of my assistants to look after them, 1 set out, accompanied by the other and my Newfoundland dog. We had eighteen miles to go, aud as tlie sun was only two hours high, we struck off at a good rate, i'resently we entered a pine barren. The country was as level as a floor ; our path, although narrow, was well b(!atcn, having been used by the Seminole Indians for ages ; and the weather was calm, and now and then a rivulet occurrcKl, from wliich we (pienched our thirst, while the magiiolias and other flowering plants on its banks relieved the dull uniformity of the woods. When the path separated inio two branches, both seem- ingly leading the same way, I would follow one, while my com- panion took the other, and unless we met again in a short time, one of us would go across the intervening forest. Tlie 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 apjiroaching. 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 befoi'o 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 niglit ; but conceiving that the distance cuuld 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, tlie dog refused to proceed. Groping with my hands on the ground. I discovered that several trails branclied out at the spot where he lay down, and when I had selected one he went on. Vivid flashes of liglitning streamed across the heavens, tlie wind increased to a gale, and the rain poured down upon us like a N 2 If i.t ' ii ISO LIFH OF AUDUr.ON. ft i' \i ■I ll torvont. Tlio vator soon roso on tlio level ^[ronnd, so as almost to covor our foot, aneacon near St. Auj^'ustine. 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 great causeway that crosses the marshes at the back of the town. AVe 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 pei'- spiration, and covered to the knees with mud, you may imagine^ wd)at figures we cut in the eyes of the good people whom wo found snugly enjoying themselves in the sitting-room. Next morning J\rajor Gates, who had received me with much kind- ness, sent a waggon with mules and two trusty soldiers for niv companion and the luggage." UJ if CHArrEu [f. SixoNi* Floiuda Ei'isoDK : Tiik Livj; Oakkks. " Thr greater part of tlie forests of ]']ast Florida |)rinci[)ally consists of what in that country are called ' pine barrens.' In these districts the woods are rather thin, and the only trees tliat are seen in them are tall pines, of rather indifferent quality, heneath which is a growth of rank grass, hero and there mixed with low bushes and sword palmettoes. The soil is of a sandy nature, mostly flat, and consequently either covered with water (luring the rainy season, or parched in the summer and autumn, although you meet at times with ])(mds 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 ' hummock ' of live oaks and other trees, seeming as if they had been i)lanted in the wihlerness. As he i»ppr(jaclios, the air feels cooler and more salubrious, the song ul' numerous birds delights his ear, the herbage assumes a more luxuriant appearance, the flowers become larger and brighter, iuiil a grateful fragrance is diffused around. These objects cuiitribute to refresh his mind, as much as the sight of the waters of some clear spring, gliding among the nndci-growth, seems already to allay his thirst. Overhead festoons of innu- morablt! vines, jessann'nes, and bignonias, link each tree with those around it, their slender stems being interlaced as if in 1 '; •1 ; i \ I \% h i"j , ,i ■10 'V U IJ.! , i . : -, 1 i < i.. : '. <' t / 1! 1' i (■:i ! 'i ■ n 1H2 LIFE OF A[:DUH0N. ¥ r i ■ ( V ff 'iiutniil iifrcction. No sooner in tlio shade of these beautiful woods has tlie traveller finished his mid-day rejiast, than ho jiereeives small partios of men, li^ditly aeeonlred, and each bearing an axe, approachin;ji; towards his restin^'-place. '^Flu'V exehanL;-e the usual civilities, and immediately commence their labours, for they too have just finished their meal. I think 1 sec them proceeding to their work. Here two have stationed themselves (»n the oj^positc sides of the tnndv of a noble and >-enerai)le live oak. Their keen-edged and well-tempered axes seem to make no im])ression 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 m-ighbour- 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 sto[>s, and s(piaring himself with the trunk on which ho so boldly stands, ht! wiidds with sinewy arms his trusty blade, the repeated blows of which — although the tree bo as tough as it is large — will soon sever it in two. lie has changed sides, and his back is tnrncd to you. The»trunk now remains connected by only a thin strip of wood. lie 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 U2)on the ground, its echoes are repeated through the Inimmock, 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 tlu; 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 ' m ind-shakes,' while there is no ap])earancc of the sa}) having already ascended, and its pores are altogether sound, they proceed to take its measurement. Its sha})e ascertained, and the timber that is lit ibr use Liid oiil i "LIVK OAKS." 183 hy llio iiiil of luodols, whicli— lil<(3 ii'ii<:finonts of tlic skeloton of ii sliip — show tlio forms uiul sizes ruqiiirod, the 'hewers' com- iiicnco their hibours. '• Thus, reader, perliaps every known Inininiock in tlie Fh)ridiis is iinnnally attacked; and so often does it liajipen that th(^ white r(jt, or some otlier disease, 1ms deteriorated tlie quality of thi' limber, that the woods may be seou strewn with triudvs that have been found worthless, so that every year these valuable Oiiks are beeonn'ng scarcer. The destruction of the younj^ trees of this species, caused by the fall of the o-roat t.'.iuks, is of course imjnenso ; and as there are no artilicial i)lantations 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 fur it, even while it yet stands in the wood. In my opinion, formed on personal observation, live-oak liummo(dff. I accepted this kind offer, and followed hiin to his humble dwelling. There I found his wife, several children, and a number of men, who, as my host told me, were, I i j r lit ' H !■ . i I' f-/ i.rij> ]84 LIFK (»F AUDUBON. \l .1 1/ ; t< 'I 0' liii* 'M i lil<(; liiiiisoir, * livo oukors.' Snppor was i)laoe(l on u lar^^o tabic, iiii'l oil being desired to join the party, I willingly as- sented, doing my best to diiiiinisli tbo contents of tlio tin pans and dishes set before the company by the active and agreeable housewife. We then talked , 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, froiu whom I subsequently received much friendly assistance in my pursuits." ''A 1 I - •! ! } I' Is ' 1 ' hi ' i 18G LIFE OF AUDUliON. V Hi ? I < 'I ' 1. 1 i CIIArTEll XXXIII. 'I'liiiiD Flohida Episode: Tiik Lost Oxe. " A ' LTVE OAKER ' eni})loycd on the St. John's Eivci-, in East Florif'a, loft his cabin — situated on the banks of tliat stream — and, with an axe on liis shonhler, ]iroceeded towards tlio swamp, in wliich ho liad Loveral times before plied his trade of felling" and sqnai'ing" the giant trees that aftbrd 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 nnfrequently 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-defmed trail which he follows. To increase the difficult v, several trails often meet, in whicli case — unless the explorer lie jierfectly acquainted with the neighbourhood — it \\ould 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 ha^e travelled considei'ably more than the distance between his cabin and the 'hummock' which he desired to reach. To his alarm, at the moment when the log dispersed, 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. 1S7 and active, ho imagined that he had walked with more tliaii usual speed, and had i)assed the place to which he was bound, lie accordingly turniid 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, lie 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 liimself been in a like predicament. Every object he sees he at first thinlvs 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. Tliis was the case with the live oaker. The sun \\as now setting with a liery 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 pii)ing 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, tlie 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 colunmar stems of the forest trees, laden with heavy and chilling dew. Alas ! no moon, with her silvery liglit, shone on the dreary scene, and the lost one, wearied and vexed, laid liimself down on the damp ground. Prayer is always consolatory to man in every difficulty or danger, and the woodsman fei-vently prayed to his ]\raker, wished his family a ]ia})pier 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. With the dawn of day came the usual logs of those latitudes. The poor man started on his feet, and with a sorrowful heart pursued a course }' n 11* t ■I i' ,1 {'/ 1 « !;« «!• 'W ' i •t i' : ill '(i- "■ iss LIFE OF AUDUnOX. wliicli lie tliouglit iiiij^lit lead him to some lamiliai' 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 th<* 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 ]mth that led to his home, and ^\hen night again approached, the terror that had been gradually spi-eading over his mind — together with the nervous debility induced by fatigue, anxiety, and hunger — rendered him almost frantic, lie told me that at this moment he beat his breast, tore his hair, and, had it not been for the piety with Avhicli his })arents had in early life hnbued 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 sj)ent 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 nnist perish in those uuinh'ibited woods. I knew that I had walked more than fifty miles, although I hud not met with a brook from which I could cpiench my thirst, or even allay the burning heat of my pa relied lips and bloodshot eyes. "'I knew that if I could not meet with some stream I must die, for my axe was my cnily 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 in the midst of abundance, not a mouthful did I exjiect to procure, to Scitisfy the cravings of my empty stomach. Sir, may God pre- serve you from ever feeling as I did the whole of that day !' 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 wiklly 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 KlTJ,IX(t A RACCOOX. 189 drinking- its blood. With ono stroke of my axo the boast was cut in two ; in a few moments I despatelied all but the shell. Oh, sir, how much I thaidced God, whoso kindness had put tho tortoise in my way! I felt greatly renewed. I sat down at the foot c^ a pine, gazed on the heavens, thought of my poor wife and children, and again and again thanked mv (Jod for mv lite, 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 tho night at the foot of tlie same tree under Avliich his repast had been made. liefresluMl by a sound sleeji, he started at dawn to resume his weary marcli. 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, when he observed a raccoon lying squatted in the grass, liaising 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 Avanderings — his journey I cannot say — for although in the possession of all his faculties, and in broad dayhght, he was worse off than a lame man groping his way in the dark out of a dungeon, of which he knew not where tho door stood. Days one after another passed — nay, weeks in succession. He fed now on cabbajro trees, then on frog's 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 tliought 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. Ho listened so eagerly that the hum of a lly could not have escaped ^ i ' i » '• 1 \ 1 f* ' 1 :i 111 ' If I I \< i,;i^}i i Si ; J .^ I' ■ ' i IH f I 190 LIFE OF AUDUBON. fh^ I V his oar. Tlioy were indeed tlio measured beats of oars; and now, joy to tlie forlorn soul! tlie sound of human voices thrilled to his heart, and awoke the tumultuous pulses of returnino; 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 liim 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 rower;, pause, and look around. Another, but feebler scream, and they observe him. It comes — his heart flutters, his siglit 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 wik 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 thi 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, ^\e 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 IMaker could hav(i supported him for so long a time." *'' // ,/ h 'III l| i! t,- CHAPTER XXXIV. Fourth Florida Ei'isodr : String CiAr.nF.N'. ''Having heard many wonderful aocounts of a certain spring near the sources of the St. John's IJiver, in East Florida, I resolved to visit it, in order to Judge for myself. On the (Jtli of January, 1832, I left the plantation of my friend John r)iilow, accompanied by an amiabh' and accom[)lished Scotch gentleman, an engineer employed by the planters of those districts in erecting their sugar-house estal)lishments. We were mounted on horses of the Indian breed, remarkable for tlieir 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 ' King's Ivoad,' 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, wliich extended about three miles, and among the roots of which our nags had great difiiculty in making good their footing. " After this we entered the pine barrens, so extensively dis- 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 for as we could survey it, presented the same wild and scraggy aspect. My comi)anion, w ho ' hh M hi r It i I I I • 'ii ii / ii; j it ' V 192 LIFE OF AUDCr-ON. lui([ travollod tlicro before, assured iiio tliiit at particular seasons of tlic year lie had crossed Mie barrens wlien they were covered with water fnlly knee-deep — when, according- to lu"s expression, tliey ' looked most awfnl ;' and I readily believed him, as we now and tluMi piissed throngh muddy pools whiidi reached the saddle-girths of our horses. Ilen^ and there largo tracts covered with tall grasses, and resembling the prairies of the western wilds, opened to our view. Wherever the country hai)pened to be snidc a little beneath the general level, it was covered uith cyi)ress-trees, ■whose spreading arms were hung with a profusion of Spanish moss. The soil in sacli cases consisted of black mud, and was densely covered with bushes, chiefly of the magnolia family. AVe croosed in succession the heads of three branches of Haw Creek, of which the waters spread from a quarter to half a mih; in breadth, and through which we nuide our way with extreme difhculty. While in the middle of one, my companion told me that once, wdien in the very s])ot ^^here he then stood, his horse chanced to place his fore-feet on the back of a large alligator, which, not well pleased at being distin-bed in his repose, sud- denly raised his head, opened his monstrous jaws, and snapped off a part of the lip of his affrightixl 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 jiool 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 i)ine. Thousands of I. V \T> ,1 aftoi- ir()U<;li le sun f sonic obtain its of i^ o every found :led the ekly ve- o- whieli iles and cliaiige Uilating, [•ed and [sands of AIJIMVAL AT COLONEL TIERS'. 193 * niolo-liills,' or tlio liabitations of an animal hero eaUed tlu^ ' sahxinander,' and Gofers hurroirs, presented tliemselves to the eye, and j:^reatly annoyed our horses, whicli every now and tlien sank to the depth of a foot and stnnihled, at the risk of break- ing their legs, and what wc considered fully as valuable — onr necks. We now saw beautiful lalces of the purest water, and passed along a green spaee liaving a S(,!ries of them on each side of us. These sheets of water became larger and more numerous the fiirther wo 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 tneir shores being destitute of /egetation we observed no birds near them. Many tortoises, however, were seen basking in the sun, and all as we approached plunged into tlie 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 Eiver, which we had left in the morning, and the nndulated 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 Eees' negroes. Scarcely could ever African traveller have approached the city of I'im- buctoo with more excited curiosity than we felt in approaching this plantation. Our Indian horses seemed to participate in onr joy, and trotted at a smart rate towards the princijial build- ing, at the door of which we leaped from our saddles, just as the Sim was withdrawing his ruddy light. Colonel llees 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 loading to St. John's River, distant about seven miles, and navigable so far by vessois 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 ]»lea8ure sufficient to counterbalance the tediousness of my journey. ' '^ . (I !1 I 1 '^ It' 1 H'i !'l ! I ,8 1 ) {• 'I • f 1 1 11 ¥■ J I I!)l T>irF> i)V ArDLT,ON. ' ? "Tin's spriii;^' prosonis n cinMilar basin, liavinf? a diamotor of about sixty iuct, from tlio ('(>iitro of which tlio water is tlirowii 11]) with great forco, althoiiLrli it does not rise to a lieight of moic than a few inches above tlio .^'oneral level. A kind of whirl- pool is formed, or. tlie edges of which are dejioslted vast quan- tities of shells, with pieces of wood, gravel, and other substances, ^vhi(•h have coalesced into solid masses, having a very curious appearance. The water is quite transparent, although of a dark colour, but so impregnated with sulj)hur, 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- bind lakes in the neighbourhood, and its de])th 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 themsi.dves are merely reservoirs containing the residue of the waters which fall during the rainy seasons, and contributing to suj)])ly the waters of the St. Jtdin's liiver, with which they communicate by similar means. This sj^ring pours its waters into ' 1i(H's' Ijake,' through a deep and broad channel called Spring Garden Creek. This channel is said to be in some pla(^,>s I'ully sixty feet deep, but it becomes more shallow as yon advance towards the entrance of the lake, at which you are surprised to iind yourself on a mud flat covered only by about fifteen inches of water, under which the depositions from the spring lie to a de})tli of four or five feet in the form of the sol'test mud, while under this again is a bed of fine white sand. AMien 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 montli 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. " Colonel Rees showed us the remains of another spring of the same kind, which had (lri(.'d up from some natural cause. r- ^ou are about DKXTKU'S LAr\K. 1 Oi") "My companion tlio onp;inoor liuvin<:; o(MMiiiiiti()n for anotlier (lay, I requested Colonel llees to aeeonijiauy me in liis boat towards the river St. John, which 1 was desirous of seeinjy, as well as the curious couiitrv in its nei;»:hbourhood. ]Ie readilv aiiited, and after an early breakfast next morninp,-, wo set out, aecom])anied by two servants to niauag'o the boat. As wo f'lossod ' Hecs' Lake' ] observed that its north-eastern shores wei'c bounded by a deep swamp, covered by a rich growth of tall cypresses, while the opposite side itresented large marshes uiul i.'^lands ornamented by pines, live oaks, and orange-trees. "With the exception of a very narrow cliannel, the creek was covered with nymphea>, and in its tvaters 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 till' broken trees around we saw many of their nests. We followed Spring Garden Creek for about two miles and a half, and passeatiou requires, and will march in his rear, as if wo were spies watching all his moti(»ns. J lis dress, you ohsi-rve, consists of a leathern hunting-shirt, and a pair of trousers of the same material. ]I is feet are well moccasined; he wears a belt ronnd his waist; his heavy rifle is resting on his brawny shoulder; on one side hangs his ball-poueh, 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 liandle of which has been thrnst through his girdle. He walks with so rapid a step that prohably few men besides ourselves, that is, myself and my kind rLiuh^r, could follow him, urdess 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. "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 hne 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 Avell-known traces of a buck's hoof. Now he bonds 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, sto[»s at almost every tree, and [)eeps forward, as if already within SIIOOTINd A MUCK. 100 sliootiiifj; (lisfiiiicc of Ill's guiiic. lie lulvaufos niraiii ; liul now very slowly. Ilo luis roaclied tlic dcclivily, ii|ioii wliidi tlio Him sliiiK'S in nil its «;lowiii^' splendour; l>ut mark liim, ho taUi'S tlio <^m\ IVoin lii.s shoulder, has already thrown asid(» tho Iciiflier eovei'ing of tho lock, and is wi[i!nf; tiic e(lo(. of his Hint with his tongue. Now ho stands liko a monumental ll<;nre, |i(>rhai»s measurinu' tin; distancjo that lies hetween him and tlio ^amo which he has in view. His rillo is slowly raised, tlie^ report follows, and ho runs. Let us run also. Shall 1 speak to him, and ask him t\\v. result of this iirst essay ? ' I'ray, friend, what have you killed?' I'or to say, ' \\'hat liiivo you shot at?' mi^ht im[tly tlu* possibility of his havinij^ missed, and so mij^ht hurt his feelini^s. ' Xothini;' hut a liuck.' 'And wher(* is it?' 'Oh, it has taken a jump r)r so, but I settled it, and will soon ho with it. My hall struck, and must have gone through his heart.' Wo arrived at tho spot where the animal had laid itself down on tho <,n'ass, in a thicket of grape-vines, sumachs, and sjiruce-hushes, wl)erc it intended to repose during the middle of the day. The place is covered with blood, the hoofs of the deer liavo left deep prints in the ground, as it bounced in the agonies produced by its wound ; but the blood that has gushed from its side discloses the course wlii(di it has taken. Wg soon reach the s[)ot. There lies the buck, its tongue out. its ye dim, its Invath exhausted ; it is dead. '\'\w hunter di-aws his k'lifo, cuts tho 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 vultur(?s, reloads his gun, flings the venison, enclosed by the skin, upon his back, secures it with a strap, and walks off in search of metro 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 sliadoivy side of tho hills. Had it been tho spring season, he \Aould have led ns through some thick cane brake, to the margin of some remote lak(\ where you would have seen the deer immersed to his head in tho water, to save his body from the tormenting mosrpiitocs. Had winter over- I V:i| 1.1 A r ' 'I \y -^\ m ! i f I' I ' i i If u f m 1 1) r ' ' t\ f [ 1 i , * '■J :' ^i It if I ^^1 'J(.K) rjl-'K OV Al'l)l'!5()X. H])reu(l ilio earth with a euveviiig of biiow, lio would liavc .searched tlie low, damp woods, wlierc the mosses and lichens, on which at tliat period the deer ic^nls, abound, tlie trees bein^^ j^cnerally crusted witli tlieni for several feet from the ground. At one time he might have marked tlio places where the deer clears th(! velvet from his horns by rubbing them against the low stems of bushes, and where he frequently scrapes the earth with his fore-lioofs ; at another ho would have betaken himself to T)laces where jiercimons and crab-a})ples 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, lie would prepare a deer's head, placed on a stick, and creeping Avitli it amongst the tall grass of the i)rairies, would decoy the deer within reach of his rifle. But, kind reaan, that, for aui^ht I know to the contrary, may have been used by his great- grandmother, in which tlio pine-knots are to be placed when lighted. The horses stand saddled at the door. The hunter comes forth, ln"s rilh slung on his shoulder, and si)rings upon one of them, while Lis 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 arrivt.'d at the spot where the hunt is to begin, they strike lire 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 Uaze illu- minates the near objects, but the distant parts seem involved in deepest obscurity. "The hunter who bears the gun keeps immediately in front, anil after a while discovers before him two feeble lights, which are produced by the reflection of the pine Are 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 soine lost hobgoblin that had strayed from its usual haunts. The hunter, however, nowise intimidated, aiiproaches 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- numnts, secures the skin and such portions of *he flesh as he may want, in the manner already described, and continues his search through the greater jiart of the night, sometimes to the dawn of day, shooting from five to ten deer, shonld 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, pre^iare 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 imder the shade of the wood, and we must together go drivinff 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 ' :ll 1 i ^1 t. 1 Fifth Florida Episode : Sandy Island. " 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 ai)pearance of things around me, which, in i'act, looked so dif- ferent then from M'hat 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 ]'cd 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, 1 conjecture that these animals must have been scarce by the time of next ebb. Frigate pelicans chased the jager, wliich himself had just robbed a poor gull of its prize ; and all the gallinules ran with spreatl wings from the mud-banks to the tliickets 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 I COOKING BREAKFAST. 20r US that notliing 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 tho 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 M'ay 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-coraing.' Over these mud flats a foot or two of water is quite sufficient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest lieron or flamingo ; and the tide seems to flow at once over tho 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. WIio 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 thi.3, 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 ' Long Tom ' and his fishing-tackle, he marched off quietly along the shores. About on 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 tho sailors after them.' The fishes were accordingly brought, and as I had never seen a ' 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, foi', according to tlie pilot, on •i, ih f. i w >fX !!( i ' 0! . i: i I' ( I h H ]\ ;l i) )! ^1 ^ '>!■ \l '■} u 20f; LIFE OF AUDUHON. more tiir.u one opfasion 'sumo of tlicso gentry ' had followed liim, when A>'iist-deep in the water in pursnit of a more valnahle prize, nntil in self-defenee lie had to spear them, fearing- that the ' gentlenum ' might at one dart cut off his legs, or some other nice bit with which he was unwilling to part. Having filled ( ur cask from a line well, long since dug in the sand of Cape (Sable, either l)y 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, ^^'e had twenty miles to go 'as the birds fly,' but the tortuosity of the chainiels rendered our course fully a third longer. The siui 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 })ilot, 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 tlie 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 ^^ e'll reach land before the blast overtakes us ; for, gentlemen, it is a furious cloud yon.' A furious cloud indeed w as the one mIucIi 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, ' 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 !' Eeader, persons who have never witnessed a hurricane, such as not unfrequeutly 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 sweej) the waters of the shallows quite dry to quench its thirst. No respite for a moment does it aftbrd to the objects within the reach of its furious current. »' i '% A IirRHICANE. 207 Jiiko tlio soytlio 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 coUects a henp tliat might be likened to the full shcuf which the husbandman flings liy 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, anT^ 1 II |i .\ i in >\ ,> CHAPTER XXXVII. Sixth FroniDA Episode : The Wreckers of Florida. " LoNO before I readied tlie lovely islets that border the soiitli- eastern shores of the Floridas, tlie accounts I had heard of 'The Wreckers' had deeply prejudiced me against them. Often liad 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 circMimstances, much less to become liable to receive i^eir aid ; aud 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 side, and the commander of the strange schooner saluted our captain, who promptly returned the compliment. What a beautiful vessel, 1 1 H'i 1 1 ( ! \ i ', tji. n i\\\ M !■ 1 1 }i n 1 ?'•, ' M u f, t / il 1 'j! ' 9 • 1 i ft' : if . I : I'l i) 210 LIFE OF AUDUBON. WO all thoupjlit, liow trim, liow clean rip:god, and how well manned. She switns 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 passajj^e, well known to her commander, she rolls, tumbles, and dances like a f^iddy thin<2^, 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 Tortugas, I paid a visit to several vessels of this kind, in company with my friend liobert 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 1 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 me, 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 otJier 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 Ll i, 'T i FLORIDA WRKflvEltS. 211 acvonipanied mo to ft small key ciillud liooby Island, about ton iiiilfH distant from tho liglithouso. 'J'licir boats wore well miiiniod, and rowcid with \o\v^ and steady strokes, sufh as whalers and men-of-war's men arc wont to draw. Tho ('ai)tain 8an{jf, and at times, by way of frolic, ran a raee with our own beautiful bark. Tho JJooby Islo was soon reached, and our sport there was equal to any wo had elsewhere. They were capital shots, had excellent f2;uns, and knew more about boobies and noddies than nine-tenths of the best naturalists in tho 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 souKi extensive key, and iu a few hours jn'ocure a supply of delicious venison Some days after the same party took mo on an expedition in qi^est of sea shells. There we were all in tho water at times to the waist, and now and then much deeper. Now they would dip lik(3 ducks, and on emerging would hold up a beautiful shell. This occupaticm they seemed to enjoy above all others. Tho duties of tho JNIarion having been per- formed, intimation of our intendeci departures readied 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 mo 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 ])y 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 Strobel, having r 2 • r 111 »• ■. )^^1 I i I' i i r ■ il i .l « 1 ■' 212 MI'H OF AdDinjdN. ' i' ! f > }' h f ' fiinilsliod mo witli n gniplilc lUH'ount of u fi3W days ho spont with tlK'iii, I sliiill proscnt yon witli it in liis own words. " 'On tlic ritli (lay ol' Scptcnilx-r, wlill(* Ivin^ in luirhonr nt Indian Koy, wo svcm'o joinod hy iivo wriicivinfi; vcsscl.s. Tlicir lit'onsi'S li!ivin<>: oxpin-d, it was ncecssury to ^o to Koy West, to roiK'w tlicm. W(! l pcMlt n>civ »ftt, to next ^vor«li^ crews. (liviy, jUs. I Is wer«> u iivst- miourctl lite an 1 ¥ ; 1 ' ■t ' .1 1 ill I). I i ) I ii: I ' r ^( h ? V '1 ! ' ■r ■'t 1 i 1 '' i .-.-KT' ^ 2J(j LIFE OF AUDUBON. ( . \ ,1^ :(' 1^ < li i It if 1 1 ^5 ' CHAPTEK XXXVIJl. Seventh Florida Episode: The Tuutlehs of Flouida. " The Tortugas are a group of islands lying about eiglity 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 turtlers. 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 igDoiu,nt or careless navigator has .suffered shipwreck. The whc>le 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 tlie limpid waters above thera. 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 * oggers,' 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, 1 gladly embraced the ojiportunity of seeing those celebrated T^ A GLORIOUS SUNSET. 217 ■f miles 311(1 the reiuely esorted Durtlers. ltliou<;li rers, as duties or wall in the 1 careless around |iGr pro- itaceous fill the |»s resort md, and [purpose, ion tht'ir »n;o tlu'ir [sitioa of Itugas, 1 blebrated islets. A fow hours before sunset thi^ joyful cry of * land ' iiniiounced our approach to them, but as the breeze was fresh, and the pilot was well acquainted with all the wiiidiii<>s of the channels, we held on, and drojiped anchor before twilight. If you havt- never seen the sun setting in those latitudes, I would recommend you to make a voyage for the purpose, for 1 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 wliich night draws over the world. The night-hawk is flapping liis noiseless wings in the gentle sea breeze ; the terns, safely lauded, have settled on their nests ; the frigate pelicans are seen wending their way to distant mangroves ; and the brown gaunet, in search of a resting-place, has perched on the yard of the vessel. Slowly advancing landward, their heads alone above the watcM", 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 hreathings, indicative of sus2)icion 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 ' fla[)pers ' 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 eggs, 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. :| t.r V I: ' y 1 i : rill ii 'Mi i i li| I if 218 LIFE OF AUDUBON. It % H II ' )i ht "But the Tortugas are not the only breeding-places of the turtle : these animals, on the contrary, fn.^quent 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 craivh 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 iu April, and lays from that period until late in June three sets of eggs, each set averaging a hundred and seventy. The inmk tm-tle, 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 mav 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, from which it makes its retreat as speedily as possible, and betakes itself to the open sea. i. TURTLES DEPOSITING THEIR EGGS. 219 Great iiuinbcrs, however, are killed by the turtlers and Indians, as well as by various species of carnivorous 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 dei)ositing 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 arc 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 roimd 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 fiappers, 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 tlie loose sand back over the eggs, and so levels them and smooths the surface, that few persons on seeing the sjiot could imagine anything had been 'li :■ I ) ill ' if* ( 1 (». 1 t 5;, M I hi i I :i: I i i '-1 ■ 1 ■ I 220 LIFK OF AUDUBON. I 'li It i piiig her egg;, she will not move, althoug"li one should go up to her, or even sc t 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 ujjset 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 a / 1^ (■ Journey in New Brunswick. " The morning after that we had spent with Sir Archibald Campbell and his delightful family, saw us proceeding along the sh(^res of St. John's Kiver in the British province of New JJruns- wick. As we passed the government house our hearts batle its generous inmates adieu ; and as we left Frederickton behind, the recollection of the many acts of kindness which we liad 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 adding to our knowledge, and the possession of health and vigour, we were luxuriating in happiness. The Favourite, the bark in which we were, contained not only my lamilv, but nearly a score and a half of individuals of all n c! THE ST. .lOlIN'S IIIVKR. 22;") descriptions; so tliut tho crowded stiito of licr cabin soon bcpm to })rov(' rather disagrecnible. Tlie boat itself was ii more scow, conmianded by a person of ratlior uneoutli aspect and ru:ro yonth less than half clad, with a lon<^ switch in one hand and the joined bridles in tho otlu'i', strivin!|»' with all his nii^'ht to urge them on at the ratc^ of soniethinfi; more than two miles an honr. How fortnnato it is for one to jiossess a little knowledge of a trne traveller ! I'dljuwing th(^ advice of a ^y tlio wiitcrs of tin' rnkiokc. "There Sainlto led iiis steeds ii|) the sides of ii liij,di liaiilv. when, lo! tlio whole purtv t'lune tiiiuhlinu' down lil;e s(» luuiiv ho<'shcads of tobiicco rolled I'roni ii htoiohouse to tho hiinlvH of the Ohio. He ut the stocriiijj^ our, ' lloi»ed thu bliieU niscal liud l)roken his nock,' and con^^nitulated himsell'in the sunie breath for the siifoty of his horses, which presently ^ot on their feet. Sambo, however, ulert us un Jmliun chief, lea[K!d on the naked back (jf one, and, showing his teeth, lan;4hed at Ids nnistei's curses. Shortly after this, we ionnd our btiat very snuj^Iy secured on the toj) of a roek, midway in tlie sti'cam, just op- posite the month of J'^el iiiver. Next day at noon — nom^ injiu'ed. but all chop-fallen — wo weni landed at Woodstock \'illa«i;e, vil in its infancy. After dining there, we procnn.'d a curt and an excellent driver, and proceeded along an execrable road towards Houlton, in iMaine, glad enough, after all our mishaps, at lindiii^' ourselves in our own country. IJut 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 j)assage during the rest being performed on the ice, of which we were told that last season there was an unusual quantity ; so nnich indeed us to accumulate, by being jammed at })articular spots, to the height of nearly fifty feet abov*; the ordinary level of tho river, and that when it broke loose in tlie 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 dei)th of four feet. Foi'tunattdy, however, as on the greater streams of the Western and Southern districts, such an occurrence seldom takes place. •' ]\raj(a' Clarke, commander of the United States garrison, received us with remarkabh^ kindness. The next day was s[)ent in a long, though fruitless, ornithological excursion ; for althoii^li we were ac(*omj)anied by ofllicers and men from tho guj-rison, not a bird did any of our i)arty procure that m as 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 directiou ot Bangor. Houlton is a neat village, consisting of sonu? tii'ty I'MJOM nANCiOl} To iiori/roN. OO- ,v liters Imnk. miiny bvcivtli iv I'crt. jnivstoi's just <>1>- . injurctl. lag*', ytl ft and 'M ,it tindin,^ ■ell to t^K' iavi|i!vtiiii>- any list' to 111, hiving a llirectiou ')l soiue iilty lioiiscs. 'VUo I'ort is Wfll situatod, and conunands a line view ol' Mars Hill, wliicli is alicjiit thirteen niih'S distant. A eiistoni- lioup'^ has boon erectol horo, tho place hcinp; on the boundary line .a tho United States and tlu; llritish |>r(»vinees. Tho road, whieh was cut by tho soldiers of tliis garrison, from J>an<;-or to Ifoultun, through tlio forests, is at this moment a lino tnrn|iilve of ^roat breadth, almost straiji;ht in its whole len^^th, and pcr- liii[>s the best now in the Union. It was ineomidctc, howovcr, lor some miles, so that our travellin;*' over that portion was slow mid disa;i;reeable. Tho rain, whieh fell in torrents, redueed the iiuwly-iaised earth to a ('()mi)l(te bod of mud ; and at one time our horses bccamo so completely mirod that, had wo not boon extricated by two oxen, wo must have spent the ni;;ht near tlu! spot, .bijr^ing alouf^ at a very slow pace, wo were overtaken by a ^ay waf^;j:ouor, who had exc(dlent horses, two of which a litth; 'siller' indiirod him to join to ours, and we were taken to a tavern at tho 'cross roads,' where wo spent tho ni,i»ht in comfort. While supper was preparino;, I made iiapiiry ro- spcctini^ birds, quadrupeds, and tlshcs, and was pleased to hoar that all of these animals abounded in tho neijj^hbourhood. Doer, bears, trouts, and grouse, were (piite plentiful, as was the great grey owl. AVhon we resumed our journey next morm'ng Nature displayed all her loveliness, and autumn, witli her mellow tints, her glowing fruits, and her rich fields of corn, smiled in placid beauty. IMany of the fields had not yet been reaped ; the fruits of tho forests and orchards hung cluster- ing around us ; and as we came in view of the Penobscot ]tiver, our hearts thrilled with joy. Its broad transparent watei-s here spread out their unru tiled surface, there danced along the rai)ids, while canoes filled with Indians swiftly glided in every direc- tion, raising before thorn tho timorous waterfowl, that had alr{\idy llockod in from the north. IMountains, which you well know are indispensable in a beautiful landscape, roared their majestic crests in tho distance. The Canada jay leaped gaily from branch to twig; the kingfisher, as if vexed at being suddeidy surprised, rattled loudly as it swil'tly flew off; and the fish-liank 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 l /< /' ■':! J '■ 1 i' i' I < t ) !:, i i 228 LIFK OF AUnUBOX. !i4 1 t i i i U i«i 1- J wV' 1'' JW fi j f'/ii N {/ " i, 9* jL > ' ^' ^3 1 ' It » It ' iJL from onr roj)lonislie(l storos. A few rare birds were proonrfd 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 th(^ i)eople saw our vehich^ approach with mucli surprise. They, however, assisted us witli pleasure, by placing a few logs across, along which our horses, one after the otlier, were carefully led, and the cart after\var(]s carried. These good felh)ws were so averse to our recompensing tliem for tlieir labour that, alter some altercation, we were obliged absolutely to force what we deemed a suitable reward upon them. Next day we continued our journey along the J^enobscot, the country changing its iis^x^ct at every mile ; and when we first descried Old I'own, that village of saw-mills looked like an island covered with manufactories. The people liere are noted for their indu4ry and perseverance, and any one possessing a mill, and attending to his saws and the float- ing of the timber into his dams, is suic to obtain a comi)et('n('y in a few years. " Speculations in land covered with jiine, lying to the north of this place, are carried on to a great oKtent, and to discover a good tract of such ground many a milltn- of (Jld Town under- takes long journeys. l\eader, 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 fiom an exploring tour. About the first ut' August he formed a party of sixteen persons, each carryiiifj 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, t\\ o 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 tli( y reached the Seboois Lakes, the principal of which lie in a line, \Nil!'' short portages between them. Still proceediiiLi' north-west, they navigated these lakes, and then turning west. carried their canoes to the great lake ' Baamchenunsganiook:' thence north to ' Wallaghasquegantook ' Lake; then alone: hi ttcd I the will I orscs, musing Averc reward iv- the 3; iwA people' ind iii»y he floii^- ipctcni'V nortl\ of liseovcv a undor- ;\\\ lu've ,1s, as Ik' first oi' carryiii? d of t\v«' I and fifty ^ ^VassatiV• intil tlv.y I lie in '> nroceediii;-^ Iriiin? ^vest. Lsganioolr, then aloiig LOOKING FOR "LI\MP,KH LANDS." ''.'li) a small stream to the upper ' Umsaskiss ' Poml, when they reached the Albiipjash IJiver, whieh leads into the St. John's, in ahout latitude 47° 3'. 3lany jtortions of that country had not been visited before even by the Indians, who assured i\lr. Gillies of this fact. Thev continued their travels down the St. John's to the grand falls, where they met with u portage of half a m\]o, and, having reached jMedux-mekcag Creek, a little above \\'oodstock, the party walked to Iloulton, having trav(dled twelve hundred miles, and described almost an oval over the country by the time they returned to Old Town on the IVnobscot. While anxiously looking for * lumber lands,' they ascended the em'uences around, then climbed the tallest trees, and, by means of a great telescope, inspected the i)ine 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 watei', that they never afterwards forget the different spots at all worthy of their attention. They had observed only a few birds and quadru[)eds, the hitter 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 Kivei', and the lake of the same name to jMatunemheag liiver, due south-west of the St. John's, and, after a few portages, fell into the Penobscot. I had made airangements to accom- l),iny 3[r. 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 beautii'ul town, we found very comfort- table lodgings in an excellent hotid, and next day proceeded by the mail to Boston." The following chai)ter gives some further knowledge of \\hat Audubon saw during his journey through tin' interior ' 'f j\laiuo. h i II! It •Af u I?, 'I ■ li II ■ i ■ i i ft ', i H i!i 230 LIFE OF AUDURON. CITArTER XL. FiPisoDKs IN Maini;: The Maink LrMnicRMKN*. " The men who are employed in cuttiii<^ down the trees, and conveying the logs to the saw-mills or the places for shipping, are, in the State of J\Iaine, called ' lumberers.' Their labours may be said to begin before winter lias commenced, and, while the ground is yet uncovered by any great depth of snow, thoy 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 oxon (m 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 gi'ouud is often covered with the decaying trunks of immense trees, which have fallen either from age or in consequence of accidental bui'nings. These trunks, and the undergrowth which lies entangled in their tops, render many places almost im])ass- 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. Thrn. reader, is the time for witnessing the exertions of their tine large cattle. No rods do their drivers use to pain their (lanks ; no oaths or imprecations are ever heard to fall from tlw; lips ot these most industrious and temj)erate men; for in them, le^ TIlEATiMKNT OF THE OXKX. 231 ocs, aiKl Clipping'' lal)0iir3 id, wliilo ow, tliey e forests, ;ciit, and to tliem. iclos, to- ll by oxon ir mrti'cb rccpiontly 1, as the immenst' wem'Q ot ,vtli ^vlli'•^' st imV'A^^' somctini*'!^ [q eirt'Uin- le. Thru, jthciv \\w loir ll!inl<^ ; Itlio lil'^ f^' \\ llieni, iis indeed in most of tlie inhabitants of our Eastern States, ednea- tion and liabit liavo tempered the passions and rodneed the nioi'id eonstitution to a state of linrmoiiy— ^nnv. th<' sr,bri<'tv that exists in niMiy of tin' viil;i;2'<'S of ^NJaiiu" I luivr ()!"|(>n con- si'lercd as eari'ied to (wecs^. I'oi- on ;iskin.;" fir liriimly, rnni. or wliiskey, not a drop could I (»l)tjiin ; audit is probnMc tlicro was an equal lack of spirituous li(|U()rs of every otluT kind. Now and then 1 saw some j^ood old wines, hut tlicy were always drank in careful luoderation. Ihit to rotnrn to the nianag-cnient of the oxen. \\ iiy, reader, the Ininhci'ers speak to them as if they were rational beinus : few words seem to sullice, and their whole strength is applie(l to tin; labour, as if in gratitude to those who treat them with so much j^entleness and humanity. " While present, on more than one occasion, at wdiut Americans call ' plouohin<»; matches,' which they h=vve annually in many of the States, I liavc been highly gratified, and in particular at one — of which I still have a strons: recollection — and which took place a few miles from the fair and hospitable city <^f Boston. There I saw fifty or more [)loughs drawn by as many pairs of oxen, which perf(U'nied their woi'k with so much accu- racy and regularity, without the iidlietion of whip or rod, l>ut merely guided by the verbal mandates of the ploughmen, that I Avas perfectly astonished. After surmounting all obstacles, the lumberers, with their stock, arrive at the spot which they have lial e snows and the prepare n being applies readied d tlio of ail bmer, do<2:-days n diall ()\\, kiioii aii> tlie trout have found a retreat : the sharp slimy angles of multitudes of rocks project, as if to atiford resting-plaees to the wood ducks and lierons that breed on the borders of these streams. Thourjaials of ' saw-logs ' remain in every pool, be- neath and above each rai)id or fall. The miller's dam has been emptied of its timber, and he must now resort to some expedient to procure a fresh sujiply. 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 ])leasure that it was seen in company with my little family. 1 wish, for your sake, reader, that I could describe in an ade- (piato manner the scene which I viewed ; but although not so well (jualified as 1 could wish, rely upon it that the desire which 1 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 lios}»itablo 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 irorires. One of the latter is situated about half a mile ab(jve 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 wati'r, 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 jjlaces so close as to have formed a kind of dam. Above the gorge there is a largo natural reservoir, in which the head waters of tlu; creek settle, while only a small portion of these ripide through the gorge below, during the latter weeks of summer and in early autumn, when their strei>ms are at the lowest. At the neck of this basin the lumbei »'S raised a temporary barrier with the refuse of their sawn logs. The boards were i)lanted 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 fi-om giving way under the pressure of the rising waters by having strong abutments of wood laid V \ l! /< . \ ,1' I' ' 2;m LIFE OK AinM'BON. •< M^ i \ i agftiiiHt its oontro, wliilo tlio ends of thoso nbiitnuMits wore sofurcd l)y wcd^jcs, wlu'cli could bo knockod off wlicn nccoHsary. l^lie temporary dam was now ilnislied. Jiittlo or no water eseajied tlirou^'li the bai'rier, and that in the ereek above it rose in the course of three weeks to its to]), which was about ten feet hijuh, formini>: a. sheet tliat extended upwards fully a mile from the dam. J\[y family were invited early one iiiorn- iufj; to ffo and witness the extraordinary eflect which would be produced by the breaking down of the barrier, and we all accompanied the InmlxM-ci-s to the ])lace. Two of the m(>n, on reachino; it, threw off their jackets, tied handkc^rchiefs round their heads, and fastened to their bodies a lonices, or, [)lunging into the water, dived and WTITTE-IIEAl) ISLAND. 237 own inilod n tlio n'l" eaa th WYV kt wit 1 1 hess oT jiitli its lof the ravftu away itically rosfi again at a great distance ; tlio broad-breasted eider duck covered her eggs among the grassy tufts ; on a naked rock tbo seal lazily busked, its sleek sides glistening in tlu^ sunshine ; while shoals of por))oises 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 lishing-bark. Cape after cape, forming eddies and counter-currents far too terrific to be desci'ibed by a landsman, we passed in succession, until we reached a deep cove near thc^ shores of AVhite-head Island, which is divided from Grand lAlanan by a narrow strait, where \\e anchoi-ed 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 iifteen hundred acres. IIo received us all with politeness, and gave us [)ermission 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 uhnost every tree of a wood that covered several acres. What a treat, readay,' where we anchored for tho night. Leaping on tho rugged shore, we made our way to the lighthouse, where wo found Mr. Sncdling. a good and honest Englishman, from Devonshire. His family consisted of three wild-looking lasses, beautiful, like tho most finished productions of Nature. In his lighthouse, snugly en- sconced, he spent his days in peaceful forgotfulness of the world, subsisting principally on tho fish of the l)ay. 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 such 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 tho forest, all of which seemed then intent on offering up their thanks to the object of my own adoration ! But the wish could not hi.' gratified, although 1 now feel satisficMl that 1 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 \ H CATCH I xu \VA'i"i:u I'owr,. •j;'.',i hI me i('(l lis ro we re, we ('llin(! loyoil as proptT u roUcil ne NvitU L-om til*' lop.s of tlio troos, tlio rosy grosbeak nii)[)ocl tlic tender blossoms (tf the niajde.s, and Iii^di overhead the loons passed in pairs, ra[)idly Nvendinf; tlic^ir way toward i'ar-di,-,tant shores. ^\^»uId that I eoidd have IbUowed in their wake! The honr of oiir d<'|iartnre had <'oine, and, as wo sailed ui> the hay, every one, niakiii;^; ehoiee ot" his course, went in search of curiosities or provender. Now, reader, the little liarhour in which, if yon wish it, we shall siqtpose wi; still are is renowned for a circumstance which 1 feel much inclined to endeavour to explain to you. Several species of ducks, that in niyriaarticnlar spot in a very sinj^nlar mainu'r. Wlu.'U duly has come, all the water birds that arc no lon;^er capiihle of reproducing remain, like so many forlorn bachelors and old maids, to renew their plumajj^o aloni^ the shores. At the period when these poor birds are unfit for flij^ht, troo[)H of Indians make their appearance in light bark canoes, paddled by their srpiaws and })apooses. They form their llotiLa 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 and paddles, Territi(;d by the noise, the birds swim a long way before them, endeavouring to escape with all their might. The tide is high, everv 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 l>irds left on tlu^ beach. See with what })leasuro each wild inhabitant of the forest seizes his stick, the srpiaws and younglings following with similar weai)ons ! Look at them rushing on their prey, fiilling 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 Le[)reaux, when the Fancy ead her wings to the breeze. In one harbour we \ ) ' i< !1 f !■ I I 111 \ ■' \. !l \ 240 LIFE OF AUDrnox. '■ I h'i n fished lor sliclls, witlj ii ('iipitiil sninetl avds us, ecu uo bank a lit placed "lalft^ow Ivee tVct liter the >u look- hnng, ^^*^ jght tide- Ive stands On we move swiftly, for tliu brco/o liiw rrcslioiicd ; iiuiiiy islands wo jiuss in HiKJccssioii ; the wind inm'oascs to a ^mIc Willi reefed siiiis wo dusli ulonj^, and now ra[»idly pass a iu-avilydaden sloop, jjfallantly runnin;^ across our course witli undiminished sail, when suildeuly W(^ see lu'r upset. IStaves and spars are lloatinj^ around, and pi'esontly we (thserve tliruo men scraniblinj^' u[) lier sides, and seatin;^ theniselvos on tlio keel, wiiere they niako siuiials of distress to us. Ily this time wo have run to a j^reat distance; but Clared^i-o, cool ami prudent, as every seaniau (iii'dit to be, has alreadv isrtUed his orders t(t the hebnsman and crew, and, now near tho wind, we f^raihialiy apia-oach tho siiHerers. A Hue is tlnown to thoni, and next nu>nient wo aro iilon^side tho vessel. A fislior's boat, too, has notic(!d tho disastoi", and, witli lon<^ strokes of la)r oars, advances, now rising nil the curlini^ wav(\ and now sinking out of si^dd. lly our mutual ollbrts the men aro brought on board, and the sloop is slowly towed into a safo harbour. In an hour after my piii'ty WHS safely landed at East port, where, on looking over tho waters, and observing the dense nnisses of vapours that veiled the shore, we congratulated ourselves at having escaj' d from tlic ]><(>/ of Fundi/.'' vi \'l •I 1 1 1 ^^'!i I ,, ., I li 3i " M l— KM I LW ■^■■P 24'J LIF'fi OF AUDTT.()N. nil <\) Ui ' /.' R ' : J CRArTEPt XLTF. rJF.TruN' TO Jj(x-;tox — "\V.\N'iii;i!iN(;s i\ tiik Xi;i(;iinorr!Tioop — Voyaoi" to l,.\i!i!.\ii(»K IN Tin: S{ iiOdNKu I!ii'M;v — ]\ris.\i)Vi:NT[i!i:s AT Ijiti,); ]!ivi:u — Si:ai, and l\Ifi) Islands — 'I'liK Ott ok Canskm'. FnoM Fi'<'(l(^n"('lvtou Andubon v- tnnicd in ji jirivaio convpyniipe to Iloiilton, tlu'iKM; iilonii" tlio Ihiited States military road to JJaiig'or, and tlu'iico by j)ul)li(* stau'cs to ]^)Oston, wlici-c lie jirrivcd early in October. I''indiiii>; that it would iin[>rov(! liis PTeat work on tlu.' '" l>ird^" to remain another vear in Amerion. and visit |iarls of the eduntry yot unexplored by him, Audubon determined to send bis oldest son Victor to Enulaud, to su])erintend the enii,-i'aviii;j^, and to look aftcn* Ids o-cncral interosts tlier(». Victor Audubon aceoi'iliniily sailed from New Yoi'k for Iiiver]iool, toward the end <»f Octobei-. \vhil(! his fatlicr remained in IJoston dui'ini;- that and the followin;^* winter, actively en'raii"e(l in makinu' (b'awinus of ncnv birds which lif ]iad (bscovored, and also in redi-awing and tiit'atly improviiiir sonui of his older drawinj^s. Ilo also madt^ frequent excursions into the surrounding' country. " Ib>re," savs the .b.nirnal, " I was witiu^ssto the melanclioly death of tliop^reat S|)ur/beim, and was myself suddenly atta(d'''^^' his I'rttlifV ,vjr wiutfV, ucss, Nvlue^^ soon lie* 1 1 Wi'S l,r my I'C^^*"' and poll. lS\y wishes dirootincj mo to Tiiibrador, I n^tnrnod ortstwiinl witli iny yoiingost son, and liad tho ])l(>asnro of bcin^; joined by fonr yonnp: o-cntlGnion, all fond of natural history, and willini:!; to ('ne(Mint(M' the difllcnltios and ])rivations of tlu^ voya^'O — Goori,'o Shattnck, Thomas Linooln, A\'illia)n In^'alls, and ,[os(^})h Coolidgo." '['ho S(di()on(.'r liiploy was ohartorol at r)oston for iifteon linndnMl dollars for the ti'ip to T^abrador. The journal contain- iiiLi' the narrative boiiins at J'^astport. ''June 4, ISl.'l. Tlio day has Ihm'ii Inie, and I dined with Captain Cliilds, eoniinaudinii' the Tnited States troojis here. Wo had a pleasant dinner, but 1 am impatient to be undcn* weijili for Labrador. The vessel is beiufij prepared for our reception and departure; and we have eoncduded to ship two extia sailors, and a boy, to be a sort of major-(l(»mo. to elean our i;uns. hunt for nests and birds, and assist in shinninu- them, &c. \MiiK' rambling in the woods this morning I discovered a erow's nest with five young ones in it, and as I elimbed the tre(^ the ])arents came to the rescue of their children, crying loudly and witli sn(di ])erseveranco, that in fil'teen minutes more than fifty pairs of these birds had joined in tlieir vociferations, although I saw only a single pair when I began to (dinib the tree. ^^ Juno 6. Wo sailed I'rom l^astport about on(> o'clo pushed dtV with a trilling accident or so, the batteries of the garrison and the cannon of the revenue cutter in the stream saluteil us with stout, loud, and oft-repeated r(>ports. Captain (_*of»lidge accom- panied us, and was, indeed, our pilot, until we jiassed liubec. The wind was light and ahead, and yet with the assistance of tlie tid(^ we drifted twenty-live miles down to Litth^ Tiiver during the night. '' Jioip 7. This mf)rniug found us i-iding at anchor near some uuly-looking ro(dis. tlu^ sight of whi(di eanri^d our captain to try to get out of their way. and the whole morning was spent in trying lo get into Little l^iver, but the men wci'e unable to tow i: 2 '' \^ If" ( ' L C I t LIFK OF AI'DUnOX. US in. We liindod for a few minutes and shot a hermit tlirnsli, l>ut the wind spraufj^ up, iind we returned to the vessel and tried to put out to sea ; we were for a tin) ■ in (hmger of dril'tint; upon the rocks, but tlie wind increased, and we made our way out to sea. Suddenly, liowever, the fog* cauK; driftinjj; in, and was so tliiek that we couhl luirdly see the l)(»wsprit, and tlic ni<;lit was spent in direful ap|irehension of some iinpendinji' evil ; altliouuh, ahout twelve, srpialls of wind decided in our favour, and win ii day chiwiK (1 the; wind was blowing iVcsh from the north, and W(^ Were driving on the waters, all sea-sick, and crossing that worst of all (h'eadful bays, the Day of Fundy. " June 8. We sailed between Seal and ]\[ud 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 n^oi-e, and the whole island is covered with them, looking like nit iioles. They lay three white eggs." The next two days recorded in th(> Journal describe the winds and sights, and birds which were seen as the voyngers scuddeci from Cape Sable to the (jiut of Cansean, so named by the early French voyagers, because they found vast rpiantities of wild geese there. The wind was fair, and the captain of the l(il>ley wished to continue his course to Labrador. Hut Audiilinn. anxious to e.\plor<' t'very p;irt of tlu; coast along v.liieh they were sailing, }»ersnaded the eaptain to come te anelior in a harbour in tin- (;!ut of Canseau, of tin; same naiiit". Here he ftauul twenty sail of Labrador lishei-men at anchor, and obtained the ini'ornuition which enabled him to writ*,' the lullow- ing episode. i\^ e.l )0U to i so ^Yas vluu ^ovst u tUc vully ; ivovo, lie r.\i of Nvi^'^ of t^>e 1-. ^>"t st ivl»il»'r' lilt' UlVUlt^ ("HALTEli XJ.II. I'j'isoDi: : C(>ii-l'"i>iiiMi IN I,.\r.i;.\iii>i;. "Although I had seen, as I thoiiulit, abmulaiico of fisli aloiii^ tlio coasts of till! I'lovidas, tlio imnil»ors \\liicli I I'ouial in ].al)va(lor (luite astonished mc Should your surjtrise while rcadinji; the iV)llo\vini;' statements he as ^I'eat as mine was while eliservinjjj th(! facts related, ydu will (H»nelnde, as I have often (liiuc, tliat Nature's means lor providinif small animals Ibi* tho use of lariie ones, and vice versa, are as ample as is the firandctir ef that world which she has so curiously constructed. The coast of Labrador is visited hy Jhu'opi^iu as well as American iislicr- iticii, all of whom are, 1 belit.'ve, entitled to claim ]»ortions of lishiii"^ g'round, assi;^-ne(l to each nation by mutual understautHng. ]'\)r the present, ]u)\vever, 1 shall conline my ol)Si'rvations to those who (diielly engage in tin's d<'parlm('nt of our commerce. Eastport in ]Maine sends out every year a aoedjy fleet of schooners and '}»ick-axes' to Labi'ador. to procure cod, mac]m any spirits iue allowed ; beef, })ork, and biscuit, with water, being all they take with them. The men are supplie(l with warm clothing, I ■: ■i I' ii r 'jk; I.IFK OF audi; HON. r 1' k> ir i ( '!» II watc. -proof oil jackots and trousovs. lariic boots, Itroad-ltrinnucd hats with a roiiiid oown, and stont mittoiis, \vilh a few sliiits. The owner or captain furnishes tlien^ willi ]in(\s, 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, sonio containiiiL!; salt, and others for the oil that uiay bo jtrocui'ed. The bait f2,onorally uscmI at the be^innini;: of the season consists of nnissels, salted for the* ]>ui-pose ; but as soon as tlio capelinps reach th(^ coast, they an.' substituted to save ox[)ense; and. in many instances, the ilesh of gannets and other sea-fowl is cni- itlovcd. The wa;:>;cs of iishermoii vary from sixteen to thirtv dollars per uionth, accordini;; to the qualilications of the iii(h"- vidual. The labour of these men is excessively hard, for, unless on Sunday, their allowance of rest in the Iwenty-ibur hours seldom exceeds three. The cook is the only person who faivs better in this res})ect, but he must also assist in curin«2^ the li>Ii. lie liiis breakfast, consisting' of coffee, bread, and meat, ready tor th(^ captain and the whole crew, by three o'clocdc every morning" except Sunday. Ea(di ])erson carri»;s with him his ilinner ready cooked, which is commonly eaten on the HsIijul;' ground. 'I'hus, at three in the morning, the crow aro prepare(l for their day's labour, and ready to betake themselves to tlieir boats, each of which has two oars and lug-sails. They all de[iurt at once, and either by rowing or sailing, reach the banks to which the lishes are known to resort, 'i'he little squadron (hup their anchois a.t short distances from each other, in a depth ef I'rom ten to twenty feet, and the business is immediately voux- menced. Ivich man has two lines, and each stands in one einl of the boat, the niiddhi of which is boai'ded off to hold the lisli, The bailed lines have been dropped into the water, one on each si still good, and over the ' t '1 Invts. T\u> I'UVCtl. iu(\. iu ir; CMW- tliivty i(> w\\- , unless IV hours 1\0 I'iUL'S it, iviuly liiiu liis ic lisliiii;^ |)vr\)iuv\' u < leptli in oiu' t'lul lid tlic tisli t .in k, til ihvoNVs tU'' his l'i»'''^' If ll\(' l""b; 'i^i,. hivit i^ H'S, to rali'l^ lui>. i»iul thr ily ^vlyii''; "' COD-riSllIN(i. 247 OiU'h 011(1, tlu! o]iornti()n is contiiUK^d. until tho hoat is so ladcii tliat lici* jj:iin\val(! is l»roUL(ht witliiii a low inclics of the surlac't', wlicii tlioy return to tho vos.s(d in harhoiir, srldoni distant more than ei^dit miles I'roin the banks. Dnrini; tho [i^rcater part of tho day tho lishornu'n Jiave ke[)t U[> a eoiistnnt eonv(Msation, of uliieh tho topics are the pleasures (»!' lindinii; a ^(hA supply of (•(111, their domestic affairs, the political [)ros[iccts of tla^ nation, luid other mattcn's similarly connecte(l. Now the repartoo of oiu! elicits u laiij^di from tho other ; this passes trom man to man, and the whole tlotilla onjov the iolvc. The men ol' oik^ boat strive to outdo those of the others in liii'tlini>' up the lii'oatest fjnantity of iish in a ^iven time, and this titrms another source of merriment. The boats are p'lierally lilled ab.mt tho same time, and all rctnin tou'ether. Arrived at the vessel, each man em[>loys a pole armed with a bent iron, reseml)!iii,t2; i\ui jironu' of a hay-foi'lc, with wliich he |tierees tho tish and throws it \\itha jei'k on deck, coniitinu" the number thus di.x'haru'ed with a loiul voic(». \'];u-\\ cari;-o is thus safely deposited, and the boats instantly return to tho lishiiifi^ uronnd, when, after anchor- iiiir. the men eat their dimiei- and beiiin anew. 'I'here, j^ood reader, with your leave, 1 will let them puisne their avocations tor awhile, as J am anxious that you should witness what is doing Oil l)oard the vessel. Tho captain, four nu'n.and tin; cook have, ill the coiirsi^ of the morning, erecti'd long tables fore and aft of the main hatchway. They have taken to the shoi-e most of tho salt barrels, and have placed in a row their large empty casks to receive tho liv(;rs. Tho hold of the vessel is (juite clear, except a corner, where is a. large hca[) of salt. And now the men, liaviiiL!; dined i)reciselv at twelve, ar(^ readv with tlieir lai'u'e knives. One begins with breaking olf the head of the Iish, a slight pull of tho hand and a gash with the knilb elTecting this in a moment, lie slits nj» tho belly, with one hand pnsjies it aside to his neighbour, then throws overboard the head and hcgins to doctor another : the next man tears out the entrails, separates tho liv(>r, wlii(di he throws into a cask, and casts the rest ovm-board. A third j)ersoii dexterously passes his knife hi'iieath tho vertebra; of tim Iish, separates them from the llesh, heaves the latter through the hatchway, and tla^ former into the water. Now, if you will }>ecp into the hold, you will see the a «• ( ( j I 1 1 !m \^ ilBr^l M8 1,1 FK 01" AIDUr-ON. I hM? f f ■ f ■,i n !i If 1 i If liist s\;\'j;o of llic |ti'ocoss, the siiltin;i^ and packiim'. Six cx- ])t'rit'n(<(l men f;om'ralIy inaiiiigc to liojul, ^ut, Ixnu', siiH, and ])iick ill! the lisli cjin^Iit in the niorninijj, l»y the rctiini of tlu; boats willi fresh cai-gocs, wIku all liantls set to work and clear the deck of the lisli. Tims their labonrs continno until twelve o'elnck, \\\\o\\ they wash their faces and hands, pnt on clean (dothes, hanj^ their lishin^ apjiand on the shronds, and, bctakiiii; themselves to tho forecastle, are soon in a sound sleep. "At three next niornin;^ conies the ca])tain from his berth, rnbbini;; his eyes, and in a loud voict; calliiijj:, 'All hands, ho!' Stiffened in limb, and bnt half awake, tlu; crew (jniekly ajipear on deck. 'I'heir linj^-ers and hands are so cramped and swollen by ]»nllin,Li' the lines that it is dillicnlt Ibr thc'ni even to straij!;hten a thumb; but this matters little at present, for tho cook, who liad a uood nap yesterday, has risen an hour before them, and prepared tludr (H)neo and eatables. iSivakfast despatched, they exchan;i;e their clean clothes lor the lishini:; apparid, and leap into their boats, which had been waslu-'d the previous ni^ht, ami a^ain the ilolilla bounds to the tishinir gi'ound. As there may be not less than 100 schooners or |)ick-axes in the harbour, MOO boats resort to the baidcs ( ach day; and as each boat may ]>rocnre "2, 000 cod })er diem, \\]\.'n Saturday niiiht comes, about (lOO.OOO lishes have been l»rout:-ht to the harbour. Tliis liaviiiii" caused some scarcity on the Ijshinji; grounds, ami Sunday beiii;;' somewhat of an idle day, the captain collects tho salt ashoic. and sets sail tor some other convenient harbcair, which he expects to reach befon; sunset. If the weather be I'avourablo the men ii'ct a li'ood deal of rest duriui; the voya,i!;e, and on ^Fonday thinixs u"o on as before. I must not omit to tell you, reader, that while jiroceediin; from one harbour to anotlau' the vessel has passed near a rock which is the breeding; place of myriads of pullins. She has laid to for an hour or so, while part of the crew have huuled and coliectefl a store of o^^s from the others, 'i'hey lill up some lari;(; tubs with water, throw in a quantity of c^'j, , and allow them to remain a minute or so, when those wliieh come to the surface aic tossed o\crboard, am! SAI.'IIXd (OI) FISH. I'.i cvtli, l.oV )|H".XV :, Nvli'> 11, i\n'l I. tlH'V (\ U';>1> lit, antl •e may lavliouv, it iMiiy , alnml li:iviu;j: aslioi't'. (■\\it'('t> luyriinls Ivt (»f t^"' (

    \\V <'!• S". oanl, au])idached the shores, and in myriads enter every ba-in and stream to deposit their spawn, for now July is come, the cods follow them as the bloodhound follows his [)rey, and their com|iact masses literally line the shores. Tln^ lishermen now adopt another mcthoil. They have brought with them loni;- and deep seines, one end of which is, hy means of a line, fastened to the shore, while the other is in the Usual manner drawn out in a broad swciej), to inclose as i;'reat a sjtace as po.ssibh>, and haided on shore by means of a cajistan. Some of the men in boats su]>port the corked jiart of th(! net. and b(>at tlie watci' to frighten the fishes witliin towards tile land; \\hile others, armeil with jioles, enter tlu^ watei-. hook tlie H.-hes, and iliiiL;- them on tlie b(,'ach, the net beinir gradually drawn closer as the nnnd)er (tf lishes diminish. What do you think, ri'ader, as to the number of cods secured in this manner at a sintile haul? — twenty or thirtv thousaml. You mav form some notion of the matter when 1 ttdl you that the youn^- li'cnthuncn of my jiarty, while goin_!i; alonif the shores, caught cod-lish ali< <> with their hands, and trouts of weight with a }>iece of twine and a mackercd hook hung to their nun rods; an. Sonu; individuals, from la/iness or other causes, fish with naked hooks, and thus frecpn-ntly wound the cod without securinii,' them, in eonsecjuence of which tho shoals are driven away, to the detri- ment of the otlu'r iishers. Some carry their ear;,^oes to other jtorts beforci drying- them, while others dis[)ose of them to aLi'ents from ilistant slajres. Some have only a ])ick-axe of lifty tons, while others ari' owners of seven or eii;ht vessels of e(jnal or lar<:;er burden ; but whatever be their moans, should the season ju'ove favourable, they are generally well re[iaid for their labour. I hav<' known instances of men who on their iirst voyage rank<'(l as 'boys,' and in ten years after were in inde[teudcnt circum- stances, although they still continued to rcscn't to tlie iishiug. ' For,' said they to me, 'how could we be content to spend our time in idleness at honui?' I know a person of this class who lias carried on the trade for many years, and who has (piitc; a little fleet of schooners, one of which, tho largest and most beautifuUv built, has a cabin as neat and comfortable as anv that I have ever seen in a vcss(d of the same size. This vessel took lish on board only when i)erfectly cured, or acted as j)il()t to tho rest, and now and then would return home with an a.'iijilo sui)[)ly of halibut, or a cargo of prime mackerel. (Jn another occasion I will oiler some remarks on the improvements which I think might be nuide in the cod iisheries of the coast of J Labrador." I r — m • ■•- ^ Ti ':» <>llAPrEIt XLIJI. Mam.u.kn,, Is, ,v,.__ , '■"-''^^'""^^'-^^'-l■:vn^:Kl5.^v_ i>ii. IKK K — AA TAxillAN' Jrvip I'n. ,. i :.';:■; ^•""»' ;" f-- «-''•■'. « i, i,c. ,ie...ni . , t,, ■ -n..n,,,^,:;';r:/'';i:;::L;;r;;:r:r,,"i;::;rr>-. ««'«.• «.« s,n , ,1 , ' "'"'• ■^''^" '""•' '^•'^«' "■^ »>. file /H .' » f '1 I ( .Ak> —'••A* •*>*rthi mit: of ai hiiioN. !' < ' . OK! lifter lllintlicr every vessel III' tile fleet uilli wliicll We liiul Kilileil. " Tlie land on oaeh side now rose in tlio fenii of an iini|ilii- tliealre, and on tlie N(»va Seofiii side to U eoiisideraMe lieiij;li| ; \u'ishly and dead ahead, and several shij)s and bii^s loaded wlthtindier trom tlio ]\Iirennu'hie came near us boatin;;' their way to the Atlantic. At nine o'clock wc dropped anchor, beinj; [)artly land-locked between Ihcton Island and the Highlands, and within a rpiaitt r of a nnle of an island, which formed a part of the pronp. The '■• n MAdDAI.I'XK ISiaXPS. u llily aiitl alauti*'. (juartt V 1.. Th- jiilot, ulio is well iicrjiiainftMl licrc, inronncd iiic that the i^lnnds iiif all coiiiicctcd liv arc in, calltMl J-'jitrcc? I>ay, which is lunncd hy lOiitrcf Island and a lon^' sand-s[)it conncctinij; it with the mainland. 'I'Ih' island is lurty-cii^ht miles loii^', and three in hrcadth ; the I'ornuition is a rod naii^di sandy soil, and the north-west side is constantly weaiinj^ away hy the action of tlie sea, ( Jnilleniots were seated iijiright nloiii;" the project in<^ shi'lvin;:s in regular order, resendilin^' so many sentinels on tho liick-ont ; many pmncts also were seen on the extreme points (•rthc island. On one of the islands were many houses, and a small church, and on the liinhcsl land a lai-n- cross, iiidicatiiiir tile reli:';ion of the inhahitanls. Several small vessels lay in the harhour called Pleasant Uav, hut the weather is so c(dtl we cannot visit tliem until to-morrow, "" Jiiitr I I, ISoM. ]\[au'dalene Islands, (lulf of St. l-awreiice. It is one week since we lel't Ilastport, and we hreakfasted with the thermonu'ter at 1 1 in our cahin, and on deck it i'eels like mid-winter. We landed on thi' island next to us so chilled that we cduld scarcely use our hands; two 1 a r^-e hi nil's frowned on «ach side of u-:, th(> resort of many sea-hii-ds, ami some nohlo ravens which we sa,w. T'ollowini;' a naridw path we soon camo upon one ol' (Jod's Ix^st-linished jewels, a woman. She saw us first, for women iwo always keenest in si^ht and perception, in patience and fortitude and love, in faitli and smi'ow, and, as I hilieve, in everythine- el-^e which adorns our I'ace. She was hurryliiu- towards her coltag'cs with a child in her uruLS having no coveriuir hut a litth; shirt, 'llie m<»tlier was dressed in <'oarso J'Vcmdi homesjtun, with a (dose white cotton nii^htcai) on her head, and the mildest-looking woman I had seen in many a day. At a ventiu'c I addressed her in French, and it answered well, tor she replied in an unint(dligihh> jargon, ahout one-third of which I understood, which emdded me to make out that she was the wife of a lisherman wlu) lived there. '* We walked on through the woods towards the church. Who Would have exiiected to find a church on such an island, among such imjoverished people? Y^et h(.re it was, a Iloman Catholic church. Ami here wo camo stiddenly on a hand- some, y(juthful, vigorous, hluck-luiired and hl.ick-hearded fellow, M.< I i » \- \ I : >M r, Ml 1 1 , r 1 t 1'^ 'i i 1 !.-4 JAVK OK AUDrnON. !.i: n fovorod with u loii^' ^'jiniiPiit as IdncU iis it ruvcn. and a licai't uh Ii^rlit as a vdiin^' lark's. He was uciulin^i' liis way to the cliurcli, at tli<' soimd of a hell, wliicli measured twelve int'lies hy niiio ill diaiiieler, of al)oiit tliiity jiomikIs wei^dit, which eould iie\er- theh'ss he he.iid lor a <|iiai'ler of a mile, it was t lie festival aiiiouf; the liomau ('atli(»li('s of La Petite I'eto de Dieii. The <']ia|>el was lighted with randies, and all the old women on tli(» island had Inid^cd from their distant d\\ellin;,'s, staff in hand, haeks heiit with a^(\ and eyes dimmed hy time. They crossed their hreasts and knelt hofore the tawdry ima;i:es in the church, with so much simplicity and a])]iareiit sincerity of heart, that I could not helj) exclaiming' t<» mvself, ' \\'ell,this is i"eli,i;ion al'ler all.' " The priest, named rn'unot, was I'rom (Quebec, and those; islands lielong^ to Lower Canada, hut aro under the jurisdiction of tlio Lisliop of Halifax. Ho is a slirowd-lookin;^ fellow, and, if I do not mistake Ids character, with a <;ood deal of the devil in him. He tohl us tliero were no reptih\s on the island ; hut wo found hy onr own observations that ho was mistaken, as ho was also in the representations he mado respectinuj the riest said he le(l tho life of a recduso here, but if we would accompany him to his boarding-house ho would give us a glass of good French wine. " On our rambles wo found the tompiM'aturo on land quit(^ agreeable, anil in sheltered situations tho sun was warm and })leasant. The grass looked well, and strawberry blossoms wore ])lenty. Tho woods, such as they wore, were tilled with warbh^rs : tho robin, thrush, tinch, bunting, &c. The fox-tailed sparrow and siskin bri'od hoi'(;, the hermit and tawny thrush crossed our p itli, the black-capped warbler gambolled over the pools, and even the wrens were everywhere. Of water-birds tho great terns were abundant, and the piping plovers breed here. Wo IM Ill quite Ivni tvud lins were spavvow lissed oin- ho f, n-e. : ]io iiskod (Ivo pdunds apit'ct' fnr the Mack fox, and onr dollar and fifty cents for tho red skins. 'I'hc woods lien; arc small, scrnhlty cvcrf^rtM-ns, aliMdst inipcnctralilc and swampy hi'ncath. Thermometer this evening'' 1 !'. "JiDif ]."•. Day dawneil with the weather dnll, hnt the wind fair, and we pnlleil np anchor and Icl't the 3Ia;idah'ne Islands ft»r Lahnidor, the nltiniatnm of our present desires. Ahout ten o'clock we saw on tho distant horizon a sjicck'. which I was toM was the l{ock; the wind now fresliened, and I could sonn see it |)lainly from the (h'ck, the top apparently cnvered with snow. Oiu" pilot said that the snow, which S(?cmed two or threo fo(»t tliick, was the white; pmnets which rt^soi't there. I ruhhed my eyes, and took uiy spy-;i"lass, and instantly tho stran^t> picturo stood before me. They wei'c inii(^e(l hirds, and such a mass of hii'ds, and of such ii size as I never saw hefore. The whole of iny party were astonished, ami all aurccd that it wa-< woi-tli a voytii^e across the I'ayof Fundy and tho (Jnlf of St. Jiawronco to see such a si;^lit. The nearer we approached, the fi;r(\iter was our surprise at the enormous mimher of tlu'se hirds, all cahnly seated on tlicir e.u'iJjs, and tlieir heads turned to the windward towards us. Tho air for a hundnnl yards ahove, and for a long distance around, was tilled with ,i;aTinets on tln^ wlw^, which from our i)ositi(jn made the air look as if it was liHed with falling snowflakes, and caused a thick, fo;iiiy-lik'e atmosjihero all around the rock. Tho wind was too high to allow us to land, hut we were so anxious to do so that some of the party mad<> tlu( attempt. The vessel was brought to, and a whale-boat launched, and young Lincoln and John pushed olV with clubs and guns ; tho wind increase(l and rain set in, but they gained tho lee of the rock, but after an hour's absence returned with- out landing. Tlu air was fdled with birds, but they did not l)crce})tibly diminish the numbers on the rock. As tho vessel (hiltcd n(\arer 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. 'J'lio discharge of a gun had no effect on those which were not touched by the shot, for tho noise of tho i it \ I f' .1 F< '^M; '2r,i; Ml'K OF Aim r.i»N'. LI ■ birds stiiiUK^il all those out of I'cach of tlio <:nii, Uut wIktc tlio shot took oliiM't tlu? birds scrambled and Hew oH' in such multi- tudes and sni'li eoid'usion tliat, whilst eiglit or ton were failing in the water dead or wounded, others shook down theii- eggs, which fell into the sia by linndrc(Is in all dii'cctions. The sea bocame rougher, and the boat was comjx'llcd to return, bringing some l.>irds and s(jiue eggs, l»ut without the party being able to elimb the rock. " The to|> of till' main ro(dc is a quarter of a mile wide from nortli to south, and a little narrower from oast to west ; its ele- vation aboV(i tlie sea is between three and four hundred feet. The sea dashes around it with great violence; : except in long calms it is extremely difiicult to land on it, and luuch moro ditlicidt to (diml) to its [»1 (form. The wliole surface was [lei'feelly covered witli nests, about two feet apart, in rows ns I'cgnlar as a jtotato liejd. The tishermen kill those birds ami use their llesh for bait for cod-lish. The crews of several vessels unite, anirds are skiinn'd and cnt inte junks, and the b.iit keeps goo;! for a Ibrtnight. I'^oity snil ul tish; linen annually su[»[>ly liiemselvos with iiait from this rock in this way. V>y the twentieth of ]May the birds lay their eggs, and hatch about the twentieth of .fune, "June 17. Th(! wi is blowing a gale, and uearly all my l)artv is deadly sick. Thermometer 4o , and lainimi- nearly all day. We laid to all night, and in the morning were in sighl of Anicosti Island, distant about twenty mile.s. It soon became thick, and we lost sight of it. "e/»;(rlS. The weather is calm, l)eautiful, and nuich warmer. \\'o caught nu.nv coil-lish, which contained crafjs of a cnrioiis structure. At six l\:\i. the wind sjirung up fair, an. 1 was on deck at three o'clock A.^i., ami althongli the sun was not above the horizon it was (piite light. The sou iVI M i- in •~i ' iu'j: ! to loni v\r- luon' was ws i»s s antl •cssels liv. )1V. (IV it iii<' iU I "i l\\S VnC il\ my n* iU'lV in si'ri"' \v ^vt' nv><' i\tU«)U'^l> AIJKIVAI, A'l" LAintADOi; 257 was lit(M'iilly covin-cd with I'doIIsIi f:^nillom()ts |iliiyin^ in tlio very •spray under our l)ow, plnnginfr as it' in 1'"" inidcr it, and risinjj^ like spirits close under our rudder. 1'lie wind was fail-, und tlio land in sij^^ht from aloft, r nd I now look forward t(» our landiuL;- on Labrador as at hand, and niv tliouirh!-; arc lillcd witii ex- pcctatious of the new knowled^-e of birds j.nd animals which I hope to acquire there. The Kiplcy sails wtH, but now she fairly skipjicd over the water. Thf cry of land soon inad(! my luMrt bound with joy ; and as we ajjproacdicd it we saw what looked like many sails of vessels, iait we soon found tliat they were snow-banks, and the air alon^ the shore was iillcd with millions of velvet ducks and other aipiatic birds, llyi)iii; in lon;^ files a few yards above tlu; water. "We saw one vessel at anchor, and the counti'v looked well from the distance; and as we neared tlu^ shore tlie thermo- meter rose from 44° to (50^, yet the ap[)earance of the snow-diil'ts was forbiddinc^. The shores ap[)eared to lie mar^^ined with a broad and handsome sand-beach, and we saw imap:inai'y b(^ars, wolves, and other animals scamperinj^ away on the i-uiiued shore. About thiiiy boat., wen^ lishin^f, and we saw them tlirowin^!^ the lish on deck by thousands. ''We soon reached the mouth of th(> Xatasquan liiviM-, where the Jludson JJay Company have a tishing estabiishmiMit. and wliere no American vessel is allowed to come, 'i'he shore was lilled with bark-covered huts, and some vessels W(M'e ancdiored within the sand-point which forms one side (,'" tla; entrance to the river. We sailed on four miles further to the American hiirbour, and came to anchor in a beautiful bay, wholly secure IVoiH any winds. "And now we are [»ositively at Labrador, lat. oO'^, and farther north than 1 ever was before!. Hut what a country! When we landetl and reached the summit we saidv nearly u[) to our knees in mosses of different scu'ts, producin;^" such a sensation as I ntn'cr felt bi'fore. Tluise mosses in the distance look likti hard rocks, but und(,'r the foot they feel like a velvet cushion W'c rambled about and searched in vain for a foot of square, earth; a poor, niii'^'cd, and miserable country; the trees . ^nyjf'jv to a man's waist. All the inlands about the harbour wi>ro v,3 I e I I 1 1," i 268 r.lFE OF ArDTT.OX. ' I ■>ll II [' fi of tlio saino clmraotrr, aiul wo saw but few land birds — ono pigeon, a fow hawks, and smaller liirds. The wild gocse, eider- durks, loons, and many olhcr birds hrccd here. '^ Junn 10, Tile boats went ofl' to nei^hbonring islands in search of birds iind egj^s, and T remained all day on boiird drawinTow only a few inches above the ground. 'J'lie nests are scraped a few irchos deep in the njttcn moss which makes the soil, and the boughs liavi- to be raised to find the nests. The eggs are (lejKisitcMl in down, and covered with down, and keep warm a hmg time in absiMice of tho duck. They commonly lay six eggs. "June 20. Tho vessel rolls at her anchorage, and I have drawn as well as I could. Our party has gono up the Natasquan in search of adventures and birds. It seems strange to nie 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 Natasquan River. The river is small, its water dark iiiid irony, and its shores imp' «etrable woods, except here and thoro a small int(!rval overgrown with a wiry grass, unlit 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 tho huts of the (^inadian fishermen of the Jludson Vnxy Ccmipany. They arc clothed and fed, and receive eighty dollars a year besides, tor their services. They have a cow, an ox, and one acre of potatoes planted. They report seven feet of snow in winter, and that oidy oufMhird as many salmon are taken now as ten years a_i,'o; one hundred barrels now is regarded as a fair season. 'J'his river is twelve miles long, has three rapids, is broad, swift, and ffhallow, and discharges a quantity of fine gravelly sand. *' June 22. Drew all day. 1'hermometer (JO' at twelve We arc so far north that wo have scarcely any darkness at ni;j:ht. Our party visited some large ponds on a neighbouring island; but t'"^v had neither fish, sludls, nor grass about them ; tho shore a ii^ddish sand: saw only a few toads, and those pah- i : I* IllO ev- \ in xro'S. r-n •ottrn raised 3Vi>ve<\ 1 l\avo tasqu'.iu ; to ine s of the dark au<\ ov cattle, ^Vo saw stvotc\u-A yr to yi^^!^ ts »'t' ^^^'' ,c8i(\i'^» for |of potatoes ., and tiuU yeivvs ai;o ; son. 'n>i^ swift, i^i^^^ at twelve. l,^ss at ni-l>t. viug islinul ; tlunii ; tlio those Vi^^'" aUEAT SUPPLY OF EGOS. 259 lookinp; and poor. The country a barren rock as far as the eye <'oul(l reaeli, and mosses of scn'oral species were a foot in dej)th. So sonorous is tin.' son*:; of the fox-eoloured sparrow, tliat I heard it to-day wlnle drawinf^ in tlu; cabin, from tlu^ distaiuv; of a (piarter of a mile. The moscpiitues and blade gnats are bad on shore. "June 2^. We heard to-day that a party of four men from Halifax, last sprinj];, took in two moiitlis four hundred thousand eg<;s, which th(!y sold in Jfalifax at twenty-iive cents a «, ',t I t ■ ¥■ I > 260 LIFE OF AUI)Ur.()N. ( m .'11 f' III ''Mil riTAITEK XTJV. LAiinADou Erisours : Tiir, EdoKits or Laiuiaihh!. "The (listinetivo appellation of ' ejrii'ors ' is ^ivon to CPitniii pprsoiis who follow ]>riii('ipally or cxclnsivcly tlio avoration ol })roc'urin<^ <'nfr'^ ^'^ ^^''*^ l)ireetin^ tlicsc destructive pirates before I visited the coiist of Labrador, but 1 could not entirely credit all their cruelties until I had actuiiily witnessed their proceedings, which were such as to inspire im small degree of horror. ]hit you shall judge for yourself. " ^ee yon shallop shyly sailing along ; she sneaks like a lliict'. wishing, as it were, to shun the very light of heaven. VwAvv the lee of every ro(»ky isle some one at the tiller steers lid' course. " Were his trade an honest one ho would not think of hidiiiii: his back behind the terrific rocks that seem to have been j)la('('il there as a resort to the myriads of Itirds that annually visit this desolate region of the earth for the purpose of reaiing tlieir young at a distance from all disturbers of their peace. How unlike the open, bold, the honest mariner, whose face nee!>t- iict\u>lly •w. tOl'VS ^ifi' visit tlii^ Ivvin-j; tlu'ii" i ,uv(ls no The vi^'S^'^ TIIK "KdfiEMS" OI' LAUItAr.Oi:. .'<;i herself is a sliabliy thinj^- ; her sails arc jKitclaHl with stoh-n ])it'f('S oi bettor canvas, the owners of whicli luivu probably been stranded on some inhospitable coast, aiul have been plundenMl, perhaps murdered, by the wretches bel'oro ns. Look at her a<(ain. Her sides are neither painted nor even i)itcbed ; no, they are danbed over, plastered iind patched with stri[)es of seal-skins, laid aloni; the seams. Iler deck has never been washed or sanded, her held — for no cabin has she — though at present empty, sends I'ortli an odour pestilential as that of a charnel-hoiise. Tlie crew, vi^ht in nundn-r. lie slee[)iii^' at the foot of their tottering- mast, re<;"ardless of the repairs needed in every part of her riL'-^'ing. But see! she sends along, and, as I snsjiect Ian* crew to ho bent on the eoiuniission of some evil (l(;e(l, let us follow her to the llrst harbour. There rides the lilthy thing! The afternoon is half over. Iler crow have thrown their boat ovor- iMijinl ; they enter and seat then)selv<,'s, oni' with a rusty gun. One of them sculls the skilf towartls an island, iur a century past the brooding-place of myriads of guillemots, which ar(( now to bo laid under contribution. At the ajtproach of the vile thieves, clouds of birds rise from the rock and till the air arouml, wheeling and screaming over their enemies; yet tli<»nsands riMuain in an erect posture, each covering its single i"^-^, \\u\ hope of both parents. 'I'he n.^ports of several muskets hjaded with heavy shot iiV now heard, while several dead and wounded birds fall heavily on the rock or into the water. Instantly all the sitti:>g birds rise and fly olV al'lVighted to ilieir companions aliDve, and hover in dismay ove)' their assassins, who walk forward exultingly, and with tlieii- shouts mingling oaths and ixecrations. Jiook at them! See how they crush the chick within its shell ! how they trample on (nery visii in their way with tli(,'ir huge and clumsy boots ! Onwards they go, and when tlicy leave the isle not an el:■^• that thev can Iind is lelt entire. The dead birds th»>y collect and carry to their boat. Now they have regained their lilthy shallo[>, they strij) the birds by a single jerk (jf their l"eathery ap|>arel, while the llesh is yet warm, and throw them on sonu; ceials, where in a short time tln'V are broiled: the nun is produced wheii the guille- mots are lit tor (>ating, and after stulling themselves with this oily fare, and enjoying the pleasures of beastly intoxi- ' i'lH 1 'i r ' (1 It ♦I ii; I : H i.K* 262 MFK OF Ai:i)iri5()X. ; »: cation, over tlioy tuiiiMo on tlic deck of tlioir crazed cnil'l, where tliey i»a.ss the wliort hours of niy;lit in turhid Hliiinher. 'I'lu. Kun now rises above the snow-elad summit (^f the eastern UKauit ; 'sweet is tlie breath of morn,' even in this (U'S(jhite hvnd. T\u) gay buntiu'; erects liis white crest, and t tlifii- • tlu'iv i)\v the c biv'U, ',ul till' a iloli;ii e (lav ii» ItlVOZC , ow: sonic ■lie »'i' ClU'll every ;t tllC picks lieuvt \\m to •, wlu) riir ami itli a u-ijial )^l^l> A GANG OF DESPKIIADOKS. 2C3 i thoir oars. Landiiii^ on the rock, they run up to the o^f^ors, who, like thomslves, are (lt>s[)oradoos. Tho first question is a (iiscliarfjjo of inuslcetry ; tlio ansv/er another; now, man to man, they fij^'ht like tigers. One is carried to his eraft with a tVae- tnretl skull, another limps with a shot in his leg, and a third feels how many of his teeth have been driven throuj^h the hole ill his ehoek. At last, however, tho quarrel is settled, the booty is to be ecpially divided ; and now see them all drinkinj^ toerseverin^- are their depredations, that these species, which, accord inj^ to the accounts ol' the lew settlers 1 saw in the countrv, were exceedini>lv ahnndant twenty years a<;o, have ahiind(»]iu(l their ancient hreediji^-places, and removed much farther north, in search of peaceful security. Scarcely, in fncl, c()\dd I procure a younu^ urpos(; for which they had visited it. This war of extermination cannot hist many years more. The en: I '{ ^m m0 ('irAiTi':u xj.v. XoTKs IN LAiui.\iM)ii — Indians — Inuian Camt — Civii.ri ii;s on ridAiin i iik (.,>tii;iiKc ('i"iTKK — Till', l''i.ii CoMi'ANY— Skvkhi; Wkatiiku — I'lrll l!i;s IN 'I'lii; l»i;si:itT — ArnnmN ni:i;iNs to i-kki, ( ti,ii--WiM)s ash IIain — KxiuiisioNS ON SiKtHi'; — 1)|!i;ai;v I'iiuhi'kcjts — Hut ' liivoiAi A«iioi!i:. "June '!'•). \Vh mot \\oro two Invito hoiits loaded witli ]\rnuii. tuinooi* Indians, uhont twenty, old and youn|j:, male and I'emale. Tho boats had small canoes lashed to their sides, like whale boats, for seal lishinj^. 'JMio men were stout and ^ood- looking, and s[)oko tolerable French, their skins were redder and clearer than any other Indians I have ever seen. Tho women also appeared cleaner than usual, their hair was braided, anil dangled over their shoulders, like so numy short ro})es. They were all dressed in Eiu'opean costumes except their feet, on which coarse niooeasins made of seal skin su[i[»lied tins place of shoes. " On leaving tho harbour this morning, wo saw a black man- of-war-like looking vessel entering it, bearing tho English flag; it [)roved to be the Quebec- cutter. I wrote a note U) the coiumandi'r, sent him my card, and requested an interview, lie proved to lie Captain IJaylield of the lioyal Navy, the vessel was the (iuhuire, and he re[)lied that he would receive me in two hours. After dinner, taking some credentials in my [lockist, I went aboard of the (lulnart^ was politely received, and in- troduci'd to (he surgi'on. who seemed a man of aliility, and is a student of botanv and ( oncholoMV. Thus the lovers of natnr*-'' • » 11 itk .'(Ki LIFR or AL'Dl'IJOX, It iiicot C'Vi'iywhcn', hut >iii(ly I (liut the wind is ahead, and I liave drawn all day. Shattneh and I took a walk over the dreary hills towards evenings and \\c found several flowers in l»l(»(»ni, anioni'- which was a snudl s[»ecie8 of the Kulnua (Jlauea. We visit<'d th(! eanij) of the Mountaineer Indians ahout half a mile from uh, and found them skinning seals, and preparing,' theii- flesh foi- use, W(! saw a robo the sizi.' of a <^ood hlaidv'et made of seal skin, and tanned so say Company is as barren and roeky as this about us. Very large lakes of water abound two hundred miles inland from the sea : these lakes contain carp, trout, while li.-li, and nniny mussels unlit to eat ; the latter ar(! described as black t)utside and purjtle witiiin, and are no doubt ' unios.' ^I'ot a bush is to be met with : and the Indians wlio now and thcji cross that region carry their tent-poles with thou, and also their canoes, and burn moss lor fuel. »So tedious is the tra\el- ling said to be, that not more than ten miles a day can hr accomplished, and when the journey is made in two months, it T ucnt ul' s alioiit |il)L'd as 11(1 tlieii iiid also travel- (•;in Ijf Mitlis, it VISIT TO TIIK (ill.NAI!!';. 'Ji;? is coii.siilcrcd ii ^^oud our Wolves and Idiick licars al)oniid, Iml no drcr nop carahoos arc seen, and not a laid of any kind t'X<*c|>t wild ^(«('.s(! and Itranls ahoiil liic lakes, winTr tlicy hnM'd. When the jonrncy is iindfrtaki'n in winter, they ^o lai snow hiioes, withont canoes. i''iir animals an> scarce, lait a tew heavers and offers, martins and sahles, arc; can^dif, and some i'oxcH and Ivii.xes, whih." their numbers yearlv diminish. 'I'lins the Fur (Jompanv mav l.'c called tluj exterminafinii* nu'clium of tlit'so wild and almost nninhahifalile re^•ions, whi(di cupidity or th(f lovo of money aloni- would induce man to venture into. Where can I now ^'o and find nature undistuihed ? "June '2'>. J)ruwin;j; all day until live o'clock, when I went to dine on board the (Juhiare ; (piite a hore to shave and dress in Labrador, 'i'he company consisted of the captain, doctor, and thre(! other olUcers ; we had a ^ood sea dinner, du cot an 9) O^ #^ "#^ >:^ V- VM L& •n 208 r.lFE OF AUDUBON. Wmi tlU I! ;|: IPII: i 1.' ■; 1 J ii i. ^ i Jlli were known lie had done so. They eviido all questions re- specting the interior of the country, and inde(Hl 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." ]\[uch 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 IMr. 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 coukl 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. TIk^v 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 cauglit many birds and collected many eggs. tlior- at ten |id, antl ed iicav tbv tlie a siivf; Thoy Ibtainecl >re tliey [his and 111 whic'li iUiotliov [oUectcd SUMMER TX LA?.RAD01^ 209 "June 30. I liave drawn three birds to-day since eight o'clock. Thermometer 00'. " Juhj 1. The thermometer 48", and the woatlier so cold that it has been painful for me to draw, but I worked all day. '^ July 2. A beautiful day for Labrador. Wont 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 hug i 'I ^ •li 'I 1 . In ', i iij if 270 LIFE OF AUDUP.ON. 1 1 fir 1 ^ 1 i 1 if f > 1 1 ^ i\ ■ 1' ^'^ • 1 -. ■ } I : ; j J ii i wliicli hero prodorainato by the will of Cod ; when every rock is hidden beneath snow so deep, that every step the traveller takes, he is in danp:er of falling into liis grave ; while avalanches threaten him from above, and if ho lifts his eyes to the horizon, ho sees nothing but dark clonds filled witli frost and snow, and inspiring him with a feeling of despair. " Juhj 8. We have had a stiff easterly wind all day, rainy, and the water so rough we conld not go ashore, for plants to draw, until late in the afternoon. The view^ of the sea from tlie 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. " Juhj 4. Two parties went out to-day to get birds and plants, and I remained on board all day drawing. Ca[)tain Bayfii^ld 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, oven on this day. "JuIyT). Thermometer 50°. I drew from four o'clock tliis morning nntil 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 witiiout trying 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 lojiger 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 ! 1 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. STOT^MY WEATIIFJ]. V M i ■ were so \ I was vrowing lay God til work liise a ik1 *' J^lhJ 8, Tiainy, dirty woatlier, wind east, tliormometor 48". Began drawing at half-past throe a.m, but my condition very disaffreeahle in such weather. The fog collects and falls in ]ar^•e dro])s from the rigging on my tabh?, and now and then I am ol)liged to close the skylight, and work almost in darkness. Not- withstanding, I have finished my plate of the cock ptarmigan. " J^dy 9. The wind east, wot, disagreeable, and foggy. Tin's 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 liabits 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 ^orce 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 lain, 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 hero. " On rambling over the numerous bays and inlets, which are scattered by thousands along this coast, as pebbles are on a 1 f 1 A i ■ I i •^ '■ '! I r ■ j 1 1 ,^1 I. H 1% Iltf m -, ' i. 1 ; 1 '! 1 f ■■J f f 1 272 LTFE OF AUDUBON. common smid beiioli, one sees inimonso bods of ronnd stonos (bonldors ?) of all sizes, and some of largo dimensions, rolled side by side, and piled up in heaps, as if cast there by some great revolntion 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 powerfid retchings ; and this gives some idea of what a hurricane at Labrador can do. " Julij 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 draM'ing. " Juhj 18. Hose this morning at half-i^ast 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 changf'd, and we prej)ared to leave our fine harbour. We beat out to sou, and made our course for the harbour of Little IMacatine, distant forty-three miles. By noon the wind died away, but the sou rolled, and we were all sea-sick, and glad to go to our berths. " Jubj 14. Awoke this morning to find a cold north-oast 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 tho wind favoured us, and as we approached the island, it proved the highest land we have seen, and looked rugged and horrid. " ^^'llen we came within a mile and a half of the shore we took a small boat, and pushed off for the land. As we cam'3 near it, the rocks apj^eared stupendously high and rough, and frowned down 9n our little boat, as we moved along and doubled the little cape which made one side of the entrance of Ma(;ntine's Harbour, but it looked so small to me, that 1 doubted if it were the place ; and the shores were horribly wild, fearfully hig'i 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 ^1 1 CLIMBING A MOITNTAIX. 273 mos Aled ,(.)mo , ai\(l 111 to yards lea of ,, and -Ivs so . found cloutly aous to remised ;hang»'-*^5 .t to sea, :, distant the sea Dortlis. ast ^villd nation, a lis slowly [lespair of ever tlie [t proved liorrid. sliore Nve ^ve canv3 .ugl», i^i^^^ d doubled lacatine's if it were jfully liig^^ [avens w«« Ige wlu^;!^ Ivater into bcuavi to freslion, tlie Ripley's sails now swelled, and slio cut Ikm* way tlu'onii'li tlie water, and rounded the jioint of land which formed part of the liarbonr, and shot aheatl towards tlio jilace wdicro we were standing. Our harbour represents the bottom of a large bowl, in the centre of which onr vessel is anchored, surround(Kl by rocks full a thousaud feet high, and tlie wildest looking place I was ever in. Wo went aboard, ate a hasty snppor, and all scampered ashore again, and climbed tlie 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 sli})ped from under us like an avalanche, and down we would slide for feet, and sometiioes vards. The labour of climbiiiu' was excessive, and at the bottom of each ravine the scrnb bushes intercepted us for twenty or thirty ])aces, and wo scrambled over them with great effort and fatigue. On our return we made one slide of forty or fifty feet, and brough*' up in a little valley or pit filled with moss and mire. " July 15. We rose and breakfasted at three o'(dock, every one being eager to go ashore and explore this wild country. But the wind was east, and tlu^ 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 tliick 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 1 drawing part of the day, and besides several birds, I have out- lined one of the mountainous hills near our vcss3l, as a back- ground to my willow grouse. !i. V ■ '1 ,j 1 ' m J ;il ^11..' 274 LIFE OF AUDUBON. i Till! • ! 'M" V '^3),f: " Juhi IS. After hivalvfast, nil Ihinds oxoopt tlm rook loft tlio lliplcy, in tliroo boats, to visit tlio main shore, abont fivo miles off. Tlio fofj was thick, but the wind promised fair weather, and soon fullilled its promise. Directly after Landin-^ our party found a large extent of marsh hind, the first we have seen in this country ; the ssoil was wet, our feet sank in it, and walking was tiresome. Wo also crossed a hirge savannah of many miles in extent. Its mosses were so wet and spongy, that T never in my life before experienced so much difticulty in travelling. In many ])laces the soil appeared to wave and bend under us like old ice in th(^ spring of the year, and we expected at each stc]) to break through the surface, and sink into the mire below. In the middle of this quagmire we met with a fine small grov(> of good-sized white birch trees, and a few pines full forty feet higli, quite a novelty in this locality. " 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 croaked, and yet the thermometer was not above 55°. This is one of the real wonders of this extraordinary countiy. 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 tho 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 wo 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 ji 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. V ! A DEREllTEl) lU'T. 275 lilt tl\o miles aathor, L* party ioen in ^valking \y miles ucvcv in iiip;. li^ : us like 3acli step slow, lu [ grove of feet liigl», iew of tlie It chilleil ieed I now L dangerou!^ pxperieuced species of The frog'^ This is miry- '^^''' lit nineteen n-ovide food tion of flu^ little, and 1 VVe elinil3cA olding on to I lie, wlven we It looked short slal)s, Lout a pip^'' stool for '^ [ts furnituve. seine floats, and chattels. Tlirce small windows, with lour panes of glass (^acli, \v(>r(> still in pretty good order, and so was the low door, which s\\nng on wooden hinges, for which 1 will be bound the makci- had asked for no jiatent. 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. IJut it was deserted and abandoned. The seals are all caught, and the sealers have nothing to do now-a-days. AVe 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 2;"), j\[ 26, I 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 inliospital)le shore. The . arges 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 clashed to pieces. " Juhj 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 thf 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. '' Julif 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 east of this. But it matters little, for the coast of Labrador is all alike, comfortless, cold, and foggy. We left T 2 K . ■ il. It' ill i / ,• f !)■ I, JJ>. f I tm 2:<' LIFE OF AUDUr.ON lii tlic T.ittic ]\r)ieatin(' tin's iiiorniiii; Jit five o'clock, \vitli a stifl' soiith-wcst Itroczo, juid by ton dropped niielior wliorc we now arc. As we doubled llio capo of tbc island called Circat IMacatiiic, \vo had the pleasure of nicetiiiii: the oilicers of the (Julnarc, in two boats, oiijru^'cd in surveyin "itl. l«r.„ ".a ,:' f '*''f » ^'<'» f'--™ "mlc tl,c '" "'-"• This, tho „, : i 1 T^^'"' '""' ™"'--' ">"' "<.'•■« lost '■'"""1. «l«o, at (his vC ' '""■^ '■•'"■" "'-■""•^■"co. W„ »*'.-«.. oiua^sr^tt;'-:^ lire n. I- J' f .^tf' 1r ''ii '?l^ M 27H LIFE UF ALJDUI5UN. ( ll and silvor lox skins, jind otliors in [troportion. In \ho niontlis ol' Nuvcnibor a;i(l Deccmljcr, imd indeed nntil spring, tliey kill seals ill largo numbers; s(!venteen men belonging to their party killi.'d twenty-llvo hundred seals onco in threo days. This groat feat was dono with short sticks, and oacli seal was killed with a single blow on tlio snout, whilst lying on the edges of the fhjating or iield ioo. The seals arc carried homo on sledges diawn by Esouiniaux dogs, whieh are so well tranied that, on reaching home, they push the seals from tlio sledges with their noses, and return to the killers with regular des])ateh. (This, reader, is liearsay !) At other times the seals are driven into nets, ono after another, until the poor animals become so hampered and confined, that they are easily and quickly dis- patched with guns. The captain showed me a sj^ot, within u few yards of his log cabin, where last winter he caught six fine larger silver-gray foxes, liears and caraboos abound during winter, and also wolves, hares, and porcupines. The wolves are of a dun colour, very ferocious and daring; a pack of thirty followed a num to his cabin, and they have several times killed his dogs at his own door. I was surprised at this, because his dogs were as hirge as any wolves I have ever seen. These dogs are extremely tractable, so much so that, when geared into a sledge, the leader immediately starts at the word of (omniand for any given course, and the whole pack gallop off at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. The Esquimaux dogs howl like wolves, and are not at all like our common dogs. Thf-y were extremely gentle, and came to us, and jumped on and caressed us as if we were old acquaintances. They do not take to the water, and are fit only for draught and the chase of caraboos ; and they are the only dogs which can at all near tlic caraboo while running. " As soon as winter storms and thick ice closes the harbours and the intermediate spaces between the mainland and the sea islands, the caraboos are seen moving on the ice in great herds, first to the islands, where the snow is most likely to bo drifteil, because there in the shallows — from which the snow has blown away — he easily scrapes down to the mosses, which at tliis season are the only food they can find. As the severity of winter increases, these animals follow the coast north-west, and r^^ ^ I ,.y kill V iMirty y is groiit with a ol' the sledf^cs that, on tlv tl\cir ven into M'oiue so cklv •h'^- within u it six fine >(1 (hiving he \v(jlve8 k of tiiivty iiics Idlleii eciuisc In^ Hiese dogrf [rod into a toniniand [at the rate dogs hoNvl .gs. Th-'Y led on and io not take lc ehase of dl near the lie havhouis im\ the sea ^veat henis, 'ho drifted, has blown lich at this severity of th-west, and A SKAI.-CATClIINi; KSTAI'.I.ISIIIMKNT. 'J7!» graduiilly reach a comparatively niihlcr <'liinat(\ Ihit nolwith- stiiiidiny all this, on their return in the s[)ring, which is as regular as the niigration ol' the birds, tlusy arc so |>(Jor and enuiciated, that the men take pity on them, and will not kill them. jMei'cilul bein<;s, thes(* \vhit(? men! They sj)are liie when the ilesh is off from their bones, and there is no market fur their bones at hand. "The otter is tolerably abundant her(\ These arc ehielly tiapped at the foot of the waterfalls, to which they resort, bi,'in<; the latest to fi'eeze, and the (earliest to thaw in spring. A few martins and sables arc; caught, but every year reduces their number. This FriMndiman receives his su[)plios from (^U(,>bec, where he sends his furs and oil. The present time lie calls 'the idle season,' and lie loiters about his cabin, lies in the sun- shiiu! like a seal, eats, drinks, and sleeps his life away, careless of the busy world, and of all that is going on there. His })artner has gone to (Quebec, and his dogs are his oidy com- panions until li(.' returns; and the dogs, perhaps, are the better animal of the two. He has selected a delightful sit(! for his castle, under the protection of an island, and on the south side, where I found the atmosphere quite warm, and the vegetation actually rank, for I saw i)lants with leaves twelve inches broad, and grasses three feet high. " This afternoon the wind has been blowing a tremendous gale, and our anchors liave dragged with sixty fathoms of chain (Uit. Yet one of the whaler's boats came with six men to j)ay us a visit. They wished to see some of my drawings, and I gratified them ; and in return they promised to show me a whale before it was cut up, should they catch one before we leave this place for Bras d'Or. " Jiilij 23. We visited to-day the seal establishment of a Scotchman, named liobertson, about six miles east of our anchorage. He received us politely, addressed mo by name, and told me he had received infornuition of my visit to this country through the English and Canadian newspapers. This man has resided here twenty years, and married a Jjabrador lady, the daughter of a Monsieur Chevalier of Bras d'Or; has a family of six children, and a good-looking Avife. He has a comfortable house, and a little garden, in which he raises a few \a < f h t ( 1 ■ 1 1 '1 \ i i: 1 1 ' : i (:' !e:i rates towards the Indians, the white settlers, and the eggers, all of whom have more than once retaliated, when bloody com- bats have follo\ved. He assured me that he had seen a fisher- man's crew hill thousands of guillemots in a day, pluck off tlieir fea.tlun-s, and throw^ their bodies into the sea. "jMr. Itobertson also told me that, during mild Avinters, his little harbour is covered with thousands of white gulls, and that they all leave on the approach of spring. The travelling here is altou'ether over the ice, whicli is covered with snow, and in sledges drawn by Esquimaux dogs, of which this man keeps a famous pack. J lo often goes to Bras d' Or, seventy-flvo miles distant, with his wife and children cm one sledge, drawr. by ten dogs. Scarcely any travelling is done on Lmd, tlio country is so precipitous and broken. Fifteen miles noi'th of hero he says there is a lake, represented by the Indians as foir 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 \\ith fish, and some water-birds resort there, and bi'cod by millions along its margin. We have had a line 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." Juhj 21 and 25 were engaged in hunting birds and drawing, and cctiitain much valuable information on ornithology, ^^hicl^ is given in the "Birds of America." "/»/// 2(5. We left our anchorage, and Sc\iled with a fixir v.ind to visit the Chevalier's settlement, called Bonne Es['erance, 1 1 'JJ' BKAS irOR IIAKBOUII. 281 m to he lie usaiul e saw } nien- i)t' tlie idly as ly C'Oiu- i fishov- aff their iters, his aiul that Ling here V, and ill keeps a ,^enty-fivc ge, drawr. hind, tho north of IS as foir this sea- tor m. It ud breed day, hut .ipcstuou>'. and they ing iiglit lis wouder- Itates, and le had at draAving, hfry, which II fair wIikI |Es['eraiice, forty-spvon miles distant. When two-thirds of the distance had been gone over tiio wind failed ns ; ealnis were followed by- severe squalls, and a tremendous sea rolled, which threatened to shake our masts out. At eight o'clock, however, y\e came abreast of the settlement, but as our pilot knew nothing of tho harbour, the captain thonght it prndent 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 frightfnl manner, making ns shndder at the thought of the fate of the wretched mariners who might be thrown on them. "Juhj 27. At daylight this morning we found ourselves at tho mouth of Bras d'Or Harbour, where we are now snngly moored. "We hoisted our colours, and Ca[)tain Billings, of American Harbour, came to ns in his Hampton boat, and piloted ns in. This ]>ras d'Or is tho grand rendezvous of almost all the fisher- men, that resort to this coast for cod-fish ; and we Ibund here a ilotilla of one hnndretl and filty 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 rockv coast. Boats were moving to and fro over the whole bav, 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 bv thousands, and hundreds of men engao-ed in cloaninno s of age, servant lius: they were wrong. Tlio dogs obeyed the command, and took them towards Hudson's Bay. When the weather cleared the servant found his mistake ; but, ahis ! it was too hite for the tender bov, 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 hsdf a mile around. Tlioy tell us the dogs feed on this filthy flesli until the next seal season, tearing it piecemeal Avhen 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 largo })atches on every hill jiround 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 sliore-lark ; it was embedded in moss, so exactly the colour of the bird, tliat when the mother sat on it, it was impossible to distinguish her. Wo see New'foundland 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 it is now almost calm, the sea runs high, and the liipley 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 more like a brute than a Christian man, and was so during, that he would not venture on our journey. I ( .1 'I'll \-iii] L '■rh liH4 LIFE OF AUDUBON. f( III (Vl! f \t. " We proceeded over tlie table-lands towards some ponds, and I I'onnd three young shore-larks just out of the nest, and not yet able to fly. They ho})ped about pretty briskly over the moss, uttering a soft j^jeej), to wliich the parent birds responded at every call. They were about a week old, and I ain glad that I shall now have it in my power to make a figure of these birds in summer, winter, and young plumage. AVe also found tho breeding-place of the Fuligula llistrionica, 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 ducJc, called here white-winged coots (Fuligula Fuscaj ; it was placed on the moss, among the grass, close to the edge of tho water, and contained feathers, but no down, as others do. The female had six young, five of which Avere secured. They were about one week old, and I could readily distinguish the male birds from the females, the former all exhibiting the white si)ot under the eye. They were black and iiairy (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, fur the purpose of getting them on land and catching them a c, 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 ]\raker ! The mother showed all imaginable anxiety, and called to her young all the while she remained in the })ond, with a short squeaking note by no means unpleasant. " Juhj 29. Bras d'Or. Another horrid stormy day ; the fishermen complain, although five or six left tho harbour for further east; and I wish them joy, but for my part 1 \\isli I was further westward. Our })arty 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. 'Diey will not come back till to-morrow, and I was glad when llio boat returned, as I was sure they were on terra firnia. I i'eel quite lonesome on account of their absence, for when all are on board wo have lively times, with music, and stories, and I ) NYC left nu)tlier •all tlie note by y ; tllO )OUV I'oi' h I Nvas off this distant, , Tliey llu'U tlie I iccl all uvo lies, awtl VISIT TO MR. JONES, 28) jokes, and journal izinp;. ]>ut I liaA'o nmnsod myscdf drawing tln'oo young sliore-larks, tlio first ever portrayed by man. "Those birds are just now beginning to congregate, by associ- ating tlieir 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 Hocks with their ])aronts 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, thev ean stand the rio-iditv of the clinnite until the month of October, when the deep snows drive them off, ready or not, for tlieir 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 wifi^ a u:ood 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 Jerse}\ It is again blowing a young hurricane. " Jidy 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 ''■V i I I l-J ( 1 i.H| ( * 280 LIFE OF AUDUnON. IWil 'i t m. within three miles of lis, and gronndod at tlie entrance of tlie bay. It looks like a large man-of-war, dressed in light greenish muslin instead of (umvas ; and when the sun shines on it it glitters most brilliantly. "When these transient monuments of the sea ha[)pen to tumble or roll over, the fall is tremendous, and the sound pro- duced resembles that of loud distant thunder. Tliese icebergs are common here all summer, being wafted Irom 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 towvards 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 b^° 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 lier 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 exj^lains the phenomena which I have before mentioned as ol)3ervable aloni* the coast. " August 4. It is wondi'i'liil how quickly every living thing 'ill I INSTINCT OF r.IIlDS. 281 the aish it it 1 to pvo- • cuil i\(l us t, tlio ador ; Dimcd s now to 1)0 •minod plains, nd sail ti\e day rv for in D 1 L it lias becanso lappens agvee- in. We •d, from ;rs; but ion, and .f many |y of tlio ran into iceberg ^d pieces 3t. One o-ravel, I have lig tiling in this region, whether animal or vegetal)le, attains its growth. In six weeks I have seen the oggs laid, the birds hatched, and their first moult half gone tlircuigh; their association into flocks b(^gun, and preparations for leaving the country. "That the Creator should iiave ordered that millions of diminutive, tender creatures, slnmld cross s[)a(!es of country, in all aj'pearance a thousand times more congenial for all their ])urposes, to reach tliis poor, desolate, and deserted land, to people it, as it were, for ji time, and to cause it to be enliveni^d witii he songs of the sweetest of the featln'red 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 \s as one sheet of ice ; the land was covered with snow, the air was filled with I'rost, and subject to incessant storms, and the whole country a movo mass of a})parently 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 (lark 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 those shores and country, and Nature A\ill 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-wondorfnl country. " August 5. This has been a tine day ! We have had no new hurricane, and I have finished the drawings of several new birds. It appears that northern birds come to matui-ity 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 A\ay along tlie 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- I I n 5 ! i:i I ' 1 !■ 1 K: ■!l ! I" 288 LIFE OF AUI)UI50N. iiig ]iig:]i in tho air, p:() at oiioo, and corroctly, too, across im- mense tracts of country, seemin^i^ly indiri'crcnt to tliem, but at once stoppino-, and making tlicir abode in spcci.il parts lierc- tolbro tlieir own, by previous ]vnowlc(l<;e of tlio a(lvanta;2;os and comforts Avliich tliey huvo enjoyed, and tliey know awaits tiieui tlu'r(\ '* August 10. I riow sit down to jjost up my poor book, wliilo a furious j^^alo is blowing without. I liavo ne.Ljlt'cted to malce daily records for some days, because I have been so constantly drawing, that when niglit came, I was too weary to wield my pen. Indeed, all my physical powders have been taxed to weai'i- ness by this little work of dj-awing ; my neck and shoulders, and most of all my fingers, have ached from the fatigue ; and I have suffered more i'rom this kind of exertion than from walkint>' sixty-five miles in a day, wliicli I once did. " To-day I have added one more new species to the ' IJirds of America,' tho Labrador falcon ; and may we live to see its beautiful figure multiplied by liavell'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 cha[)ter seems to summarize Audubon's observations of the inhabitants of Labrador. • !■ ' *l. ■' ;<1 m :) .!. :'oast ClIAPTEU XLYIl. LAnuAnoR Episnnrs : Tiii". Siji-attkhs of f-AiiKAiioij. "Go where you will, if asliilling can there he procured, you iiuiy expect to meet with individuals in search of it. In tlie 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 Laln-ador, surrounded by uncouth granite rocks, partially covered witli stunted vegetation. While searching for birds and other objects I chanced one morning to direct my eye towards the pinnacle of a small island, sejiarated 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 tliem to procun^ tli<^ ineaus of subsistence. My curiosity having been raised, I bet )uk myself to my boat, land(Ml on the rock, and scrambled to the place, where I found the man still on his knees. When his devotions were concludcKl he bowed to me and addressed mc; in very indifferent French. 1 asked why he had chosen so dreary u * : 290 LIFR OF AUDUnON. ( ;) \^ \y'\ f.ir f:]\M^\ I! - ?■ ■ ! r.'i n spot lor liJH priiyors. * Hocnuso,' answered ho, * tlie soa lies lu'fori! me, iuifl from it I rcMicivo my spring and summer sustenance. ^Vheu winter approaches I pray IVontin^^ tin* mountains on tho 3laine, as at that period the caralxtos coiiu! towards tho shore and i kill thoni, feed on their llesh, and foriu my beddiuf^ of thoir «kins.' 1 tlioueht tho answer reasonahlo, and, as I lon;^ed 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. Th<^ roof was composed of a sort of thatchini^ made of weeds and moss. A lar^e Dutch stove tilled nearly one half of the place ; a small portdiole, then stuffed with old rags, servc^d at times instead of a window ; the bed was a i)il(j of deer-skins ; a bowl, a jug, and an iron })ot were placed on a rudo shelf; three old and rusty muskets, their locks fastened by thongs, stood in a corner ; and his buck-shot, powder, and Hints were tied U}) in bags of skin. Eight Esrpn'maux dogs yelled and leaped about us. Tho strong smell that emanated from them, tog(;t1ier with the smoke and tilth of the aiiartment, rendered my stay in it very disagreeable. Being a native of France, tho good man showed much politeness, and invited nie to take some relreshment, Mlien, 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 also to -breathe the pure air and gaze on tho wild and majestic scenery around. 1 was struck with the extraordinary luxuriance of the jdants and grasses that had sprung up on the scanty soil in the little valley which the squatter had chosen for his home. Their stalks and broad blades readied my waist. June had come, and the flies, mosquitoes, and other insects filled the air, and were as troublesome to me as if I had been in a Florida swamp. The squatter returned, but he was ' chop- fallen ;' nay, I thought his visage had assumed a cadaverous line. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he told me that his barrel of rum had been stolen by the ' eggers ' or some fishermen, lie said that he had been in the habit of hiding it iu the bushes to prevent its being carried away by those merciless thieves, who must have watched him iu some of his frequent walks to the spot. ' Now,' said he, ' I can expect none till next spring, and God knows whut will become of me in the winter.' Pierre Jcau Ill A LAI{I!A1)()I{ SQr ATTKlf. 201 \ lies \nnicv rouu) (\ I'unu oiuv\)l'N lis liut. tU umtl )f a sort 2\\ stovi; a stulYr.l bed Nva:^ eir lofks t, powtlt-'V, laiix (logs enuinivted ipartiuent, Illative ul" linvited me luy asst'ut, itlun-. "N^^ lau 1 ^v^\ll > NYiUl and [tvaovdiuiivy up i)U tlie Ihad t'liosen ;\ vuy waist. \\cv insects ihael been in Avas ' eAiop- tverous luie. 13 bavvel of ■vmen. 1^^ ,e buslies to •hievts, Nvlw alks to tUt^ spring, 111^^^ Pierre Jei^^^ Iluptisto Midiaiix ' Iim<1 resided in that i)art of the worhl lor ni>\vard.s of ten years; ho had run away from the ii.shiu{:;-.siiiaeU tliat had bron/^ht luni from his fair native land, and expected to beeom(> rich sonu^ day by the sale of Ids furs, skins, and eider-ducks' down, seal-skins, and other articles Avhich he collectod yearly, and sold to the tradei-s who regularly visited his dreary abtxle. lie was of moderate stature, lirndy framed, and as active as a wild eat.' lie told mo that, excei>tin^' the loss of his rum, he had never exi)erieneed any other cause of sorrow, and that he felt as ' happy as a lord.' Iji'lbre parting' with this fortunato mortal, 1 in(iuired Ikjw his dogs managed to lind sufficient food. ' ^^hy, sir, during spring and summcu' they rand)le along the shores, whore they meet with jibundance of dead iish, and in winter thev eat the llesh of the seals which 1 kill late in the autumn, when these animals return from the north. As to myself, everything eatable is good, and when liai'd pushed, I assure you 1 can relish the fare of my dogs just us much as they do themselves.' Proceeding along the rugged indcnitations of the bay with my companions, 1 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 diflieulties ; but as our boats turned a long pohit jutting out into the bay we were pleased to see several small schooners at anchor and one lying near a sort of wharf. Several neatdooking 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 ray giving him my name he shook me heartily by the hand, and on introducing each of my companions to him he addressed me as follow"* : * j\[y dear sir, I have been expecting you these three weeks, having read in the 2')(i])ers your intention to visit Labrador, and some tishermen told me of your arrival at Little Natasquan. Gentlemen, walk in.' Having followed him to his lieat and comfortable mansion, lie introduced me to his wife and children. Of the latter there were six, all robust and rosy. The lady, although a native of u 2 '.0 I ' , h vy ( .1^ \AVK OF A I'D r BOX. the country, was of Froneh oxtriiction, limi(l,somo, and suniciontly ii('Coiiij»lisli('(l to mako an excellent eonipanion to a ;^epllenian. A Hiiiart ^nrl brou^lit uh a luncheon, eonHi'stinfi; of bread, ciKM'He, and iidod port wine, to which, haviii;^ rowed I'ourteen or tll'feen miles that morning', we helped ourselves in a maimer that seemed satist'aclory to all ])arties. Our host gave us n(nvsj)a[)ers IVom mo(l ^ Iroiu t'llOU'O Linialtlt' ev \\W' ed (tm-- i-y snuiU see ll»o \'\m l»«^w L' luul no turn au»l it. 'Thr tlian yon do pvetty luy own ia\ oil Jii"^ ■ •■-aiUl /7t'' chil^U-en. 11 to know, mutvynuMi, lai of tlu'm ait by ^^•ly pnvc-hasi'il \h, ho sai(l,^ jusantb ot |u\ I voa^b' ,1 tlic luivAy bus salmon, Escinimanx ' Toll my I'o. and that distance of Sin'onty niilc^ down th(> coast, and lilce liiniscll' was a vcclus*'. Ho ol' BriOi-do)' was at dt)u!)lo tluit distance; but wlicn the snows of winter liavo tliickly eovered tho ('(uintry, ilie wliolo fjunily in sledges dnnvii by do^'s travel with easo and pay tlu'ir visits or leav(i tlieir cards. This ;jfood p'lith'inan had already resided there nioro tliaii twenty years. Should h(! evtu* read this article, I desire liini to believi^ that I shall always bo frrateful to him and Ids wile Ibr their hosjiital»le welcome. When our schoonor, the IJii^i'V, arrived at Jh\ts-(Vo)% I paid a visit to j\rr. , th(! bnMher-iii-law, who lived in a iiouso iniportiMl from Qnehoc, which fronted tho strait of BcUe Isle, and overlookecl a small island, over which tho eye reached tho coast of Ncwloundland whenever it was tho wind's pleasure to drive away tho fogs that usually lay over both coasts. Tho geidleniau and his wife, wo were tohl, were both out on a walk, hut would return in a verv short time, whicdi thev in fact did, when we followed thoni into the house, which was yet unnuished. The usual immonso Dutch stove formed a i)ri)icipal feature of the interior. Tho 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 lino arts, she pointed to several of the vilo ju'ints Imng on tho bare walls, which she said were elegant Ji liaii pictures, and con- tinued her encomiums upon them, assurinn^ me that she had l»urehased them from an Italian who liad come there with a trunk full of them. She had paid a shilling sterling for each, frame included. I could give no answer to tho good lady on this subject, but I felt glad to find that she possessed a feeling heart. One of her children had caught a sisJihi, and was tor- menting tho 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 mo quite forget the tattle about the fine arts. Some excellent milk was poured out for us in clean tilassos. It was a pleasing sight, for not a cow had we yet seen in the country. The lady turned the conversatitm on music, and asked if I played on any instrument. I answered that I tlid, but very inilifferently. Her forte, she said, was music, of which she was indeed immoderately fond. Her instrument had heen sent to l']urope to be re[)aired, but would return that • I ^i. (. Pr/ 204 LIFE OF Al'DUBON. II Hi i*^ ! season, wlion tlio wliolo of her cliiklrcn would again porfovin many boautiful airs, for in foot anybody could use it with case, as when she or tlie children felt fatigued the servant played on it for them. Eather surprised at the extraordinary powers of tliis 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 roimd either fast or slow I do assure you we malco 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 .'s it, it is a hand-organ, but I had for- gotten the name, and for the life of r j could not recollect it.' The Inisbaud had gone out to work, and was in the harbour caulking an old schooner. He dined with me on board the lii})ley, and proved to be an excellent fellow. Like his brother- in-law, he luid seen much of the world, having sailed ncarlv 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 and happily, visited his father-in-law and the scholar by the aid of his dogs, of which he kejit a great pack, bartei'cd or sold his coniniodities as his relations did, and cared about nothing else in the world. Whenever the weather was fair ho walked with his dame over the snow-covered rocks of the nei2;hbourhood, and durimi; winter killed ptarmigans and caraboos, while his eldest son attended to the traps and skinned the animals caught by them, lie 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 fb'teen hundred carcasses of skinned 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 ilie United States. During our stay at Bras-cVor the kind- hcarte 1 and good ^\vs. daily sent us fresli milk and butte)', for which we were denied the pleasure of making any return." iTovm , ease, fe(\ on vers of iicnt it ■ iustrn- i like a I ro\\w\ music' r curled, features. ,se(l, slic : had for- oUect it.' . liarhour 3oard the iS brotlier- ed nearly i disguste'd neighbours, d liappdy, If his dogs, mnuoditios the world, dame over [ring ^viuter ,u attended lie had ic country, every one, ,ahk thing CA\ hundred ^Ye \isited he coolness to the idp'^ [the vultures ). the Ivind- and huttei', y return." CIIAPTEU XLVIlI. NoTKs IX Laruador— Gulf of St. Lawrence— St. George's Bay, New- foundland— The Village— Fishermen and Women— Indian Wk - WAMS — liKATING AliOUT AT SeA. "Aufjust 11. At sea, Gulf of St. liawrenee. We are now fully iifty' miles from the coast of Labrador. Fresh water was tak(Mi oil 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 wmd in full sight of the south-west coast of Newfoundland, the mountaius 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 «]■ li M n ' ?«-. « " m.) A 200 LIFE OF AUDUBON. !lf4 .: l«i!' u ; ■what remains of tho voyage will prove as fruitful; and only lio[)e our Creator will permit us all to roach our friends in safi'ty and find tliem well and liappy. " August 1 3. llarbonr of St. George's Bay, Newfoundland. By my dates you will see liow 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 y't seen. In some places (he views were highly picturesque and ngreeable to the eyo, altliough the appearance of vegetation was but little better than at Lal-rador. 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 b(>autiful and ample basin cannot be found ; there is not a single obstruction within it. The north-east shores are high and rocky, but tho 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 vilhigo, the only one we have seen in two months ; and we are in a harbour ^\ ith a clay bottom, and wlioro 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 riow are, and is perfectly secure from all winds ex('ei)t the north-east. The country on ascending the bay liecame gradually more woody and less rough in shape. Tiic temperature changed cpiite suddenly this afternoon, and the weather was so mikl 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. " ^^'e found here several sail of vessels engaged in the fisheries, and an old hulk fiom Hull in England, called Charles Tennison, which was wi'ocked near here four years ago, on her way from {Quebec to Jlull. As we sailed up the bay two men boarded ns fi'om a small bout ami 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 asliore to buy fresh provisions, but thev returned witii nothing but two I only ads in lid. r.y sailors • at fiNo L indeed res pre- 3 plaees tlie eye, G better s of the itbrtable. njc's Fxiy, id a move )t a single high and It took anehor in en in two and where or sea widl, I all winds the hay [uipe. The 1, and the )n derk, _\Yenty-t\vo very con- lie iisherics, Tennison, Ir way i'l'om boarded us had a half J ten dollars*, lit ashore to lug bnt two FRIGHT OF TIIF LABRADOrv WOMFN. 297 bottles of milk, though the village contains two hundred inhabi- tants. j\rackorel, and sharks of the man-eating kind, are said to bo abundant here. Some signs of cultivation are to bo seen across the harbour, and many huts of IMichnuie.'. Indians adorn tlio shores. AVe 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 tlio harbours of Labrador before the KJth or middle of June. " Atigust 14. All ashore in search of birds, plants, and the usual et ceteras belonirino: to our vocations, but all liad to return soon on account of a storm of wind and rain, showing tliat Newfound- land is cousin to Labrador in this respect. We found the country rpiite rich however in comparison with the latter place ; all the vegetable productions are larger and more abundant. Wo saw a flock of house sparrows, all gay and singing, and on their passage to the south-west." Audubon names about twenty different s]iecies of birds which he saw here ; hares and (.'araboos 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, dro})[)od it, and ran to hide herself; another who was looking for a cow, on seeing us coming, ran into the woo Is, and afterwards ci'os'-^hI a stream waist deep to get homo 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 jKJorly; 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 wore 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 oven a true Newfoundland dog, nothing but curs of a mixed breed. " Some of the buihlings looked like miserable hovels, others more like habitable houses. Not a blacksmitli's shop here, and yet one would probably do well. The customs .1 ^ peo[)Ie are f ■, f^-\ I x{. 1 1 1 > 1 ■ \ls ■«t '«■ 2!iH T.IFR OF AUDUBOy. ' I ^Sl li\ partly Canadian and partly Enp:lisli. The wonion all wear cotton caps covering their ears. The passage to and from onr vessel to the shore was the rongliest I over made in an open boat, and we were completely soaked by the waves which daslicd over ns. " Atitj/ust 15. We have had a beantiful 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 sony I am to say, that the nearer they were to our nobler race tlie filtliier and the lazier they were. The women and children were particularly disgusting in this respect. Some of the women were making baskets, and others canio in from collecting a fruit called here the baked apple (Rulms chamicnroiis), 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 bay, 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. Tlie caraboos are at this date in * 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, when; no moss or anv other food can be obtained, and resort to the shores of the sea to feed on kelp and other sea grasses cut up by tlie ice and cast up by the waves along the shore. Groups of several hundreds may be seen at one time thus feuding : their • i . , ■ i.^ 'I f,l A VISIT FTIOM ]\Tn. FOREST AND FAMILY. 21»tt wpav 1 our open ashed ; some ecr, a e gave 3nisoii, :er of a ness in id then ; fonnd Irrwaras, r slcius, sony I •ace the children of the ollecting ms), and lie. The i-e are a 10 island, lo young liss. Kvith onr lives, and ay. The Tnshwood, It. The Low light Ivveight of ll pounds. Ids, vhcrc! Irt to the is cut up Groups [iig: their llosli here is not much esteemed ; it tastes like indifTcrent, poor, but very tender venison. " August 17. We should now bo j)loughing the deep had the wind been foir, but it has been ahead, and we remain hero m siaiu quo. The truth is we have determined not to leave this harbour without a lair prospect of a good run, and then we shull 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 ]\[r., Mrs., and IMiss Forest ; they brought us some salad and fresh butter, and in return avo gave them a glass of wine and some raisins. The old lady and gentleman talked well ; he complained of the poverty o^ 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. 1 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 ho had heard of were seen twenty-two yeai's ago. It is said that these natives give no quarter to anybody, hut, after killing their foes, cut off' their heads and leave tlu.'ir bodies to the wild beasts of the country. " Several flocks of golden-winged jdovers 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 ilock of Canada geese were also seen. The young of the golden-crested wren were shot. A museipcapa was killed, which is probably new. I bought seven Newfoundland dogs for seventeen dollars : two bitches, four pups, and a dog two years old. AA'ith these I shall be able to fulfil promises made to friends to bring them dogs. " On the 18th of August at dayhght the wind promised to bo fair, and although it was rather cloudy we broke our anchorage, and at five o'clock were under weigh. We coasted alo' g Newfoundland until evening, when the wind rose to a tem[ est from the south-west, and our vessel was laid to at dark, and we ii >!•:, Ll I i ■!-v 300 LIFE OF AUDUBON. Pi f-: daii?c(l and kickod over the waves tlio whole of that niglit and the ntxt day. Tlui next day the storm abated, but tlie wind was still f^o adverse that we could not make the Gannet Hock or any l)art of Newfoundland, and towards the latter we steered, for none of us could bear tlu^ idea of returning to Labrador. During the night the weather moderated, and the next day we hiid 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 M'ay by land, ^\•ill probably reach ther(^ as soon as ho. The great desire wo all have to see Pictou, Halifax, and the country between there and Eastport is our inducement." f MU f I iglit and vind was k or any cred, for During laid our id failed, nd reach I beating )-raorrow and we, ; soon as ifax, and ent." CHAPTEIl XLIX. XOTKS IX LABRADOR-LAXn ON Ruy's Isr vvn W»vr Wblf of'p- f ''r '^'^"^^^^'^"^^ *° '^-^^ -^ --el into tbo Xse w m^^^^ succeeding, we concluded th iiiyseit and party sJ^ould be put on shore, and tlie Kinlov .Iu.nl i w:t"^^f' t^ "' '-'--'^ «'■«> -'tLt ;! uvouLible. \\ e drank a parting glass to our ■, ,vas ami fricn.ir fn 1' ^^'! '?''W™<«' t° 1»'«1 on "» island called Ruy s Island wl.ore bOod wishes for the eonipletiou of our respcetivo iournevs m. parted, g,vmg each other three most hearty cheers. ^ ' our natiir, "°7' *",»'%««'"• l'«^i'i™ly on the main shore of CUT ^ ', •■""' ""^ '»'"• ''"J'«' ™nH""nont in our be.t Is, and sea-sKtaess, ami the sea and vessel, and all the Is a„, a.eo^kns. we were so refreshed, that the o „ie quad, I lie. The an- telt uncommonly warm, and the r f! 1 1:1 1- ; f. '11 ?^)i If f I i 4- [I m ii Ml i m^ I: J^ 'I I I r 302 F.IFE OF AUDUBON. country, coniparod with tlioso we had so hitcly left, appeiivod perfectly beautiful, and wo inhaled the frafijrance of the new- mown grass, as if nothing sweeter ever existed. Even the music of crickets was delightful to my cars, for no such insect is to ho found either at Labrador or Nev.'foundland. 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 C(mveyed to the main, only a very short distance, Ingalls and C(Jolidge remaining in the boat ; and the rest took the road, along which we moved as lightly as if boys just released from school. Tiie 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 wo 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 api)eared like a white spe(;k, or au eagle floating in the air, and we wished our captain a most safe voyage to Quoddy. " We reached the shore opposite Pictoii in two and a half hours, and lay down on the grass to await the arrival of tlio boat, and gazed on the scenery around us. A number o\' American vessels lav in the harbour loading with coal. The village located at the bottom of a fine bay on the north-west side looketl well, although small. Three churches appeared above tlie 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 Ixoyal Oak, the best hotel in the place, where we obtained an excellent supper. 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- i'ast 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 much like a small English villa. " xi'ugust 23. We had an excellent K^cotch breakfast at the <: VISIT TO rilOFESSOR MrUUTJ.OrMH. :50;5 (oaved lU'W- inusic i to 1)0 B of a iimiug- istauco, )st took •clcasrd io ; tlio ely, was id soinc ,'. Now tlio sea, ,'ind, ami ared like islied our id a iin lialf of the ibor oi" . The ol•tll-^V('f I .^04 \AVl] OF AUnri50N. • J with thorn, wliicli the) roiuUly iicf'«'pt(Ml, Imt without ('.\i)rossin<>; any tlimiks in ictuni. After dinner Shattiick, Inay of Fundy, and several brooks run through the valley emptying into it. The buildings, althcmgh })rincipally of wood, are good-looking, and as cleanly as any of our pretty New England villages, well })ainted, and green blinds. The general appearance of the |»e^i)le quite LOSINfl A LINCIf-lMX. .'KJo sidt.' of y g'Jf" U! could iscugcvs* Jircctly \vuul(l •ivod in d- waters ight, and ly t'OUVSO est being 3 stopped of us, ^\^' a sid)>tau- ^dueed ns II all fax, 1 all night OUgll tluMl Speidel. The coach is at tlu^ door, tho corner of my trunk is i^'aspinj; to kwuUow tliis l)ook, and I must put it in and l»e ofT. ^* August 2\. Wind oast, tind baulin;jj to the iiorth-easf — all pood for the liipley. We are at Jlalifnx, Nova Scotia, and this is the way wo pjot hero : — Last ni^dit at elovon wo seated oiir- selvos in tho coach; the moon shone bri{:i:bt, and the ni^rht was beautiful; but wo could only partially observe the country until tho day dawned. Jhit wo found out that the road was hilly and tho horses lazy, and after riding twenty miles we stoj)ped to chanj^o horses and warm ourselves. Shortly tho cry came, * Coach ready, p^entlemeii.' In we jumj)e(l,an(l on wo rode for a mile and a half, when the linch-i)in broke, and we camo to a stand-still. Ingalls took charge of the horses, and responded to the h <■■ of the owls, which sounded out from the woods, and the rest of the party, excepting Coolidgo and myself, slept soundly, while wo wore enduring that disagreeable of all ex- periences of travellers — detention — which is most disagroeablo in this latitude, and especially at night. Looking up the road, the vacillating glimmer of tho candle, intended to assist the driver in finding the linch-pin, was all that could bo distinguished, and -"ve began to feel what is called ' wolfish.' Tlie man re- turned, but found no pin — it could not be found, and another quarter of an hour was spent in fumbling round with ropes to tie our vehicle together. At length tho 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 tho driver to try to obtain some information respecting the country, which was becoming poorer and poorer tho further wo travelled. Hunger again now began to press us, and we were told that it was twenty- five miles from the lost linch-pin to tho breakfast-house. I persuaded the driver to stop at a wayside tavern, and inquire the prospects for getting some chickens or boiled eggs ; but tho proprietor said it was impossible for him to furnish a breakfast lor six persons of our appearance. " We passed on, and soon came to the track of a good-sized bear in the road, and aft(.u' a wearisome ride reached the bi-eak- fast ground, at a house situated on tho margin of a lake called Grand Lak5, which abounds with fine fish, and soles in the X M .'■, Sa ; : 1 'I ; ■ I 300 \AVK OF AlJDUnON. r 8(>iison. I'liiM liiko forms |iiirt of tlio chiiiincl wlilnli was intoiidpd ti> 1)0 cut for connecting (Ik; Atlantic Ocean and tlio J»ay of Fundy witli tlio (iidf of St. Jjuwronno at Hay Verte. Ninety thousand pounds have bocui expended on the enterprise, and tlio canal is not finislKul, and probably uovcm" will be; for tlio govcM'ninont will not assist, and private ('Hbi'ts soem to liavo oxliausted themsolvos. Tliis point is seventeen miles fi-om Halifax, and must afford a pleasant resideneo for summer. "The road from that tavern to Halifax is level and f^ood, though rather narrow, anm to hiivo miloH from inner. I and good, ,to (uirriiij^cs. es bcforo wo and l)r()n?;lit 1 stcani-ftnTy led nearly an \lrs. TroUopo i,>n,bep:garly- L- her deserip- sixty-four gun |) tho lionso of obtained one population (•f •0 of soldiers, ■ry inditVereiit niscrablc, and ittled. •y one of us ground, aft or icp mosses of rooms, telling >nt off to his erground, into hogsliead. I :, then rubbed |3ent3 each for [rison, listened jitten this, and ,0 Governor of " Aufjinst 25. To-dfty 1 walked to tin? wlmrves, and was surprised to lind them every one gafecl and loekcd, and scnliiicls slaiidiiig guard ov(!ry\vherG. In tla? afternoon thcri* was a iiiililary funeral; it was a grand sight, the soldiers \valU(>(l tar apart, guns inverted, to tho sound of the linest anthem, aud wonder- fully well exoeuted by an exeellent band. " Th(!re are no signs of style here ; only two ordinary baronehos came to chureh to-day (the JOpiscopal), where the bishoi» said tho prayers and pnuudied. All the ehurehcs receive a certain number of soldiers dressed in uniform. Tho natives of the province are called ' IJlue Noses,' and to-morrow we intcjnd to see all wo can of them. *^ August 2(). To-day I delivered letters \vhi(di I brought to JJishop Jnglis and the Chief .Justice, but did not lind them at home. To-morrow we hope to leave lierc for ^\'indsor, distant forty-live miles. '* August 27. At nine o'clock we entered tho coach, or r her five of us entered it, as it would hold no more, and one was obliged to take an outside seat in the rain. Tho road from Halifax to Windsor is nnieadamized and gootl, 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 along tho borders of the Bay of Halifax ; the view was pleasant, and hero and there we noticed tolerable good-looking sumnier-lu)uses. Near the head of this bay, said tho driver, an English lleet 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. Tho 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 Eiver, a small rivulet of swift water, which abounds with salmon, trout, clwines, &c. The X 2 !i II il i'« \\^ B II 1 1 I-' Ui ) I' ; (, .1 n: 308 LTFK OF AUDUr.ON. Avliole con ((try is poor, very poor, yot under tolerable enltivation ill! the way. AVe passcnl the seat of Mv. Jeffries, the President of the Assembly, now Acting Governor ; his house is fiood-looking, large, and the grounds around it are in tine 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 liiie the road, on which the president and rector reside. We crossed the head of the St. Croix lliver, which rolls its waters impetuously into the l^iy of Fundy. Here the lands were all dyked, and the crops loolced 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 lliver AVindsor, and is supported by the vast banks (^f plaster of Paris around it. This valuable article is sliippcid iu British vessels to Eastport and elsewhere in large quantities. "Our coach sto})ped at the door of the best private boiirding- house, for now'here in this province have we heard of hotels. The house was fnll,and we went to another, where, after waiting two hours, we ol)tained 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 ton miles, scarcely any watei" to be seen, and yet the place where we stood was sixty- five feet above the bed, which plainly sliowed that at high tide this wond(n-ful 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 wiiarves, had a singular appearance. We are told that now and then some vessels have slid sideways from the top of the banl: down to the level of the gravelly bed of the river. The shores are covered for a hundred yards ^vith 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. Jlerc folhjws the descii})tion of the extraordinary rise and fall of the waters, and they are evidently tlu! notes 1 ^l extraordinary [ly {\w noU'^ AIMUVAL AN NEW YOIIK. .".09 onltivation e President 3od-looking, t is situated tlio wliole itli lakes, all )oth looking ■al other fine •ector reside, licli rolls its le lands were that river to the east side -ast hanks of s shippe lh.:sUT,TS 0. THK V, _]^.ur . ^«^"«^«^^'^-Q^^KK. IJkceptiOX- for Liverpool " n «,« T '"' ''"''"^ °" '"'^ '''^^e date eo-...y ana Hnan^ 'a ^ fttl ^ .";:,:' ^wi^™- Victof '„ to 1I« "f ^^ ^^r- *°*^ -" f-"" our son vjcroi quite well, and were all happv. Mv wnrV o« i i • was going on prosperous! v " Aff/ • ^ '^^'^ business house of Prime w!,- 1 i ir '■'''">S"'^'"'<1 American banking. IWi^h Id .?tI ,';r^ ^"'■^' *° *''« ''"■"""^ J^oodon banker, «" K-nown t,„on,b bis i.4n: Zj S^ Z : 'li IUjI ^ ! ii f 1 r 1 ill^ '1 " ' M^ : i„r]|j i ■•1 ■'!' ( ' : ; . ■ '^ ' ' 9 .1) 1 1 ) M -Si { I 1 1 1-^ "ii' f f'" 'ili li •MG LIFE OP AUDUr-ON. / '\ '- ■1 i 11 bunker, jobber, and lender of money. We found no difHculty in ascertaininfi; the place of business of tlie f^reat usurer. Jjusinoss in London is thorou^bly matter of fact ; no (External pomp indicated the eonntin^^-liouse of the baron; tliere was nothing to distino;uish it from those of men of less enormous capital; and wo walked into his private oflic(^ without any hindrance, and introduced ourselves without any introducer. " The Baron was not present, but we were told by a good- loolcing young gentleman that ho would come in in a few mimites; and so he did. Soon a corpulent man appeared, liitching uj) his trousers, and a iace red with the exertion of walking, and without noticing any one pi'esent, 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. ' Pi'ay, 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 tlie 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 name 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 tlie 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 iflll';| ^A\' GOES TO EI)IXP.[inGIT. ai7 tlicm to his house, which was dono directly. NuiidxM" nftor number was sent and delivered to tlie liaron, and after ('i<>;ht or ten months my son made out his account and sent it by Mr. Havell, my engraver, to his banking-house. The J>uron k>okod at it with amazement, and cried out, ' Wliat, a hundred pounds for birds! Why, sir, I will give you five pounds, and not a farthing more.' liepresentations were made to him of iho. 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 worlc was actually sent back to Mv. Havell's shop, and as T 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 ]Jaron Kothschikl 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 ho hired a house and spent a next year and a half. There is no journal descril)ing the incidents of that residence in Edinburgh ; and it is probable, for the reascjn that Audulion 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 occujued 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 183G 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 \ f! *\ ii' 'fii 1 M j t ii 1 ^ ! 318 LIFE OF AUDUBON. I I ) inako the excursion into some of the southern States, whicli he hud been conteniphiting for a lonp; time, for tlie purpose of increasing the new varieties of birds for his great work. July 30, 183G, the journal begins, saying tliat Mr. Audubon h)ft London that (hiy with his son John for Pcjrtsnioutli, where lie arrived the next day, and took passage on board tlio packet ship (jihidiator, Caj)tain Britton, for New York. " Aufjiusi 1. Soniewliat 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. ]vatherine's Dock she had on our account two hundnd and sixty live birds, three dogs received as a present from our noble friend, the Earl of Derby, and a brace of tiiilless 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 si)read 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 brouglit 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. " All was now bustle and mutual congratulations ; our com- mander was praised for his skill by some, and others praised his ^1 States, vvhicli lie purpose of «ork. Mr. Audubon uioutli, where I'd the packet sun we went in those iioat- Gladiutor left hundred and •om our noble cats from our )llege. They have received the dogs and iitic safely. r was apeak, s were spread 3n her course. 3eability, and us with some and the time of Newfound- Lind disasters ; urse steadily ^laud, hi the )vered, about approach to ARRIVAL AT NKW YOIJK. .(,,, whiskey punch, whicli the waiters handed about, and (ho ni-d.t w^.;.u^y spent mrevehy; but J^ "It rained hard and blew all night, but T shut c.unfort.blv and awoke the next morning at four o'clock a happy" a,' man could bo three thousand miles from the deares^^fnend o had on earth. As a gleam of daylight appeared, n.y v arched through the hazy atmosphere to cl eh a glinu.se . he land and gradually 8taten Island opened on my 4n • th he boat of the custom-house officer appeared, .Ll Lie boarcbc us, arranged the sailors and passengers on de k a d ailed their names. Then followed brelkfast.'^and soon a,t;tr^ boa with a yellow flag flying landed the health olllce id th e being no sickness on board, myself and John returi d o Stat... Ish,nd in the doctor's boat, and were taken by the St a ner Hercules to the city, where we were welcomed by relatives and friends." t-iuumeu uy « M S y. ; and rockets ! soon brouglit rd. Oh ! my md when our America, thy here thanked n. ns ; our com- rs praised his 1' ? i I ; ! i I ifj :!ijij I I 820 LIFE OF AUDUUON. II ■- ', n ' I CIIArTEll LIT. In Amkuka — l")i:r,A\VAi!K liivr.u — riiii,Ai)r,i.riiiA — Bo.^ton — Friexdh anu I'uiDs — Thomas NrTTAi.i, — Fxruusiox to Salkm — A " Bkautifui, BuTK-STO('KiN(i" — Mi;i;TiNfi wiiii Daniki, 'Wkiistku — Hack to Nkw Yoi!K — Social Meetincw — Tiioi;(iHTs conxkumxo Wii.jso.n the Oit- NITIIOUHilST. Sofiemher 13. Audubon romaiiicd in Now York until this date, obtained two subscribers and tho promise of two more, visited the markets and found a few spooimens of new birds, and left for Phihidelphia ; paid three dolkirs for liis I'are on tlio steamer Swan, and fifty cents for liis dinner ; " but," the journal adds, " we ^\■ere too thick to thrive. I could get only a j)iece of bread and butter, snatched from the table at a favourable moment. " I found the country through which wo passed greatly im- proved, dotted with new buildings, and the Delaware liiver 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 iu America. The flesh, fish, fruit and vegetables, and fowls, are abundant, and about fifty per cent, less than in New YoJ'k ; where, in fact, much of the produce of Pennsylvania and New Jersey is taken now-a-days for sale — even game ! I bought two -FniENDH ANU " r.r.AUTlKlM, Back to Nkav [,soN Till': Ou- til this (late, more, visited rds, and left the steamer ournal adds, a piece of favourable greatly itn- iware Kiver Philadelpliiii pr me on tlie [table bouse, ble wife and irlan at five Ifincst one in Id fowls, arc Kew York ; lia and New bought two III". VISITS lios'l'ox. M21 Honis (('('(!iir birds) fur forty ('cnts, tlnil in New ^'^^^k would have brought fifty cents. After brciUfast went to tlio Acixh-uiy of Natural Sciences, met Dr. Pickering, aiid had a great treat in h)oking over ami handling the rare collection made by Nnttall and Townsend in their excursion on and over the Kocky i\ioun- tains. It b(dongs to the Academy, which assisted the travelh^rs with funds to [trosecute their journey ; it contains about forty new sp(!cies of birds, and its valu(! cannot be desci'ibed." Audubon s[K'nt only a day or two in Philadelphia, saw his old I'riends there, was pi-t'Sent at (»ne of the meetings of the Academy, obtained a few new birds, and returned to X(>w Yorlc. iMr. Edward Harris, his (dd friend, called to sec liini ; and when he was toM 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 ?" " Boslon, Sepiemher 20, 18o(i. I came liero from New York, via the steamer 31assachusetts and the JVovidenc(! Itailroad, for seven dollars, which inclu(hHl su])per and breakfast, 'riiero were thri'e hundred i)assengers, and among them sovei'al persons knewn t(.) me. A thick fog compelled the steamer to an(du)r at midnight; in tho 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 i*rovidcnce to Boston at the rate of fifteen miles an hour ; we arrived at four r.M. ; a cart took my trunk, and seating myself by the side of tho owner, we drove to the house of my friend Dr. George C. Shattuck. Tho family soon gathered for tea, and I was now happy, and after talking for a while I retired to rest in tho same room and bed whore -Fohn and 1 .slept after our return from Labrador." Audubon spent several days in Bo.ston visiting tho pu))lic in- stitutions and his friends, among whom he mentions 3lr. Ever(>tt, Dr. Bowditch, Dr. Gouhb and ]\lr. David, " where I found IMariu 1) , now i\Irs. ]\totley, as hand.some as ever, and her husband not far short of seven feet high." " Sejdemher 20. Went to the market and bought a fine pigeon hawk for two cents, which is now found in iMassachusetts. Y I! ,1 ii I ""i ill V 11 ,■ I ?■ .322 LIFK OF AUDUliON. •* •' 'i . I M'' \ ('i Visitod Iioxlmrv with Tlionifis Browor, n younpj man of miieli oriiitliological taslo, to soo his collection of skins and o promised to obtain nie duplicates ol' all the species he had brought for the Academy at l'liiladelj)hia, and to breakfast with us to-morrow, and we parted as we have before, i'riends, bent on the promotion of the science wo study. " Sejifemher 22. Tliis has been a day of days with me; Nuttall breakfasted with us, and related much of his journey on tlio Pacific, and presented me with iixe new species of birds obtained by himself, and which are named after him. One of J)r. ^liat- tuck's students drove me in the doctor's gig to call on Governor Everett, who received me as kindly as ever ; and then to tlic house of I*resident Tinnay of Harvard University, where I saw his family ; and then to Judge Story's. Then crossing the country, wo drove to Col. J. H. Perkins', and on the way I boug'it a iiiic nude 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 })assed to subscribe for my work. " J)r. Powditch advised me to go to Salem, and with his usim! anxiety to promote the welfare of every one, gave me letters to I\lessrs. Peabody and Cleveland of that place, requesting them to interest themselves to get the Athenaeum to subscribe fur my work. " Saleni, Mass., Sepfemler 23, 183(5. Hose early this morning. and nmde jireparations to go to Salem ; a id at seven o'clock I was in the stage, rolling out of Boston towards this beautil'iil h A BLUE-STOCKINCr. 323 in of w\^\\ and c-i-.^is-. tvud veccivctl Ivctiu-ned promi«<-i^ to female lAuo avd that our am California, patience for a 3 much wlieu the very same; nnssed a con- appy return to e dvipli<'ates of t rbiladelpliii', parted as \ve tlio science wo LtU me ; Kultall journey on tlio ',{ Ijirds oblaiutMl Ine of l)v- ^^''>^- all on Governor k1 tlven to the ^Yllere I saw bis lin<2; tUo country, f bought a iini' u my i-eturn I ly Society yestov- Nvork. A with his usnul ive me letters ti. pncsting thorn to tnhscribe for w) ^•ly this morniuir. It seven o'clock I L this beantilul 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. Wo stopped a few moments at Shoemakt>r 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 Ml-. Cleveland's office ; he received mo kindly, and invited mo to dine with him at one o'clock. I took some back numbers of my ' Birds of America ' to jMIss Burley, and I'ound her as good, amiable, and generous as ever j and she at once interested herself to make the object of my visit successful. Called on Ur. Pierson, to whoui I had a letter, and met a most congenial s[)irit, a nnm of talents and agreeable manners. I'iie Doctor went with me to see several persons likely to be interested in my work ; and I then called alone on a JMiss 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 fur the parlour, but not for the kitchen. Although she iias the eyes of a gazelle, and capital teeth, I soon discovered that she wou^l 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 docs 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 liimself, and gun, and (log ; the Spanish dress and tout cnsoiihle brought to my mind my imaginations respeeting Gil Bias. At last I bowed, she ciutsied, and so the interview ended. " Sejjtcmhe:' 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 tliat 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 n . I 1 1? ^1 'i1 !); I r I u 324 LIFK OF AUDUBON. lovely daughters and a manly-looking youth, their brother. The (linn(>r was excellent, and served simply ; but a3 our future l)read and butter depend on my exertions, I excused myself as soon as convenient, and went to J.)r. Pierson, who accom|)anied me to call on some gentlemen who w^ould bo likely to take an interest in my work." Audubon returned on Seyitember 24th to Boston, and remained there one week, visiting his friends and looking for subscribers to his Birds. " Septemher 27. The citizens are all excitement ; guns are firing, flags flying, and troops parading, and John (iuiiicy Adams is delivering a eulogy on the late President j\bTdison. The mayor of Boston did me tlie 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 IMr. Nuttall. In the evening Dr. Shattuck finished thesubscrij)- tion list of the society, by presenting me to his lady, who subscribed for one-tenth, and the Dr. then pnt 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 cherpie. ^Vithout the asssistance of this generous man, it is more than probable that the society never would hav(^ had a copy of the ' JHrds of America.' " Se]_)temher 2!). ]\Ir. Isaac P. Davis called to invite me to spend the evening at his house, and to meet Daniel Webstor. I met him at the Historical Society, where I saw the last epaulets worn by our glori(ms Washington, many of his 31S. letters, and the coat Benjamin Franklin wore at the Freucli and English courts. '' ]\Ir. Davis has some fine pictures, which I enjoyed lookiuir at, and after a while Daniel Webster came, and we welcomed eacl) other as friends indeed, and after the usual compliments on such occasions we had much conversation respecting my })ublication. He told me he thought it likely a copyright of our great work might be secured to you and our children. We took tea, talked of orjiithology and ornithologists ; he })ronn:?('tl to send me some specimens ol' l)irds, and finished by snbscribii)i; to my work. I fool proud, Lucy, t(» have that great man's naiin' ^' ! Ml^. WEBSTEIIS LETTKI!. 3L'5 iv brother. I our f\itur(! L iiiyselt' as ocompaiuwl to take an lid romaiuod : subscribers t; guns arc obn Quincy lent ^Madison, me to pm w ' the Natural \ Davis, and i\ the subserip- iiis lady, Nvbo down bis sou wn family one- ty dollars, I'oi" istanoe of tbis society never o invito me to imiel Webster. saw the last Iny of bis ^IS. at tbe Freurh Injoyed lookin? Il wo weleonu'tl |al conipliments respecting my {I copyrigbt of cbildren. ^V*' ^s; bepromisf^l by subseribiu'r^ Ivat man's nani'' oil our list, and pray God to ;j;rant liiin a long life and a bappy one. JMr. Webster gave mo tbe following note : — " ' I take tbis mode of commending Mr. Audubon to any friends of mine be may meet in his journey to tbe west. T liavo not only great resj)ect for Mr. 'Audubon's scientillc 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 foi-mor subscribers, Audubon bid adieu to his friends in Boston, and returned to New York. " October 10. Had a pleasant call from Wasliington Irving, and promise of valuable letters to Van Buren and otliers in Washington. After dinner went to Mr. Cooper's, the naturalist, who at first with some reluctance showed mo liis birds. We talked of ornithology, and lie gave me five pairs of sylvia, and promised to see me to-morrow. " October 11. At nine o'clock J\Ir. Cooper came to see me, and examined the third volume of our work. He remained two liDurs, conversing on our favourite study, and I was jdeased to Hud him more generously inclined to forward my views after bo had seen the new species given mo by Nuttall. 1 went lo 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 l.'b Called on Ininaii 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 Swartout's, a grand dinner, with Mr. Fox, the bi'itish minister, Mr. lUickhead, 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 ine to viiit them at their residences, and (jreueral Stewart of Baltimore invited mo to make his house my h(nne when I visited there. " October 15. We have packed our trunks and sent them on board the steamer, and leave this evening for Philadelphia. i. it ■ t n < ■ I -pr-STrr ^ 'J w in 326 LIFE OF AUDUBON. I Tlic woathor lias been perfectly serene and beautiful, and the Bay of New York no^^jr looked more magnificent and grand to me. We soon gl'ded across its smooth surface and entered the narrow and sinuous Kan tan ; and as I saw ilocks of ducks winging their way southward, I felt happy in the thought tliat J should ere long follow them to their winter abode. We soon reached the i-;iilroad, and crossed to the DehiNvare, and before six o'clock reached the house of my good friend ] )r. Harlan," Here Audubon saw many of his old friends, visit(Kl tlio public works and institutions, and obtained a few new species of birds. After speaking of the great changes in that city, the journal says : " Passx'd i)Oor Alexander Wilson's school-house, and heaved a sigh. Alas, poor AVilson ! 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 crt)ss 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, tlie generous friend of Wilson." ;;. ! V li <0 CHAPTEli J.lir. I.IK lKi...im...NT~A,.sn-,S to OKr.C.Al.S 0„- Voy^UKss - Vuuv.h,u SCIEXTIFIC Exi.K0,T.O.V_Di.vxKa M-ITII Axi.KKW J^rKSON. On November Sth, Audubon arrived in Waslunoton. Amon^ many other letters of introduction given to people in A\'asir. mgtoi, and tnnj.enbc.d caretully in the journal, are the tu<, iollownig from A\ ashnm ton Irvin^- My dear 8ir, '"''■''"'""' ^^^'"'^'^' ^'^' i^^^" This letter will be handed to you by our distinguished imturahst, Mr. J. J. Audubon. To one so purely devoted rs yourself to anything liberal and enlightened, I know J need sav nothiug ni reeomniendation of Mr. Audubon and his works- he Iniasc'lt Will best inform you of his views in visiting Washing-ton 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, m prosecuting his researches along our coast, by givin- uiu conveyance in our revenue cutters and other public vessel.^ 1 tnu snndar civilities will be extended to him, and that he wil receive all aid and countenance in his excursions by laud Ihe splendid works of Mr. Audubon, on the sale of which he depends for the remuneration of a life of labour, and lor pro- vision for his family, necessarily, from the magnificence of its \i h4 hi 'I il iii .1 \f' If: I i ?.'>!. r.II'K OF AUDIT.OX. fxcfution, is put bcToiul tlio means of most individuals. It must d(>})(,'nd theroforo on jmblio institutions for its chief sale. As it is a national work, and highly creditable to the nation, it ai)[)ears to me tlin* it is particuhirly deserving of nationsd ])atronage. Why cannot tlie dei)artments of Wasliington furnish tlieinselves witli coj)ios, to he deposited in their libraries or archives? 'Fhink of thes(^ sugg(\stions, and, if you approve of them, act accordingly. With the highest esteem and regard, I am, dear sir, Yours very truly, Washington Ir.vino. Alluriu'y-tj!eii(.'riil of ihu United States, Washington, D.C. Tarrytown, October 19, 18[i6. lAlv DEAR »SlR, I take pleasure in introducing to you our distinguished and most meritorious countryman, j\[r. J. J. Audubon, whoso splendid work on American ornithology must of course bo 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 re})ay but poorly the indefatigable labour of a lifetime. The high price necessarily put on the copies of ]\lr. Audubon's magniliceut 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 inA\'ashington ought each to have a copy deposited in their libraries or archives. Should you ho of the same o})inion you might be of great advantage in pro- moting such a measure. Ivefercnce is then made to the assistance rendered to Audubon by the revenue cutters and public vessels, and tho letter continues : — \ trust similar facilities will still be extended to him ; in i'act, as his undertakings are of a decidedly national character, IIF.CEIVED 15Y 'I'lIK PFiRSinFA'^-. .•^'JlJ h and conducive of ^reat national bonofit, the most lilMTal cncourafjomont in every respect ought to bo shown to him on tlie part of our government. I am, my dear Sir, Your attaclied Friend, Washington IitviNc, Till'; Hon. Martin Van P.uukn. " Noveviber 8. Called on Colonel Alert, who received nic with his wonted civility, promised to assist me in all my desires, and walked with mo to the IVesident's, to present my letters. Th(^re we found Colonel Donaldson and ]\[r. Karle, 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 ]\lr. Swartout's letter twice, with apparent care, and having finished, said, ']\rr. Audubon, 1 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 [)ipe, and gave my letters to Colonel Donaldst)n, who read them attentively, and as I left the room he followed us, and we talked to him respe(!ting 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 Comi)any t(j read, and went to see Colonel Earle, who is engagetl in painting General Jackson's portrait. " Colonel Abort then took me to jMr. Hradbury, S('cretai-y of the Treasury, who received me very i)olitely, ann was anything but gratifying ; but he made many courteous [tromises to bring the matter ll W 330 LIFE OF AUDUUOX. .1 ! 1 W I' i'l. Ili l)ofove tliu next Congress, and 1 l^id liini adieu, hoping lor the best. ''Called on ]\rr. John S. ]\re('lian, librarian to Congress, and found hira 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 \ms- sessing curious kno\vledg(! of the Sora Kail, &c. Accompanied by John, I took tea at Colonel Abort's, and then walked to Mr. Bradbury's, to sjiend the evening. There the Colonel handed me an order for the use of the cutter, and informed me that the Treasury De])artment had subscribed foroneco})y of oui- work. j\[r. Bradbury also offered us a i)assage to Charlcstowu in the cuttev, Cami)bell, about to sail I'or that station. The vessel is only fifty-five tons; and although Cohnnbus crossed the Atlantic in search of a new world in a barque yet more frail, and although thv 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 hoi)ing soon to see again the breeding grounds of the wood ibis, and the roseate spoonbill. " November I). To day Colomd Abert called with me on Secretary Dickenson of the navy. He received ns frankly, talked of the great naval and s»'ientitic expedition round the world now })roi)osed to be lifted out by tlie government. I'o my surprise and delight his views coincided exactly with mine. Jle 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 lor a few, and 1 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 \\hose names had been mentioned for the voyage. But I gave evasive answers, not wishing to speak of individuals wjio are both unfit and inimical to me to this very day. ^Fost sincerely do I hope that this, our first gi'eat national scientilic expediticm, 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 il ( .? DINES WITH GENERAL JACKSON. 331 ig tor tli(i ixrcss, and uvcrsation J with him liweop l>os- c'oiiipani(' with mine. \\\\ to great when only ver, respect- a few, and 1 Incs^ some one person of certain Ln'age. IJnt ividuals who day. ^rost nal scientilic science, hat >ngly reeoni- is in every respect one of the best general draftsmim I know. I also recommended the son of Dr. j\[c]\Inrtrie (how strange, you will say), and young lieynolds of J)Oston, as an entomologist. " The secretary paid mo some compliments, and told mo the moment the expedition had been mentioned he had thought of me, and Nuttall, and I'ickering — a glorious trio! I wish to God that I were young once more; how delighted I would be to go in such comjiany — learned men and dear fn*(>Mds. He also took us to his house, to see the work published by the French government, of the voyages of L'Athalie, and present(,'d by that government to our own. It is a magniiicent j)roduction, quiti' French, and quite perfect. I next took John to the White House, which is the vulgar name for the President's residence. ]\[r. Earle introduce 1 us, and John saw for the first time that extraordinary man, General Andrew Jackson. He was v(M'y kind, and as soon as he heard that we intended departing to- morrow evening for (/harlestown, invited us to dine witli him en famiUe. At the named hour we went to the ^\'hite House, and were taken into a rooni, where the I'resident soon joined us. I sat close to him; we spoke of olden tinn'S, 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 tlie table with his two nephews, Colonel Donaldson being in the truest sense of the word a gentleman. The dinni^r was what might be called plain and substantial in England ; I dined from a iine young turkey, shot within twenty miles of \\'as]iingtoii. 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 ri'turned to the first room, where was a picture, ay, a picture of our great Washington, painted by Stewart, when in the prime of In's a-e and art. This picture, Lucy% was found during the war with England by Mrs. , who had it cut out of the I'rame, rolled up, and removed to the country, as Mr. Earlo 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." K > i'K (! »i"; 'I . .I.l'. MFH OF AUDUnoV. I ; i ,r, , CllAPTEJi LIV. Extunsios South — Iiamiilks rouxd Ciiai{i,estun — Stakts in Citi'icu vkk Gaia'Kston' IUy, Tkxas — BAnATAUiA Day— CliiKAT Hi ntim; Kx- fUusioN WITH A Squattku. " Charleston, 8. C, November 17, ISof). We arrived hero last evcniu*^, ut'tcr an irksumo and liitigiiing journey, and seemingly very slowly performed, in my anxiety to reach a resting i)laco, where friendship and love would combine to render our time ha})py, and the prosecution of our labour pleasant. We were Imngry, thirsty, and dusty as ever two men could be ; but w(! found our dear friends all well, teai's 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 183G and 18o7 in Charleston, with his friend Dr. ]]ackman, making occasional excursions into the country, to the neighbouring sea islands, and also to Sa- vannah and Florida. But the Seminole war then raging, lie 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 of North America, in connection with Dr. Backman. Early in the spring, he appears to have leit Charles- ton, in the revenue cutter Cam})bell, Caiitain Coste, for explora- tions in the Gulf of Mexico. The journals are lost wliicii describe the interval between the 17th of January and the 1st of April, under which latter date we read that Audubon, ^l ; i I'.AKA'IWIMA I'.AY. XVA JUTTKll I'l'lv NTlNi; Ex- horo last seemin<;ly ing place, our time AVe were e ; but we heir eyes, IVoni one! return* •r. lit Charlcs- )r explora- ost whicii and the Auilnlion, liis son .lolm, and ^Ir. I'Mward Harris, cainc dnwn IVoni New Orleans, in the cuttei", t<» tlic S. W. pass, provisioned Ibr two montiiSjund bound w est wardly from the nKaitlmt the 31ississippi to (iaivcston JJay, in Texas, nith the intention ol' exp!i>riiin- tlie harbour, keys, and bayous along the coast, and to examine tiie lial»ils of the birds of this I'egion, and to search for new species, to furnisji nniterials foi- tiie completion of the fourtli vohniie of the *' IJirds of America." " Ajn'il >). We were joined this day by Captain W. Ji (J Taylor, of the l{evenue service, with the sciiooner C rnsa(h'r twelve tons b\u-den, two guns, and four men comj)h'tely (Mpiipped for our expedition, witli u supply of seines, cast-nets, and other lisiiing-tackle." The same day they entered liarataria l>ay, and began opera- tions, and found u variety of birds wliicli are described in tlie journal. The next day the party ianih'd, and made excursions in different directions, in pursuit of birds and eggs. Among tlu^ spoils of game taken this day, were two wiiitt^ pelicans, of whicli there was an abundance. The next three weeks were spent in visiting the ishmds and i)ayous, and penetrating some of the rivers which pour into th(; hitter tliat occur along the coast betwee.i tlie ^Mississippi riv<'r and (ialveston. The parties land(>d at various ])oints, and found many new species of birds, and other interesting objects of Natural History. I»i the course of one of these rambles, Audubon made the acquaintance of a sfpiatttn*, a great liunter, and with wliom he went on an excursion, which is thus (h'scribed : — "I entered the squatter's cabin, and immediately o[)cned a conversation witii liim respecting tlie situation of the swanq) and its natural productions. lie told me he thought it the very place I ought to visit, s[)oke of the game wliich it cont)"'ned, and pointed to some bear and deer skins, adding, tliat the indi- viduals to which they had belonged formed but a small portion of the mnnber of those animals which ho had shot witiun it j\[y heart swelled with (hdight; ami on asking if he would accompany me through tla^ great swamp, and allow me to hccome an inmate of his lunnble but hospitable mansion, I was gratified to find that he cordially assented to all my pro- sals, so I immediately imstrapped my drawing materials, laid (' :Ja '■l.i 'VM I iW\t n34 LFFK OF Arnrnox. '.i up my <^\m, nnd sat :rowing too numerous now to thrive in New England,' was his answer. I thought of the state of some parts of Europe, and calculating tlie denseness of their population, compared with that of Now liUglaiid, exclaimed to myself, how much more dillicult must it bo for men to thrive in those populous countries ! The conver- sation then chang(Hl, and the squatter, his sons and myself spoke of hunting and fisliing, until at length tired, we laid our- selves down on pallets of bear-skius, and reposed in peace on the iloor of tho only apartment of which the hut consisted. Day dawned, and the s(|uatter's call to his hogs, wliich, being almost in a wild state, were suffered to seek the greater [)ortion 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 ui)oii them by a largo 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 tho many attempts he had made to shoot it. Tho * painter,' as he some- times called it, had on several occasions robbed him of a dead deer j and to tliese exploits, tlu,' squatter added several remark- able feats of audacity which it had performed, to give mo an idea of the formidable character of the beast. Delighted by his UUNTINfl A COT'CAI!. n.T) (Icscriptinii, I oHci-cd (o assist him iiMlcstroyiii;^; llKM-iiciuy ; iit wliicli he WHS lii^lily |iIoiiS(>(l, but assiirol mo tliat uiilrss sumo (»r liis ii('i;:;lil)()iirs slioiild join us witli their (h>^s and his own, tho attompt would prove; iVuith'SS. Soon after, mounting a horse, ho went ufl'to his nei;^hhours, several of wliom lived at a distance of some miles, and apitoiuted a arty came u(>. 'J'he best dog was sent forward to track the cougar, and in a few moments the whole jiack was observed diligently tiailing and healing in their course for the intei'ior of the swamp. The rilles were immediately put in trim, and the party followed tho dugs 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 quickeni'd tl>eir pace. j\ly comjianions concluded that the beast was on the ground, and putting our horses to a gentle galloj), we followed the curs, guided by their voices. The noise of the dugs increased, wla-n all of a sudden their mode of barking became altered, and the squatter urging me to push on, tohl me that the beast was treed, by which he meant, that it had got t i ''1 ■'1 >■« n i h I ■ 'I'. M -^^W! ;{;{(; LiFK or AriMn'.ox 'I- !■ li' 1^ I I i upon sdino low brnnoh ol a liirti,'0 tree to rest for a fow niomonts, aiul tliat slionld wo nut succ!(?o(l in shooting" liim whon tlius situated, wo might oxpcct a Ion<^ diasc of it. As wo approacliod the spot, wo all by dogi'cos united into a body, but on seeing the dogs at the foot of a large tree, sej)arated 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 neclv of his horse, as it advanced slowly towards the dogs. A shot iVom one of the party was heard, on which the cougar was seen to lea]> to the ground, and l)ound off with such velocity as to' show that he was very unwilling to stand our fire longer. The dogs set off in jiursuit 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 otdy })lace at which ho could aim. \ 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 horse^ which galloped on towards the centre of the swamp. One bayou was crossed, then another still lai-ger and more muddy, but the dogs were brushing forward, and as the horses began to pa?itat a I'urious rate, we judged it expediiMit 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 considei'able 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 att.iched to the horses' neck."» at liberty to jinglo, hoppled the annnals, and left them to shift for themselves. Nf)w kind reader, follow the group marching through the swam]), 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, 1 must mend my pen before I attemjit to give you an idea of the pleasure felt on such an expedition. Aft(-'r marching for a couple of hours, we again heard th(.> f his foro- couhl aim. lid, but the cd this, and iie centre of still larger ard, and as it expetlient tied hunters 1 apeeiK for a tly fniain \)\\ the track and bridles, |ty to jingle, Jthonist'lves. Ihrough the of their way l\at now and vonrs( ■If all lir Mublie S (H easure attenqit t expe( lition. d tlu^ <1 |tern\in ogs i\tin' im Iwhinin;. althougli 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 wo came up to the dogs, we discovered the ferocious animal lying across a largo 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 ho lay crouched, with his ears lowered close to his head, as if ho thought ho might remain un- discovered. Three balls were fired at him at a given signal, on whieii he sprang a few feet from the branch, and tumbh^l 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 beliind and beneath the left shoulder. The cougar writhed for a moment in agony, and in another lay dead. Tiie 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 bo ready to feed the hogs in the morning. The rest of the party agreed to cam[) on the spot. Tiio eougar was despoiled of the skin, and the carcass lelt to the hungry dogs. Whilst engaged in preparing our camp, we heard the report ol" u gun, and soon after one of our hunters returneil with a snnill deer. A fire was lighted, and each hunter disphiyed his ' pone' of bread, along with a flask of whisky. The deer was skiiUKMl in a trice, and slices placed on sticks before the fire. 'J'hesc materials afforded us an excellent meal ; and as the niiiht iirew darker, stories and songs went round, until my companions, fiitigred, laid themselves down, close under the snudce of the lire, and soon fell asleep. I walked for some miiuites round th(; canq) to contemplate the beauties of that nature i'rom which 1 have certainly derived my greatest ph?asure. I thought of the occurrences of the day; and glancing my eye around, remarked the singular ell'ects produced by the i)hosphore8eent (pialities of tile large decayed trunks, whicdi lay in all directions around me. llow easy, I thought, would it be for the confusijd and agitated mind of a person b(!wiklered iu a swamp like this to inuigine in each of these luminous masses sonu' wondrous and I'earful beiiiir, z i ■1 338 LIFE OF AUDUBON. !■; li >}^ the very sight of which miglit make the hair stand erect on his liead ! The thouglit of being ni yseh" phiced in such a predica- ment burst upon my mind ; and I luistened to join my com- panions, beside whom I laid me down and sh'pt, assured tliat no enemy woidd approach lis without (irst rousing the dogs, which were growling in licrce dis[iute over tlie remains of the cougar. At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter beaiing on his shoulders the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, and retraeed our steps until we found our hoises, 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 formidal)l(i a neighbour as the panther had been, we soon arrived at n)y host's cabin. The five neighbours partook of su(di refreshments as the house could afford, and, dispersing, returned to their homes, leaving me to follow my ftivourite pursuits. f I Mill'* I' CHAPTER LV. Galveston Bay — Notf«! iv Ti.'-^., ^^r "ApHl 24. Arrived in Galveston Ikv fl.;^ ..f+ , • l.aa a fine .un fVom Achafala.a B v W ;:^r"; 'T'f bvodicois fmm +1„. 'P , ' ^'"^ ^°"^ boarded tared the bn> Urea, and ran two oti, "r ^ '^ „ ''"'™' ??■ havinl sailed fro„. Vera c ,z « tl.ln 7 '" i'"""'!'~'^"^ "^^t been ,„„nder,-„, A^er.l': e^ "^ Tt^'^T;::"'' •''' T' a rumcir tl»,t ti.e Texan sel.oane, jZ , " "''" captared by a Mexican em"ser Tl^ /"'''^1«"«'«;"'' ''»« I'oon -."< .» I. . „i,.,.,„,„„ ,..., „, „,M. „;;.-, Jlt z 2 ill iJ 340 LIFE OF AUDUBON. \l I' I f .. . I : .1 . tlio infnnt rcpiiMiV, and then left lis for the soat of govornmoiil nt Ifoustoii, seventy miles distant, on the steamer Y<;lIo\v Stone, aeeompanicd by Captains Casto and Tayh:)r, taking tlio Crusader in tow. " Ajn'il 2C. Went ashore at Galveston. "^I'lie only objects we saw of interest were the IMexican prisonei-s ; they are used as slaves; mad(! to carry wood ami water, and cnt grass for the liorses, and such work ; it is said that some are made to draw the plough. They all ap[)ear to bo 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 men made a larger fire to keep off the mosquitoes, which were annoying enough for even me. IJc^sides miuiy interesting birds, wo 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-liunt on Galveston Island, where these animals arc abundant ; wc saw about twenty-five, and killed four. " Ajyril 20. John took a view of the rough village of Galveston, M'ith the Inicida. We found much comj)any on boai'd on our return to the vessel, among whom was a contractor for beef for the army; Ik^ was from Connecticmt, and has a family residing near the famous battle-ground of San Jacinto. Tie proiuis(;(l me some skulls of iMexicans, and some plants, for he is bumjicd with botanical bumps somewhere. *' Galveston Bay, 3Iay 1, 1837. I was much fatigued tliis morning, and the muscles of my legs were swelled until tliov were pur[)le, so that I could not go on shore. The musk-rat is the only small quadruped found here, and the common houso- rat has not yet reached this part of the world. ''May 2. Went ashore on Galveston Island, and landed on a ])oint where the Texan gari'ison 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 out into square jtieccs comj)osed the buildings of the poor JMexicaii prisoners, which, half clad and half naked, strolled about in a state of ai)i)arent inactivity. We passed two sentin(.ls undci 1 GALVESTON ISLAND. 341 nvprnnioiit llowStoiio, Crusader • objects we tre nsed fis •ass for the iulo to draw lie and con- } island, two very sluillow ,0 men nuido re annoyini^ ■ds, wo found angs on eaeli oston Island, t twenty-five, of Galveston, board on our I- ibr bi'ef i'or mdy residinir He promisid be is bumited fatigued lliis led until tlioy ic musk'-rat i^ nnmon bouso- kd landed on a We passed Indition of the I'ks or sods cut L)oor IMexican Vd about in a ■ntinels under arms, very unlike^ soldiers in ai)pearanee. The wliolo po|)nbition seemed botli indolent and roekless. We saw a few fowls, one pig, and a dog, wbicb a|)[)eared to bo all tbe domestic animals in tbo encam})ment. Wo saw only three womcMi, who were JMexican prisoners. Th(^ solcli(;rs' huts arc })laeed in irregular rows, and at unequal distances ; a dirty blanket «jr coarse rag hangs over the entrance in place of a door. No windows wore seen, except in one or two cabins occupied by Texan officers and soldiers. A dozen or more longgnns 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 })oint where the three channels meet there were four gnus mounted of smaller calibre. We readily obst'rved that not much nicety prevailed among the Mexican prisoners, and we learned that their habits were as filthy as their persona. We also found a few beautil'ul flowers, and among tliem one which Harris and I at once nicknamed the 'J'exan daisy ; and we gathered a number of their seeds, ho[ting to make them llourish elsewhere. On the top of one of the huts we saw a badly-stuftbd skin of a grey or black wolf, of the stimo species as 1 have seen on the JMissouri. When we were returning to the vessel we discovered a largo sword-fish groundeil on one of the sandbanks, and alter a sharp contest killed her with our truns. In what w'o took to bo a continuation of the stomach of this fish, we found four young ones, and in another part re- sembling the stomach six moi'O were packed, all of them alivo 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 vivi[)arous reptiles. The young were about thirty iiielies in length, and minute sharp teeth were alr(>ady formed. '^ May 8. To-day we hoisted anchor, bound to Houston : after grounding a few times, we reached lied Fish J Jar, distant twelve miles, where we found several AnK.'rican schooners and one brig. It blew hard all night, and we were uncomfortable. " Mcuj 9. We left lied Tish Bar with the Crusader and the gig, and with a fair wind proceeded rapidly, and soon came u[> to the new-born town of New Washington, owned mostly by Mr. Swartout the ccdlector of customs of New York. \Ve passed several plantations ; and the general appearance of the country i 1 342 \AVh OF AUDUBON. ,1 was more pleasinj^' than othorwiso. About noon wo entered Buffalo IJayou, at the mouth of the St. Jacinto llivor, and opjmsito the famous battle-fj^round of the sanio name. Pro- ceedinp; smoothly up the bayou, wo saw al)undanco of game, and at the distance of some twenty miles stopped at the liouse of a Mr. I'atterson. This bayou is usually sluggish, deej), and bordered on botli sides with a stri]) of woods not exceeding a mile in depth. The banks have a gentle sloi»e, and the soil on its shores is good; but the prairies in the rear are cold and generally wet, bored by innunierable clay lisli, 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 Mv. Jiatterson's. The tenth it rained again, but we pushed on to Houston, and arrived there wet and hungry. The rain had swollen the water in the bayon, and increased the current so that we were eight liours rowing twelve miles. " 3Iai/ 15. We landed at Houston, the cai)ital of Tijxas, dren(.'lied 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 JiufValo Bavou had risen about six feet, and the neish- bouring prairies were partly covered with water : there was a w-ild 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, co(dving a scanty meal; shanties, cargoes of hogsheads, barrels, (&:q., 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 hy the secretary of the navy, and as soon as we rose above the bank, we saw before us a level of far-extending prairie, destitute of timber, and rather poor soil. Houses half linished, and most PRESIDENT HOUSTON. 343 ,0 entered Lliver, and line. Tio- } of p;anie, the li«Aise , deep, and 'xceedin;^ a the soil on ■e cold and [lostitnte of nth a si^'lit bed of cold, iirht at ^Ir. ushcd on to he rain liad e current so ,il of Texas, in board tlie ns his suite- jyhnients and ul the nein;h- there was a icenery. ^\ e 10 bank of the Iving a scanty were spread LUooing were These poor |oposed by the ing, and with ich occasions. tompanied by Lse above the lirie, destitute lied, and most of them without roofs, tents, and a liberty pole, with the capitol, were all exhibited to our view at once. We aj)proached the J'resident's mansion, however, wading through water above our ankles. This abode of President Houston is a small log-honse, 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 framd ourselves ushered into what in other countries would bo caliod the ante-chamber ; the ground-floor however was muddy and filthy, a large lire was burning, a small table covered with paper and writing materials, was in the centre, camp-beds, trunks, and diflerent materials, were strewed around the room. We were at once presented to several mend)ers of the cabinet, some of whom bore the stamp of men of intellectual ability, simple, though bold, in their general appearance. Here we wore presented to ]\Ir. Crawl'g eight aud a half days from New Orleans" i' V r I'arc twelve 346 IJKK 01' AUDliHON. CIIAITER LVI. In I'lNCil.AND AdAlN — r,ITi:ilAl{V [.AllOflCS — I'.At K Ttl AMKIUCA. After rcinuiniiig a short tinio in Cliailfston. Aiuliiboii ro- tiiiiHM] to Xow V<>i'k,an(l in tlir lattt-r part (/t'tlic suninior sailed for Jiivcrpool. Al'tor laiidiiijjf there and L^'eetinfi; his friends, ho W(.'nt to London. taUint; the new (hawinirs lie had nia(h' to Mr. Harrill, and tlien, after spendiii:; a few days with iiis family, (h'partcd I'or J^(Unhnri;]i. 'i'hero he went dilip'ntly to work in ])reparin^ the fourth vohune of his " Ornithoh)iiii'al l)io1) lie returned to America with liis family, and settled in New York city, there to spend the remainder of his days. ]>ut he did not intend to be idle, but imnK.'diately began preparing liis last gn^at ornithological work, which is a copy of his original English publication, with the iigures reduced and lithographed, in seven octavo volumes. The tirst volume was published within a little more than a year after his retiu-n, two more volumes appeared in 1842, another in 1843, whilt.' he was absent on his expedition to the Yellow-stone Itiver, and the last one after his return. I'ltKl'AKKS I'OK HIS LAST .inlUNKY. ;M7 JJosidcs all this labour, li<' dt'Vdtcd occasioiml sjnin' linurs to iiiilUMviiij^ Mild iiicrcasiii^- the drawings uf the (Hiadin|it'ds (d* North Aniorica, which lu' had bc^iin souk* yoars bcl'on' in coii- iioctinii witli the li<;v. dithii Jlacdxiiiaii of South < 'arolina. The early jtajj^os ol' the joiiriia! show that AiidMboii had hrcii anxious to visit the j^rcat interior vaUcy of tho 3Iississi|)[)i and the Itocky ^lonntains ever since; Im! hciran to dcivoti! his tinio ('xclusiv(dv to ornitholo'rical roscnuch ; and twenty vcars before liis return to America, he had traced out the e(»ursu he wished to ^o. Duriui; all thoso years of uni-eniittinu- toil, the desire and h(»[)e of seein^jf the (ireat Plains and the l{«»(dvy Mountains never deserted him. jjut after he had resolved to poinplete and jiublish his work on tla; (^uadrn[ieds of America, he felt that it would be impossible for him to do it satisfactorily until he liai(i Smux Kiviiii— 'I'liK Inundations— iNuiANrt KVKiiYwmcnK — i)i:Ki'Ku into iiii; Wn,- DKIINKSS — TlIK MaNDANH — INDIAN TllIKVK.S — TlIK " MkDICINK liODur," — IvKcAitKK Indians — Indian Ctii'Ncii, on IViaud — Foht Union — AiiitivAi, AT YkM.oW StoNK HiVKK — lilKKAI.O lIuNT — HMAM,-roX AMoNU TIU; Indians — I{i:tuun to Nkw Yoiik. "March 11, 1843. Left Now York this mnruin;^ witli my son Victor, on an expedition to tlio Yollow-stont! Ixivcr, and rc^Woiis adjacent and unknown, undertaken i'or the sake of our work on the * Quadrupeds of North America,' and arrived in i'liila- delphia hito in tho evening. *' As wo hmded, a tall, robust-look ino; man, ta[)pe(l nio on the shoulder, whom I discovered in the dim darkness to be my friend, Jedodiah Irish, of the Great Pine Swamp. I also nut my friend, Edward Harris, who, besides John G. Bell, Jsaac Spraj^ue, and Lewis Squires, w«'ro to accomi)any me on lliis long campaign. Tho next morning we left for J3altimore, and Victor returned home to 3[innie's Land." There are four folio volumes of JMS. containing a detailed account of that whole journey, which lasted about eight moiilhs. 13ut as most of tho journals were inwoven into thc^ three volumes on the " (Quadrupeds of North America," which were published in the years 184(5, 1851, and 1.S54, we give but an outline of the journey, and the gleanings of such incidents a.s were not useil in those volumes. KPFECTS OF A FRESIIET. .^•l!^ Aiidnlutn and Ih'm party crossed the AIl<>pjlmny Mounfiiins to WluM'liii^, went IVoni tlioro to Ciiwiniiiiti and St. Louis Ity Htoatncrs, wlioro tlioy arrived on tlio '28tli ol' March. Troni ^licnce tliey ascended tlu; I\Iiss()uri Kiver to .lefl'erson city, the capital of tlie State, about one liundn'd and seventy nules froin St. Louis. Tlicrc^ they saw nothing' worthy of note exeei)t tlio State J louse and Penitentiary. The town was a j)oor-h)okin;jf place, and the nei;^dihonrin^ country poor and broken; but the public buil(liii;ed by the freshet, wavintj^ to and IVo, as if trembling at the ragt* 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 rago all that the Creator hatl lavished on its luxuriant shore. The banks arc fulling in and taking thousands of trees, and the current is bearing them away from the places wliere they have stood and grown for ages. It is an awful exeniplification of the course) of Nature^ wh(!re all is eonllict between life and death. " March 8L As wc; sail u[) the river, squatters and planters iU'o 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 clhidren, entirely surrjundod by water ; the whole place was under water, and all around was a picture of utter desola- tion, 'i'ln; mcMi had gone to seek assistance, and I was grieved that our ca}>tain did not oiler to render them any ; the banks kept on falling in, and precipitating majestic trees into the devtjuring current. H I ' E J » .-'' I' 1) m f ! i.l,l| ' i 11 i if fi < M f If 'I ! I ir; ' Mi liil 1 I j l.'l .".".0 LIFE OF Arnrnox. '* il/rt?/ 2. \\'o are now tlircM' Imndicd and oi^lity miles t'mni St. Louis, and are lajidinii; fivi^lit and traders foi Santa Fe. " Maij o. ^^'e reaei.v'd St. L(\'ivenNvortli tliis niornin«^. Tlie garrison hero is on a line tdevatinn, conunandiMii- a ^ood vicnv of tlie river above and below ibr a considerable dislance. Leaving here, we entered the re;d Indian country on the west side of the river; for the State of ]\rissouri, by the purchase of the riatt Jviver country, continues tbi- two hundred and fifty miles farther; and here only are jiny settlements of white inhabitants. '* 3l(ti/ 5. After grounding on sand-l)ars, and contending against liead-winds and currents, we reached the IJlack Snake Hills settlement, wliicl) is a delightful site for a po})ulous city that will be '.ere some fifty years hence. The liills arc two liundred feet above (he lev(.'l of the river, and slop(^ down gently on the opposite side to the l)eautiful prairies, tnat extend over thousiinds of acres of ihe richest laiid imaginable. Jiero tlie general aspect of the ri\'er greatly changes ; it becomes more crooked, and filled with naktnl sand-bars, from which the wind whirls the sand in evei'y direct ion. We passed through a narrow and swift chute, which, in the time of high water, must be extri'niely dilllcult to ascend. '' Maij i). We fastened our boat to the o(\'j:o of a beantilul praii'ie, to land iVeight and passengers, lloiv, eighty 'ndians came to \ isit us, some on tboV. auii some on horseback, ffenerallv riding double, on skins and S[)anish saddles ; some squaws rode, and rode v.cli. Wo landed some Indians here, who came as passengers with us, and I noticed that when they joined tlicir relatives and friends, Ihev neither shook hands nor exchau'rcd any congrati Mens. J saw no (Mnotion, nothing to corrobonile Mi: < atlin's views of savage life. ''When the boat started, all th(>so Indians followed us along the shore, running on loot, and gallo])ing on horseba(dv to keej) up with us. \\ hen wo. apjiroached tlu^ lu'xt landing, I saw some of these poor creatures perched on the neighbonring banks while others crowded d(»wn to our landing-place. They belonged to the Iowa and Fox Jndians; the two tribes number about twelve thousand, and their country extends for seventy miles up th(> river. Foll'l' ('I;(»(1HA\. a.-.i luilos iVom iitii Fc. ninj,' Tho I oood vi(!W e (listani'f\ ■)U the west j)urchaso of id and fifty Is of Nvlii^o coiiteudiiiji; ilack Snake opulous city \ills arc two down ,i:'('utly extend ovor Hero the ^oomes more icli tho wind 1 tlironiih a I water, must Ir a hoantiliil u-hty 'nilinns •k, g-on»M'idly ome squaws \\\ wlio cauir joined llieir )i- exehan^cd (> eorrohorate [wed ns alon<;' I'l laek to k(M>p iidiuii', I paw iit'ighbouriiii:" Lliev. Tlu'V lni)es nundxT Cor sevenlv *' Matj 8. To-day wo })as,s(Ml the boundary of Missouri, and tho country consists of prairies extending buck to the iidand hills. "May 0. Tliis evening W(^ arrived at the famous settlement of Belle \\u\ whet'o the Indian agent, or cnstoni-honse olVicer, as he migiit Ix.'tter be called, r -sides. Jlero a lai'ge pack of rascally-looking, dirty, and hah starved Indians awaittnl our arrival ; and hert> we paid for live cords of wood, with live tin cups of sugar, and three cups of coll'ee, all worth twenty-live^ cents at St. J^onis. And we saw here the lirst [)loughed ground wo had seen since leaving the settlements near St. I^ouis. " Mill/ 10. Arrived at Fort Crttghan, nann^d after an old friend of that name, with whom I hunted racoons on his fathei-'s .-.lantalion in Kenluekv, thirtv-live veais before. His father and mine were well acquainted, and fought togtMher with tho great General Washingloii and Lafay mouth of the 13ig Sioux Jiiver, whicli is a clear stream, abounding with fish : on one of its branchc^s is found the famous red clay of which the Indians make tlnir calmuts. We saw on the banks of the river several Indi.-in canoe frames, formed of bent sticks made into a circle, the edges fastened together ' v a long pole or stick, with another one in the bottom, holdiug the frame like the inner keel of a boat. Outside of this frame the Indians stnstiih a buftalo-skin with the hair on, and it is said to make a safe boat to convey two or three persons, even when the current is rai)i(l. Here, as well as on thi' shores of the ]Mississi[»j»i and i\lissouri, the land along the I'iver baidvs is higher than further inland ; tangled bushwood and tall reeds grow along the margins, while the pn:iri(^s abound with mud and nuid have seen vceks. Uiver, which ;s hraiu'hes is I make their 3veral Indian clc, the eil^'es uother one in >r\ of a boat. skin with tlu^ two or three l^vcll as on the l,n th(^ river, and makinp^ occasional excursions from the boat in pursuit of the objects of their journoy. The country was inumlated in many places, and from the tops of the neii>h- hourin^ hills it is represented as about (equally divi(l(>d Iietween land and water; on the eaf-tern si(h^ of the rivtM- thi} Hat prairies had become j^reat lakes. And they noticed that tlu^ iloatin^- ice had cut the trees on the banks of tln^ river as high as the shouhhn's of a man. Barpjes from above* passed them, brin i2;r(^at la;::oons. I'liey passed Vermilion Wiver, a snniU stream running," out ol" iimihly banks Idled with willows. At a landii)'!; near tlier(\ a nuui tolil them that a hunter had recently killed an Indian cliiof near the foot of the Rocky 3b)untains, and that it would he dangerous for white men to visit that region. They also found on the river's bardc the plai.t <'alled the wliiti* apjile, much i sed by the Indians for food, which they di'y, pouml. and maki; into mash. It is nn)re of a potato than apple, for it grows six inches under ground, is ahout the siz(^ of a hen's egg, covereil with a dark-brown woody hard skin the sixteenth of an inch (hiidv : the iViiit is easily di-awn from the skin, and is of a whitish colour. It had no fhjwers, the roots were woodv, leaves ovate and attached in fives. \\'li(>n di-v, the ap[)le is hard as wood, and has to he pounded i'or use. The count ly grew poorer the farther they asecinhid the river ; and the bluIVs showed tracers of iron, snlpliur, and magnesia. " Maif 28. Wo now see buiraloos evervdav : the. arcM'xtrciuelv A , r i: ') i 1^ 3r,.i T.II'K OF Al'DI'P.ON. 'ijl w n 1 1 tC ])()(tr, hut tlicy aro sporting aiiioiig tljonisclvos, boating ami t(\iring uj> tlic cai'th. Tlify liavo roads to flic rivi'r, along which tlicy g<» ami coni*' for water. "To-day sonio Indians hailed ns from the shoro, and when tlie ('ai>tain refused (o slop Wtv tlieni, they began liring at us with rilles: several of the balls hit our vessel, and one ]»assed through th(^ j)antaIoons of a Scotch [)assenger. Theso rascals belong ti» a pally of the Santeo tribe, whi(di rango across the country from the Missouri to the Mississippi Iviver. *' M((i/ 2!l. This morning a par y of Indians camo on board tjie boat at a hmding-place, and it was sum(^ hours before we could •ret rid of these be^iiars bv trade. l)oth banks of the rivor were e()Vor(;d with bufl'aloes, as far as the eye could sec ; and although uiauy of them wore near the water, they did not move until we were (dose u])oii thorn, and those at the distance of half a mile l<<'j)t OH quietly grazing. We saw several buiValoes, and one large gray wolf swimming across tiu) river only a short distance ahead of us. " The prairies a])pcar better now, and the grass loohs green, and the jtoor bulTaloes, of which we haxo seen juore than two th(aisand this morning, will s()')n grow fat. " MiUj .'»(». ^^'e reached J''urt (ieorge this morning, whit-li !■< called 'The Station of the (){)position Jiine.' AVe saw some Imlians, and a lew lodges on the edge of the })rairie, and sundry bales of buffalo-robes were taken aboard. j\[ajor Hamilton is acting Indian Ag(Mit during the absence of Majer Crisp. We are a long way beyond the reach of civil law, and they settle disputes here with sword and pistol. ^I'he major pointed to an island where ]Mr. , a New Yorker bidonging to the opi)osite line, killed two white men recently, and shot two others, who were ndserable miscreants. " \\'e 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 i)ost and al iSl. Pierre; at the latter I am told there are five hundred lodgi's, The I Julian dogs resemble the wolves so much that I should readilv mistake the cme lor the other were I to meet them in the woods. "Soon after leaving St. (jle(ti'gc, we sounded and found (»aly ARRIVAL AT ST. PIERRE. 355 and ilon-^Nvlu'-li 'ivtiM<; ; at us with ^scdthvougli Is belou!.^- t<» cumitry from (»i\ boiivd tlic ,n> we could he river were and aUl\ou;«di novo until we of lutlf a niil(> does, and ono short «lislanee ^ looks gropii, lore tliau two uuil, wlufh i>i |^Ve saw some |e praii'iis ii'"l )oard. ^li'jor tcnce of Miij"i' civil law, iuid ^1. The miijov r l)(donjiin^- to 1-, and shot two and dt> ""^ leve seen alouir Lst and at St. liundi«'en wounded. He showed mo a iietrilled head of a wolf, which 1 di.scovered to be not a wolfs but a beaver's. There were iifteen lodges here, and a great mnnber of sijuaws nnd half-bred children; and these arc accounted for by the fact that every clei-lc and agent has his Indian wife as she is called. '• Jiuiv 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 Spniguo asked me to allow him to return in the Omey:a. I told him he was at libertv to do so of course if he desired it, though it will cause mo double the labour 1 exjiected to have. Had I known this before leaving New York, I coidd have had any number of young arti.sts, who would have been glad to have accom[)anied 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 dee}»er uito the wilderness. We pas'^ed the Cliageune iliver, which is quite a large stream." Audubon hired a hunter named Alexis Bouibarde at St. I'ieire to accompany him to the Vtdlow-stone Piver, and thus describes him: 'Ho is a lir.st-rate hunter, powerfully built, is a half-breed, and wears his hair loose about his head and shoulders, as I formerly did. . . .' "I am nt)w u.stonished at the poverty of the blutl's we pass: there are no more of the beautiful limestone formations whicdi we saw below, but they all a[>])(>ar to be poor and crund)ling clay, dry and hard now, but soit 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 h)ng inun- dation. To-day we have made sixty mih-s; the country is nuich l>(joi-er than any we have passed below, and the sand-bars are nuich more intricate. 2 .\ 2 or.i; Mi'i: ov M'ni'r.oN M' ; > > " Jiow A. Tile ('(nintiT WO luvvo soon to-day i'^ .•» little Ix'ftov than wliat \v<' saw yi^stcrday. ^\ o passed tlio old l{io<'an'(> xillau'o, uIkm'o (Iciioral Ashley was heatoii hy the Indians, and lost oii^hteen (if his men, \\ilh tln> \eiT weajmns and amninni- tion li<» had sold tlu^ Indians, apiinst the remonstrances ol" his friends and the intorprc^tor. It is said that it jirovod for- tiniate for him. for he tnrnod his conrse in another dii'eetion, where he jairehased one hnndred packs of l)(>aver-skins for a men* son^^. " Passed t ho Sqnaro irills. so calhMl hocnnso thoy nro mor(* level and less ronnded than the majority of the hills, I'roni the boat the conntry looks as if we wcri> g<>ttinu; above the line of vciiotation ; the ilowers are scarce, and the oaks have hardly any leaves on them. Wo are now sixteen miles below tli(> i^Iandan villap". and hope to reach there to-morrow, "June 7. AV(! are now at St. Clark and the i\landan villap-e; a salnte was fired from the Fort in hononr of our arrival, a^nl we answered it. The Fort is situated on a hij^h bank, (piite a hill ; here the jMandans have their mud huts, which nro not very picturesque, and a few enclosed tields, where they i^'i'ow corn, pumpkins, and beans. Wo saw more Indians here thiui at any other jtlace since we left St. Louis; they have about one hundred huts, and they resemble the jiotato winter-houses in our Southei'u and Eastern States. As we ai)proaclie(lthe shor(\ every article tliat conld l>e taken conveniently was removed from the deck and put under lock and key, and all the cabiu- doors were (dosed. The cajitain told me that last year, wlieii he was here, the Indians stole his cap, shot-p(m(di, hon(>, and such-like things. These people appeared very miserable; as we ap[»roached the landing' they stood shivering in the rain, wra|iped in buiValo-robcs and red blankets; some of them were curiously besmeared with mud. They canu) on board, and several shook mo by the hand, but their hands had a clanniii- ness that was (piite repulsive; theii- legs were naked, feet covered with mud ; and they stared at me with ai)paiiiit curiositv because of mv long beard, which also attracted the Indians at St. Pierre. It is estimated that there are throe thousand men, wonum, and children, who cram themselves into these miserable houses in winter; they are said to be the ne A MKDICINK 1.01)0 K. T iltlt' licllov il Kiccavco ikHmhs. iind (I amunnii- istraiu'(>s of provt'tl !«'>■- 'V (linM'lion, •skins for ii 'V nvo molt' Jills, From (ovo IIk' liiir litivo hardly s below the idau vilhi«:v. ■ arrival, and )auk, (jiiito a hich aro not •0 they grow ns here than ive iibout ono ter-honscs in icdtho shonN kvas removed 111 the cahiii- yenr, wlien ich, hone, and Iniserable; as lu the rain, Lf them \V( IV In board, and lid a elanuni- nakt>d, I'eet ,ith ai'parrnt Jattraeti'd the lero are three lemselves into to 1)0 th(^ ne ^uclie(l on the lloni- a haisv Indian, wrajtped in a dirty blaidtickin<; out : the uuiile spoke to him, but he mad(^ no icplv. At the foot of one of the props that supjjort this larL'e house; lay a parcel, which 1 took for a bundle ni' bulla lo-robes, but directly it moved, and the emaciated bodv of a poor blind Indian crept out of it; he was shrivelled, ami the ^iiide made siuiis that he was about to die. Wo shook hands with him. and he [ircssed mine, as if |j;lad of tlie sympathy of even a stranger; he had a pi[i(.> and tobaceod)ox, and soon lay down again. As we lelt this abode of mysteries, 1 told the i^nide J was anxious to sc(.' the inside of one of their common dwtdiiugs, and he led us through the mud to his own lodge, which had an enti'anco like the other. All the' lo Iges have a sort of portico that leads to the door, and on the top oi' most of them 1 observed skulls of buffaloes. This lodge coutaim-d tin; wife and (diildren of the guide and another man, whom 1 took for his son-in-law; all these, I'xcept the num, were in the outer loilge, sipiatting on the ground, ai'd the children skulki; 1 out of the way as we approa(died. Nearly e(pii-distaut from each other were kind of berths, raised two feet above the ground, made of leather, and with scpiare apertures t'oi- the sleepcM's. The man of whom I have spoken was lying down in one of these. I walked up to him, and after disturbini;- his seemingly hajipy shuubers. shook his hand, and he made signs for me to sit down. 1 did so, and he ai'ose, and squatted iiimself near us; and taking a large; spoon nuid(.' of a buiValo's horn, lianded it to a young girl, who 1 !'| I 858 r.ii'K <»r AinxTMox. J 1 ln'ou^'lit 11 lar^'o \V()()(l«>ii bowl lillcd with iii'iuinicim mixcnl with corn and sonic otlicr stn(T: I iit(^ a mouthl'iil of it, and found it quite pjdutidih'. l»oth hxl^os were alike dirty with water and mud ; hut 1 am tohl tliat in dry times they are kept more (deaidy. A round shaHow hoh' was in tlio coutro, and a chain liung from above near the lire, and on this tliey lianj^ their meat and cook. On h'aviuf^ 1 miles up tlie river. "JiDia S. To-day we have had a famous Indian council on board our boat. It consisted of thirty-four Indians of the lirst class ; they squatted on their runqis on both sides of our loiiu^ cabin, and received refreshments of coffee and ship-bread, and I assisted in doin<; this duty ; and a box of tobacco was then ojx'iied and ])laced on the table; the captain then made a speech to them, and one Indian interpreted it to the others, 'riiey i'requently expressed their iipprobation by <,'runtini^, and were evidently much })lease(l. Two Indians came in, dressed in blu(! uniforms, with epaulettes on their shouklers, and feathers in their caps, and with ornanientod motmssins and le^'^iufj^s : these were the braves of the tribes, and they did iM>t grunt or shake hands with any of us. "As soon as the tobacco was distributed, the wlK)h! eoni[iaiiy rose simultaneoiislv, and we shook hands with each one, and j^ladly bid them oood ric'daiice. The two braves waited until AN INDIAN (dlNCH,. ,■150 inixod with 11(1 loimd it I wiiti'i" iiud kept nioro iiul a chili II hau^ their mil piece ol' us on board jpecinieu.s ol' osity to sec the country ily quarter.' ical descri[>- II castles, and by the most y Keearees; that I hav(; irty. They landans once scourg(3 of (', and they 5 ( council on .f the lirst of our l(tnj:f jread, any had entenMl, iKjt sjiakini; liands e\(>n \\ith the captain, who had entertained them and made tiie speech. 'I'his is a ceremony wliich takes place yearly as the (,'umpany's Ix.at j^'oes up. Each Indian carried away ahnut two pounds of tobacco. Two of the Indians who distributed the tobacco, and were of the hij^hest rank, were nearly naked, and one bv my side had only a clout and one le^'nim; (in. They are imw all ffone but one, who i^oes with us to the ^'ellew-stom^ lliver. "This UKU-nin^' the; thermometer stood at .'JT . We have passed the villap' of the poor .Alandaiis, and of the < !r(»sventres, to-day: the latter is cut olV from the river l^y an enormous sand-bar, now covered with willews. We saw a few Indian corn-lields; the ]»lantswere sickly-lookin;^, and about two inches hi^h. The prairies are very extensive, stnitchinsx away to the hills, and then; are dee[) ravines in them Idled with water siilliciently saline to be used by the Indians tor seasoning their I'oed. "Jtmo. ]X FoH Union. Thermonu^ter o.T, 72\ OS^ W(5 arrived here to-day, and have made the sliortest trip from St. iionis on record, just forty-eiuht days. We have landed (air effects, and established ourselves in a loi;-hoiise, with one room and one window, intending to spend three weeks hen; before launching into the wilderness. " Tluu'e has been no ardent s[)irits sold here tor two years, and the result is, the Indians are more peac-'able than formerly. On the }ilains we saw the mounds where many Indians had been burie(l who died here of the small-pox. There were ap[)arently several bodies in each mound, and a buffalo's skull was })ut *)ver each one : this relic has some superstitious value in tin; estimation of these poor ignorant creatures. "Our boat has been thronged with these dirty savag(^s ever since we fastened her to the landing, and it is with dillieulty we can kee[) them from our rooms. All around the \ illage the idth is beyond (h'scription, and the sights daily seen will not bear recording : they have dispelled all the romance of Indian life I ever had, and 1 am satisticd that all the })oetry about Indians is contained in books ; there certainly is none in their wild life in the woods. T'he captain of our vessel told me that f .)'. > i :\ *\\ ;5';o IJl-'K OF .\nj['I50N'. on his lirst trip licit.' in a straiiu-r. t\\r Indiaiis callnl ]i< r a ^ncat iii('(li('iii(», su|i|)<>S('(l tliat lif \vd Imt uilh whisky, and nskcd how iiiiirh he ^^uvo Lor at u time. To which ho r('[ilic'd, A wholo harnd.' " It ap[)i'ars that tlic Oim-^^a did not, us «»ri;::iiially iiitoiuh^d, rctuni IVoni St. JMonc hut kept on to tho Ytdlow-stonc Kivtr. 'I'hci-c Au(hil»oii Iia(h' the captain aibon(! arriveil at l"'ort Clark with several cases of t^mall-pox on board. There an Indian stole a blanket belonuinu: to a watchman on the boat, who was then at tin; point ol'deatii, and took it away to sow the seeds of this disease amoni; his tribe, whi(di caused his own death and the death of thou-ands of his nation. Wlu'U it was known that he biul taken it, a benevolent pers(»n on tho boat went to one of the chiefs, told him the fatal consi'cpiences whi(di would follow, and otVered to irivo a now blaidiet ami a reward bositles if ho would have it returned; but suspicion, fear, or shame proventeli)y(tl iilViilo. •iiisioiis, aiitl n accoiiut til -;, wliifli In nd lu'cano not liuliilll- lie arrivt'il ai . TliLTc an DM tilt' Imat, ly to st»\v till' caiisfil liis idii. Wlu'ii •rsoii oil tlio •onsi'({U('ii<'os aiikct aiitl ;i ;| licit 111, It'iii't K' pcstiU'iii'i^ diiiis at lirst. at that tiiiii', id the wliiteri viilau'cs, ami lfllin in his mouth, touciieil the tri-T'-t-r with his toe and blew out his own lir.iins. One vnunj.' chief made his frieiitls di^- a t^rave for him, ami piittimi; on his wai-rtihes, hu ttjtteri'd out to it, sini^iii;:; his death-son;^', and jimHiiiifj^ in, cut his holy nearly in too with a knife, and was iiiirieil there ; and t)lliers committetl suicide alter they were attacketl, rather than die of the loathsome disease. Tho annals t>f pestilonco do not furnish another such example oi' htirrors, or where the mortality wa.s so}j;reat in [iroportion to the po|mla- tioii: of the oucc powerful trihe of iMamlans only twenty-seven |K'rsoiis remained, antl oiu; hiimlred antl fitty tiioiisaml persons perished, and t'.io (hdails arc too htirriMe to relate. Aililed to this, tho few whitiis were alarmetl lesL the Imlians should massacre tluMii as tin; cause oi' the evil. One inllu- eiitial (diief atteni[ited to instigate the Imlians to kill all the whites, hut he was himstdf sei/ed ami dieil before his plans were matiireil ; but in his last moments he confessed hiswitdvcil- iiess, ami expn^ssed stirrow for it, ami bei:-u;eil that his body ini^lit be laitl before the gate i»l the fori until it was buried, with the superstititius beliel that if this wtiv done the white I ir IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y // // ■ ,*'**>* <. X" ,J & % i :/. f/j ^(1 ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■- Im iiiii Sim ■ 25 2.2 U IIIII 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 # ■1>^ V V \\ % .V <>\ ^^ ^1a ^ <^^^ o^ % '1? 'out his last work. The second volume was prepared mostly by his son Victor, and was published the year his fotlier diedj 1851. The interval of about three years which passed between the time of Audubon's return from the AVest 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 objects 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-, f] f ! 'i 11/ ri ,' . I n : ! il 3G4 LIFE OE AUDUl'.ON. wliicli liiid iilways boon sources of tlio i)iircst ]»leasuro to liim. After this liis only ainnsenieut eonsisted in wulkinj^" and lieiiii; read to. The following- ihu) though juvenile account of one who visited him at that time gives the best picture of the last hap[)y days of the sunset of his life which can be drawn. It a[)peart'd in the " Now Yoric Leader :" — ■ " In my interview with tlie luituralist, there wore sevei'al things tliat stamped themselves indelibly upon my mind. The wonderful simplicity of the man was perha[)s the most remark- abl(\ His enthusiasm for fads made liim unconscious of him- self To make him happy, you had oidy to give him a new fact in natui'al history, or introduce him to a rare bird. His self-forgetfuluess was very im^jressive. I felt tliat I had found a man who asked homage for Gotl and Nature, and not for himself. "The unconscious greatness of tlie man seemed only crpiallcd by his child-like tenderness. The sweet unity between Ids wife and himself, as they turned over the original drawings of his birds, and recalled the circumstances of the drawings, scmie of which hal been made when she was with him ; her qui(dvness of })ercep- tion, and their mutual entluisiasm re^'ardiuix these works of In'.-; heart and hand, and the tenderness with which they uncon- sciously treated each other, all was impressed U])on my memory. Ever since, I have been convinced that Audubon owed moi'(! to his wife than tlie world knew, or ever would liiiow. That she was always a reliance, often a help, and ever a sympathising sister-soul tO her noble husband, was fully a])parent to me. I was deeply impressed with the wonderful chara(iter of those original drawings. " Their exquiF'ite beauty and life-likeness, and the feeling of life they gave i»y It a[)pcarc(l ioveral tliinp;s mind. 'Hn' most remark- eions of him- 3 him a new I'O bird. His it I liad found , and not for only equalled twcen his wilb i^s of his birds, 10 of which lull 3SS of perce[)- io works of his they uncou- my memory. lU owed mon; )\v. That she sympathisiiiii; ■ent to me. I aeler of those the feeling (;l' mory ; and the the published t work recalls such emotions. een the living nk. I looked the naturalist, aturity in the and the spirit of the young and ardent enthusiast had b(^e]i imprisoned by the artist. The picture ex})ressed decidedly less than tlio li\ing man who stoofl before me. It had more of youth and beauty and th<^ ]u'ophecy 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 mak(\s a man venerable. "I could sympatiu'so willi the manhood that looked out of the picture — I could iind a certain erpiality bet\v(>en mys(df and the mai\ whom Cruik'shank had p^ainted. 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I.ITERATURE, WORKS^OF^^REPERENcf and' HE ENGLISH CATALOGUE OF HOOKS. n'mfM.'';;]^;"' '"i'i'iV"""" "'• •-> •>• Lome pM!.li.i;..,i tmm IWo to l-'h.l, 1 , i„l,litinn fo fh,' title, sixe, pri, ,„1 nilihsher, „,,„„. „l,,hab,.f . An ..ntiivlv new work \."n )nn„g the Copynphts of the -'Lo.ul,,,; Cat»l".c- a INDEX TO THE SUBJECTS OF BOOKS in^BITSTIFI^ \l.AKH-18..<-lH.i7. CoMtaiimifr ,,s ,n,„,y as 74.000 releronr(- under su hje.. s, so as to ens.ire mi.ne.liate relerenee to the I nl o he snbjert reriu.red each gninp title, priee, pnhlisher, an,| ,te l\,n valuable Appendices are al.so piven-A, ,.n„tain>,„; ,, , 1 ,,of ui L, brane,s Col eet.ons. Series, and Misrellsnies-and H List o »,,* Volume II. from 18."j7, in preparation. THE PUBLISHERS' CIllCULAR. AND GE\ERU T^F CORD OF BRITISH AXU FOUEIGX LiTFUVlurr transcript of the title-page of every work published in GrVat^Hritain" and every work ot tnterest publishe-1 abroad, with lists of all the Iv lishing houses. pnu- Published regularly on the 1st and 15th of every .Month, and forwarded post tree to ail parts of the world on payment of 8... ,,er annum THE AMERICAN CATALOGUE, OR ENGLLSH GUIDE TO AMF.U.CAX LITEUATUBE; pi'ving the full ,! le o, origmS VVorks published in the United States of America si„,.e the vear IS, with especial refereiire to the works of interest to Great^ Brilfnn with the size, price, place, date of publication, and London prices With eompreheusive Index. 8vo. :'... *-:. '• 'J'/ic i/LHtiine (irointi of literature (ibounds in < eery //(///('."—Saturday ReviiAV. " y,;/iv' ((// t/ii' fCsaat/ iind nil t/ii- J'nnl; if ix cAi/r'd/K/."— I'xiitiiiiicr. " Jii'iiiluiij II IjiiiiU I if thin sort s/iinilil iiuiAr iixff'i I /iri'iol of viir Iniii/iinije anil of titir litmilurr, unit jirmi I iilsn if tlmt i-ultirntnl niiiiiiii'n iiiitiire uiiii/i Clin riiixr .in iiimii/ iiullr t/iciiijlits iii.ii iiiiiii/i.i out of tins hunt, sullen vorlil iiitn II IhnMsiind eitilurinii forms of lirnnti/. 7/ii'' Jloo/, iftlir Son- nif slioiilil III' II rliissir, nnd tliv jirifessor iis in II iis the stiuli tit'of l:'iii/lish wiltjind it n work of deep interest and eonijiUteness." — London Itevitw. David Graj'; and otlior Essays, chiefly on Poetry. By Itobcrt BiR'haiiiiii. nuthnr of "Loudon Pcem.i," " North Const," &c. In one vol. IViip. 8vr). price ti.f. " '/'/le lioiik 1.1 one to /wssess as veil as rend, not onh/ for the birgrnphieal essay on Dnvid (inn/, — nn issni/ of nnieli more tliiin ilrep interest, of riirt ■pnieir, and a striim/r uniin/mssionid /iiitlios\^liiif also for reetiiin pussiigci of line oriiiinal eritieism, ueenrriinj in essni/s—thie/ili/ s/,rin/,lril, lee admit, leith foreii/n snhstiinees—on poetri/, and the reliijiuii mid aims which modern poets shuiild jjut In fore them." — Spectutor. English and Scotch Ballads, &c. An extensive Collection. De- sijiiicd a? a CnnipUMni'iit to the ^\'orks of tlif Uritish I'nct.i. and enilirnciiip nearly all the Aiuient and Traditionary Itallads both ol' Kn^land nnd Scotland, in all the important varieties of I'orm in whiih they are extant, with Notiee.s of the kindred Hallad.< of other Natiim.s. Edited by K. .1. Child, new Kdition, revised by the Editor. 8 vols. leap, eloth, '.is. 6(i. eueh. Life I'ortraits of Sinvkspeare ; with an Examination of the Authentieity, and a History of the vari.ais Uepresentations of the Poet. Illustrated by Photographs of authentie and received Portraits. Sqnure 8vo. 'Jls. ; or with I'hotograph of the Will, 2.js. Richmcmd and its Inhabitants, from the Olden Time. With jMeinoira and Notes by Uiehard Crisp. With Illustrations. Post 8vo. 10.S-. 6(/. The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton, with a Life of the Author : and a Verbal Index containing upwards of 20.0(10 references to all the Poems, liy Charles Dexter Cleveland. New Edition. 8vo. I2s. Her Majesty's Mails: a History of the Post Office, and an Industrial Account of its Present Condition. By Wm. Lewins, of the General Post OOice. 2n(l edition, revised, and enlarged, with a Photo- graphic Portrait of Sir Rowland Hill. Small post 8vo. H,?. " He de'idedli/ wanted a good consecutive hi.sfoiy of the ri.ic and progress of the Post-ojfie.e in this countri/, in connection both with the public re- quirements and with the revenue ; and we bear our cordial testimony to the great cure and diligence which have clearly been bestowed by Mr. Lewins on irhat would seem to have been to him a labour of love. ' fjer M'lje.sty's Mails ' deserves to take . ts stand as a renlhj useful book of re- ference on the history of the Post He heartily recommend it as a thoroughly careful performance." — Saturday Review. " /n conelu.'.ion, we have only to say that Mr. Lewins' s book is a most useful and complete one — one that should be put into the hands of every young Englishman and foreigner desiring to knoxu how our insfitutiuns grow." — liender. i^bL List of Publications, IS. Post 8vo. vitli a Photo- A History of Hanks for Savings ; including a full account of tho oiiein 1111(1 iiioyriss of Mr. Uladstoiif's n-ci'iit [HUiU'iitiiil mciisiii't's. Uy Willi.iin Lrwiiis, Autlior of" Uer Majesty's Muils." Hvo. cli.tli. \2s. The Drif^iii and History of the English Languiigc, and ot tho eiirly litfi'iitiirc it I'lnhndies, Ily tlic IIoii, Uioi'nc 1', Miii>li, U. 8. Minister lit Turin, Author of " Lectures on the Kiiglisli Liiiigiin^e." Hvo. ilotli extni, It!.?. Lectures on the Knglish Language; forming tho Introductt)ry Series to the l'(ire>rniM({ Work. Hy the same Author. 8vo. Cloth, lt5i. This is the only author's edition. Man and Nature ; or, I'hysical Geography as Modifii'd by Human Ai'tion. Uy Ueorpe 1'. Jliir.sh, Author of " Lectures on the Kn^lish Lau- Kuaire," \v. Hvo. eloth, 14s. '•Mr. Minsh. u-rlt kiiuini an the author of two of the mont scholarly icor/,.^ i/if piiljliahfd (111 the ICiKjliah lanriunrjf, sita him.fr/f in riceltcnt spirit, ami n-ith iiniiii-ii.ir Irnriiiihi. to iiidicitr the. chiirnrtir, iiixL iijijiriiH- niiiti'li/. the ccti'iit offhf rhmii/cs proi/iiri'd In/ liHiniin iictmn in tin: /j/ii/siral rnnditmn of thi' ijlnbi' wr inhitbit. In fmir dinsii nx rn|ii'i.Hiiix an Accniint of upwiirds of HOO Instil iitimis I'liiilly in 1.011(1(111 Mild its Vicinity. A (iuiile to the Ui'iiuvolinit iind to the I'ufor- tiiimtc. t lolli limp, l.«. III/. The CJhiiritics of London : iin Account of the Origin, Operations, and fxcnci'iil ('(indltidn of tin- Cliiiritiihlf, l''.dii('iitiiiiiiil. iiiiil Ki'II^moiis Iiistitutioiis of London. Hy SiinipMin I.ow, .Inn. Hlli piililiiiitiim (coiii- nirnci'd 18:U)), With an Aljiliatietitnl Hnmiiiiii'y nl the whole corrt'ctefl to April, 1M)7. Cloth. 0.?. Prince Ailtert'.s CJulden Prorepts. Sermid Edition, with Plioto- frnph. A Meinoriiil of the Prince ronsnri : compri.'iinff Maxims and Ixiriicts fi'oiii Addresses of Ills liile lioyal Ilifrliiiess. Many now for the llrst time collected and carel'nlly anaii^'ed. With an Index. Uoyal 16ino. beautifully {irinted on toned paper, cloth. K'lt edges, 'Jx. lid. Our Little Ones in Heaven: Thonolits in Prose and Verse, se- lected from the Writings of favonrite .Authors ; with Frontispiece after Sir Joshua lleynolds. Fcap, 8vo. cloth extra, '\.'!. 6(/. Rural Kssays, With Priictietd Hints on Farininfr and A; hii[)|iy wan'inr; this is lii' Tliiit I'ViT)- uiiiii III iiniis wouM wish 'o be."— )I'.j/-i/s» ,)W/i SAINT LOUIS, KING OF FIJANCK. Tl.o c-nri-ns an.l JamrsHuHo;;. ' "'" ^^''"'''^' ''>' ^'^ •'"'"^"''••- '^'r-'^'ated hy /;,',', .'^'.V A'"""' "'"' '"*■ '■","'/'■"""'". "s „/ tnirk „x trsso„.„t frvm Hfniits and hrocs. //<)v A,., f/,e u-/»,-/i /,»^/,.,r c,in,inm in fl,.^ ,h,.rf ,i,nn nf thnr ,nr„ hf,; and „, tir r- row s/.h-vc of lu;,-fnn,.h ami cnnnies. U'r can />an//,/unay caMUr l,ool;Jur t,„,/s to ri'ad or for men to ponder '-ivr."-TiiiK'». TlIF ESSAYS OF AHHAIIAM COWLEY. Comprising all his I'.-osf \Snrks; tht; (.'..Irhrat,.,! Chara.^lw of Cromwell, Ci'fti.i'oll'oK.- "h:!,.s!'''i;:lA^;-,tia.dl "" '^""' ''"'"' """ '"-"-"-- '■>• '"•• ""-< -.a Ji/^T'"?' /" '"'''l""^"^ O^i-'f Poi:t; the head of the school of poets called nirlaphj/.a-al he isnoic chicjhj hunm In, those pro.c essa,/,a/l too ^hort and all toofcr u-/ueh, u-l, ether for tkuwjht or for crprrs'om. hare Milt^'nr'''r '''ll 7 ■' ""^ "■'■'''-■'■ '" ""-'^ /'"V«"y'.'."-.Mury Uu..dl i>Iit("i-il s Jvt'colloctions. ^ ^ .» •• C„el.'i,'s /.rose St :,,,,/,■! him as a man nf ,/enii's, and an improver of the Aim ALLAH AND THE FOUH-LEAVED SIIAAIHOCK lly K.l.mud L^bou^^y.^ of tlio I'rcm-h Acudrmy. Truii.sbui.d hy .Mary One of the nohlcst and purest French stories ever nrittin. TABLE-TALK AND Oi'INIOXS OF NAPOLEON THE A cronpilatiun from the best sources of this qrcnt man's shrewd and often prophetic thowikts, forming the best inner life of the most cxh-aurdi- nurij man of modern limes. VATHEK, hy William Bockford. Jif pri jhUtiHon. Ml ! CAVALIER AND PURITAN SONGS, by Henry Morley. ' // the piihiishers r/o on as thei/ h'ice heqnn. thci/ will have furnished «« with one if the most valuolile and attraeti'vc scries of books that have erer been issued from the /'Crs.s-."— Siuidiiy Times. " '/'here has, perhops, never been' produced auijthimj more admirable either as reipirds maltrr or manner."— Uahrd Times. " ' 'J he Hai/ard Series ' is a perfect marvel of cheapness and of eiqmsite taste in the biadnnj and ijetlinii up. ]Ve hope and believe that these (Mi- cafe morsels of choice literature leiU be u-idehj and 'jratefuUij welcomed:' Aoiiconformist :Jldi»^.- ! t w < 6 Sampson Low and Co.'s M I ^ . T/ie Gentle Life Series. Printed in Elzevir, on Toned Paper, and handsomely bound, forming suitable Volumes for Presents. Price, 6s. each; or in calf extra, price 10s. 6d, I. THE GENTLE LIFE. Essays in Aid of the Formation of Character of Gentlemen and Gentlewomen. Seventh Edition. " JJis notion of a gentleman is of the 7ioblest and truest order The volume is a capital specimen of ivhat may be done by honest reason, high feeling, and cidtivated intellect. . . '. A little compendium of cheerful philosophy." — Daily News. " Jjeserves to be printed in letters of gold, and circulated in every house." — Chambers's Journal. 11. ABOUT IN THE WORLD. Essays by the Author of " The Gentle Life." " It is not easy to open it at any page xcithout finding some happy idea." Morning Post. " Another characteristic merit of these essays is, that they make it their business, gently but firmly, to apply the qualifications and the corrections, which all philanthropic theories, all general rules or vtaxims, or princijjles, stand in need of before you can make them work." — Literary Churchman. III. FAMILIAR WORDS. An Index Verborum, or Quotation Handbook. Affording an immediate RelVreuce to Phrases and Sentences that have become embedded in the English language. Second and en- larged Edition. " 7'Ae most extensive dictionary of quotation ice have met with." — Notes ond Queries. " Should be on every library table, by the side of' Bogct's 2'hesaurus.' " — Daily News. " Will add to the autho7-'s credit %vith all honest workers." — Examiner. IV. LIKE UNTO CHRIST. A new translation of the " De Imit.i. tione Christi," usually ascribed to Thomas &. Kempis. With a Vignette from an Original Drawing by Sir Thomas Lawrence. " Could not be presented in a more exquisite form, for a more sightly volume zcas never seen." — Illustrated London News. " I'he preliminary essay is well-w> itlcn, good, and interesting." — Saturday Review. " Evinces vulependrnt schoiarship, a profound feeling for the original, and a minute attcnttuii tu delicate shades of expression, which may well make it acceptable evun to those who can enjoy the work without a tians- lator's aid." — Nonconformist. \ '\ ■ ESSAYS BY MONTAIGNE. Edited, Compared, Revised, and Annotatedby the Author of "The Gentle Life." With Vignette Portrait. " This edition is pure of questionable matter, and its perusal is calcu- lated to enrich xcithout corrupting the mind of the reader." — Daily News. " We should be glad if any xvords of ours could help to bespeak a large cirailation for t/iis handsome attractive book ; and who can -efuse his homage to the good-humoured industry of the erfiYor."— Illustrated Times. n List of Publications. VI. ™,^ P.l[^T^T.^^ ^^ PEMBROKE'S ARCADIA. Written i^p .r ,. ,'5' ^"^r/' ^--'''tf'l.^vith Notes.by the Author oi'-The Gentle ti, '"'' Z'"''^'"' '•>■ P'T'iiissioii, to the Eail of Derl.y. 1x. V,,/ •'All t/i,:bfst tluiuis in the Arnidiii aro rrt„innl i„t,ii:t in Mr. Frim-cU's eddton m,dia-mhru,,,jhtinto,jrmtrrpromu,nirr thm tn tlw ori,,wm. /„/ the eurtailntent of.onw ofits infrrior /x.rtwns. and the umisswn of most of its ecloi/iivs mid other metriml digressions "— ICxumiiier. " /t ts II ijood in,,-/,-, therefore, tu hove re/,tt/,lish/''■'>>■.'< j-to the editor for the eare he has Ltofenl upon the text audits literary illustration. The siibse,/,nnt additions to the rejected Other interpolations hm-e been cut down, if not entmh, cut out. Ubsolete. words and usaijes are commented on in siiccinrt notes, and there tsan alphabetical index to all such explanations, ,v. „,, to ijice the edition as much phdoloijical value as possible.--Uti!n^ry Churclunan. THE GENTLE LIFE. Second Series. " There is not a sinijje thnajht in the volume that does not contribute m some measure to the formation of a true ,p'ntle„ian."-lhu]y News Jhese charming collection of essays."— London lte\ie\v VIII. VARIA : Readings from Rare Books. Reprinted, by permis- sioii, from the Saturday lln-ieic. Spectator, &c. Contexts :-The Angelic Doctor, Nostradanins, Thomas -X Kempis. Pr. John ^austus Quevedo, .Mad. Guyon, Paracelsus, Howell tha Traveller. Mich.ael Scott, Lodowi.k Mup^iletou, Sir Thomas Urowne. Creur^e Psalmanazar. The Hif;hwaymen, Tlie Spirit World. " An/xtremely pretty and lu/reeable volume. )Ve can stronqh, recom- mend it to any one leho has a fancy for the bye-ways of literature."- A CONCORDANCE OR VERBAL INDEX to the wl.ole of Milton's Poetical Works. Comi>risiiiK upwards of L'0.000 References. . . ?[ I^- Cleveland, LL.IJ. With Vitjuette Portrait of Milton, v.* l-'^r? ■'"'"'''« '«» immediate reference to anv passiiin. i,, nny edition ot Milton's Poems, to which it may be justly termed an indis- pensable .'\ppeiidix. "Aniitvaliiabte Index, which the publishers have done a pufjlic service m )V7,nH/»)y."— Notes and Queries. ,'.' '^.'/ '/"' "d"'irers of Milton the book will be hiahh, appreciated, but its chief value will, ,f we mistahe not, be found in t'tw fact that it is a com- jnict word-book of the Kiujlish Lan//uui/e."~aecoTd. THE SILENT HOUR : Essay.s, the Author of "The Gentle Life." Cu.\TE.\TS. How to read the Scriptures . Unreasonable Infidelity . '. '. The Great Loss of the Worldlintr ' Certainty of Death On the Greatness of God Our Daily Hread . . . . . The Art of Contentment The Foolish Kxchantre .... Ot a Peaceable Temper. On the Marriage King .... Nearer to God The Sanctity of Home . ' ' ' The Thankful Heart ..'.'. Silence, Meditation, and Rest. And other Essays by the V.ditor. Original and Selected. By From the Homilies. Isaac Harrow. Richard IJaxter. Dean Sherlock. Jlussilliin. Bishop Latimer. Archbishop Sandys. Jeremy Taylor Isaac Harrow. Jeremy Taylor. Archbishop Sandys. John Huskin. Isaak Walton. '•ond F.dition. Nearly ready. 8 Sainpson Lotv and Co.'s hat I; :i : f i r fi '?i I npet NEW IIjI.UaVRATED M^ORKS. |^fl-?/HE STOl'iY WITHOUT AN END. From tlie 5>i'^l 'i^ Genniiii of C'aiovu. ]iy Siirali Austin. Illiistriitt.'(l with Six- te>J I />4 ''■''" tli'iHiiKil Wiitt'r-(.'oUuir l)iawiii);s hy K. V. 1!., printed t^'^ jJ- 'Xi ill Fac-siiiiili' iiiid nuii.eroiis Illustrations on wood. Small -Ito. '~ ^"'"^ ilotli c'.\tra, lliv. ; or inlaid on side with floral ornament ou ivory, l')S, ; or in inorofco, LM.5. *^* ANo u Larpc Vaper IJdition, with the Flutes mounted (only 2.")0 copies |iriiiteil), inorocuo, ivory iuluid, ol.s". Oi/. " A'liir/ii-rr ii'ill III' find fill' Jhiiik of-N.iture mure fri'!:lily unit hcnulifiilli/ ncnril fur liini than in ' Thi' Sturi/ iciilwuf mi l-^nJ,' nf its kind one uftke bi'st tli'it Hits irir written." — (Juurterly Hevicw. " TU' A'(f" lure n most ln-iiiitifiil edit inn of Mrs. Austin's well-known trnnfl'itiun '/' The Stori/ iritlioiit an Eml,' illustrated by E. V. 7?. leiih erm mure than her aretistomed iicetifal i/ritrc and f amy. It is dij/iriilt tu seliet lehen all the iUtistratiiins are so ilelicatelij Leauttful, hut ue eannot hel/i pointing out several that strike us especialh/. . . . Hut it is quite ini/iossiltle til drsrrilie these illustrations. \\'e must refer our readirs to the liiiok itself if tluij leish to see a pfrfeet development of the e, 11. A., T. Cvoswiek, H. A., Edward Dunrau, Birket Foster, J. C. Hoi.sley, A. I!.. .A., (ieorge IIi:'ks, II. Redgrave, E.A., C. Stonehouse, F. Taylc'r, Geoige Thomas. H. J. Townshend, K. H. Wehnert, Har- rison SW'ir, i:v. Crown 8vo. doth, os. each; mor. lO.s. 6(1. Hliiomfield's i'ai iiier's Buy. Ki'at's ]*'ve of Ht. Agnes. Cp'i.nlicirs Pleasures of Hope. , iMiltoii's I'Allegro. »'ii,:il;ill's Elizi.lu tliaii IVetry. ' I'oetry of Nature. l!ol< . idge's Ancient JMariiur. Roger's Pleasures of Memory. CioliNmith's Deserted \'ilhige. Shakespeare's ."^ongs and Sonnets. Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakelield. 'leniiyson's May Queen. (iriiy's Elegy in a Churchyard. Wordsworth's Pastoral Poems. " Such works are a i/b^rious beatification for a poet. Such 'works as these educate toiensinen. who. siirriniiidid bij di iid and nrti/lcial things, as ri iiiitri/ /leople are bij life and nature, scarcelij learn to look at nature till tiiiiijht by these concnif rated sjieciiiieiis of her beauty." — Athtuanim. T\w Pyrenees ; a Watering I'laces. in the Dore. Description of Snmnicr Life at French I'y Henry Llackburii, author of " Travelling in Spain Present Day." With ui)wurds of 100 Illustrations by Gustave Royal 8vo, cloth, It^.t. ; morocco, 26s. 'rravcllinf^ in Spnin in the present day by a party uf ladies and Gentlemen. Ry tlie s:ime .Author. With numerous Illustrations and ]Map (if Route, fe'ipiare Svo. |('w. i 1 I i List of Publications. French ;,.o v! 'i"-^^^' *'',", "'"■!*, "■'"""'•ned offlcier de bouche , , the present d ,'„ /las writ fen b,, far the ablest and moit complete irorh oyi Cnak^uti t r' ever been submitted to thenastronomictcoZlfiZl.mL!^,^'^ '''"'/'«« 'ru;fpum. Life amongst the North and Smith American Indians. By Gi'orgo Catlin. And Last Rambles amongst the Indians beyond the Rocky ^Mountains and the Andes. With numerous Illustrations by the Author. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 6s. each, cloth extra. " An admirable book, full of useful infirm at ion, wrapt vp in stnrics peculi'irly adapted to rouse the imagination and stimulate the curiosity of boys and girls. To compare a book xvith ' Jiubinson Crusoe,' and to say tluit it sitstains such comparison, is to give it high praise indeed." — AthentBum. The Marvels of Optics. Bv F. Marion. Translated and edited by C. W. Quin. With 60 Illustrations. Cloth extra. 5s. " A most instructive and entertaining volume, 'comprising not only n carefully-wriffen and pojiuhir account (fthe phenomena if vision and the taws of light, as illustrated by the latest discoveries and experiments of our wise men, but a history of ' JVatural Magic "from its earliest to its l/dcst wonders.'' — Observer. Also uniform. From the French of De Fonvielle, by Thunder and Lightning, D. T. L. Phipson. With 38 lull-page Woodcuts &s. I f List of Publications. 11 138 The Sliver Skates ; a Story of Ilulland Life. Edited bv W II P Kingston. Illustrated, smiill post Svo. cloth extra, y,,-. (xA • ■'^' "• The Voyage of the Constance; a tale of the Polar Seas. 13 y Is M ^'•■^l^'l"""'."'th» Illustrations by Charles Keene. feap. The Book of Boats. A De.scription of every Craft that sails npon the ,vaters ; and how to Make, Kig, and Hail Model Boats y ^V- "■ ^- Kingston, with numerous Illustrations by K, Weedon Heeoud edition, enlarged. Fcap. 8vo. ;j«. U(/. • "eeuon. oetoud London News."^' " t"st<^M t/'c vatcr should be icithout !f."-Iilustnited " This wcU-urittm, ivcll-wrovght iooA."— Athena-um. " This is somrthinn better than a phuj-book ; mid it wovld ho difTicidt tn find a m,.re com,,emiwusand inteUigible manual abuut all that n' at to Satu"day^i;;i;l:'^ '^ ^•'■^^'* ""^ "''""-' ""^'--'^ anl^Oear^'- Also by the same Author, Ernest Brapebridpe ; or, Boy's Own Bock of Pports 3,s The Fire fehips A Story of the Days of Lord Cochrane." 1 he Cruise of the Frohc. 5s. Jack Biiutline : the Life of a Sailor Boy, 2s. M. 5s. A Book of Lint(jhterf)r Young and Old. A Bushel of Merry-Thoughts, by Wilhelm Buscii. Inch.ding the I^aughty Boys ot Corinth, the Children that took the Sugar Cuke Ice collared t. ^j"'"'""^^ ^'"^ Ornamented by Harry Kogersfplain 2. W. ; Also noiv rcit'hj. Dame Perkins and her Grey Mare, and their run with the Hounds, with coloured Illustrations by Phiz. 5s. Great Tun Stories. Ti ild by Thomas Hood and Thomas Archer to 18 CO our, I pictures of Kdward Wehnert. Beautifully printed in colours, 10s. 0,. Plain, 6s. well bound in cloth, gilt edges. Or in Eight separate books. Is. each, coloured. M. plain. The Cherry-coloured Cat. The Live Uocking-Horse. Master Mis- chiet Cousin .Nellie Harry Higli-Stepper. Grandmamma's Spectacles. How tlie House was Built. Dog Toby. Great Fun and More Fun for our Little Friends. By Harriet JIjTtle. With Edward Wehnert's Pictures. 2 vols, each 5s. Under the Waves ; or the Hermit Crab in Society. By Annie E. Ridley. Impl. I6mo. cloth extra, with coloured illustration Cloth 4s. ; gilt edges, 4s. %d. ' Also beautifully Illustrated:— Little Bird Red and Little Bird Blue. Coloured, 5s. Snow-Flakes, and what they told the Children. Coloured, 5s. Child's Book of the Sagacity of Animals. 5.s. ; or coloured, 7s. 6rf. Child's Picture Fable Book. 5s. ; or coloured, 7s. Gd. Child's Treasury of Story Books. 5s. ; or coloured, 7s. M. The Nursery Playmate. 200 Pictures. 5s. ; or coloured, 9s. How to Make Miniature Pumps and a Fire-Engine : a Book for Boys. With Seven Illustratiouf. Fcap. 8vo. Is. .JL. 12 Sampam Low and Co.'s Ahvyn Morton ; his School and his Si'lioolfellows. A Story of Ht. Nicholas' Qiuinmur School. Illii!-truti.'(l. Fcai). 8vo. bs. " One of the best Looks for boys ice have read for iii/nii/ a lonp day. The mural of the narrative is a striking and noble one, and dcsit/ncd in its u-orkinrj:! to transform the school-boij into the true Christian gentleman." — Ladies' Own Paper. " I'his is (I good school-bay's tale." — Spectator. " WcH-writtcn and really entertaining. Joe Simmons is a gem of a boy." — Atbena-iim. Also, full nf Illustrations, same price : — Stanton Grange; or. Boy Life with a Tutor. By Uev. C. J. Atkinson, GoUleJi Hair; a Story for Voung People. By Sir Luscelles Wraxoll, Ban. With Kight full png'' Illustrations. Black Panther; n Boy's Adventures uinoiij? the Red Skins. Paul Duncan's Little by Little; a Tale for Boys. Edited by Frank Freeman. With an Illustration by Charles Keene. Fcap. 8vo. cloth 2s. ; gilt edj;es, 2s. 6rf. Also, same price, Boy Missionary; a Tale for Young People. By Mrs, J. M. Parker. Difficulties Overcome. By Miss Brightwell. The Babes ii> the Basket : a Tale in the West Indian Insurrection. Jack Buntline ; 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, 3s. 6rf. Mrs. Stowe's new Book for Young People. Queer Little Teople. 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, Is. The Pearl of Orr's Islaud, Illustrated by Gilbert, 5s. The Minister's Wooing. Illustrated by Phiz, 5s. ;i: 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, 4s. 6t/. Stories of the Woods ; or, ti.e Adventures of Leather-Stocking : A Book for Boys^, ccinpikd from Cooper's Series of " Leather-Stocking 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 8vo. cloth extra, l)e\ elled cloth, 7s. 6rf. The (Jriginal Edition of this work was published ut One Guinea. Child's Delight. forty-two Pictures Forty-two Songs for the Little Ones, with Is. ; coloured, 25. 6rf. List of Publications. 18 Goody Platts, and hor Two Cats. By Thomas Miller. Fcan ovo. cloth, Is. » * Little Blup II,)(,d : a Story for Little People. By Thomas Miller with coloured frontispiece. Fcap. 8vo. clotll, I's. 6U. ' Mark Willson's First Header. By the Author of " The Picture Alphabet- and " The Pictur-i Primer." With lao Pictnres. Is, The Picture Alphabet ; or Child's First Letter Book. With new and original Design.'.. M. The Pictuie Primer. 6ri. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. HE Life of John Jtimes Audubon, tlio Naturali.st. in- cluding his Homunti Adventures ii, the hack woods of -f^t^lA", vv7Te '-"'•■•'•'^l"""';"'''- ^vith celebrated Knropean.'., &<• 324^ .1; ,!,'!' ^"T '"'"'•'■'"'s «ui>l>l'ed by h,s widow, by liobcrt Uu- cnanan. b\o. [Shurt/^. Leopold the First, King of the Belgians; from unpublished documents, by Theodore Juste. Translated by llobert liiack! U" preparation. Fredrika Bremer, Life, Letters, and Posthumous Works of. Edited by her sister, Charlotte Uremer; translated from the Sw,-^'"'- \^'"' ^^"■•tr'iit- The Conspiracy of Count Fieschi : an Episode in Italian History. .^ili?L?^f» ■"'"'■, ^"i?" w"*^' .''y ^''"'' """'"• K*a- Author of a History of Ungandage." With Portrait. 8vn. 12,s. ''This work wilt he rend xcith great interest, and uill assist in a com- prehensivc stiidij of Italian /((.s^o?^."— Observer, " As an epitome of Genoese histor,/ for thirty years it is erecedinqb, in- teresUnn as well as eiceedim/hj able. The h'm/lish puLlic are ,,rentlu vidMedto Mr. Wheeler for introducing to them a historian so 'full of verve, so expert, and so graceful in the manipidation of facts "—London Ueview, "^ •' *^xmiuu "This vigorous Memoir of Count Gianluigi Ficschi, written in excellent Italian, is here reproducid in capital English."— Examiner. Christian Heroes in the Army and Navy. By Cliarles Kojrors LL.D. Author cf " Lyra Brifannica." Crown Svo.":!?. tj The Navy of the United States during the Kobollion ; comprisin.r the origin and increase of the Ironclad Fleet. I!y Charles R. lioyntoi? iJ.lJ. 2 vols. 8vo. Illustrated with numerous phiin and coloured iOn- gravings of the more celebrated vessels. Vol. I. now ready. 20s. A History of America, from the Declaration of Lidependence of the thirteen United States, to the close of the campaign of 177H Hv George ISancrol't ; forming the third > ohime of the Hi.Mory of the Ame- rican Revolution. 8vo. cloth, 12.s-. «^ 14 Sampson Low and Co.'s A History of Brif^andajfc iii Italy ; with Adventures of thu more oelclirutud Uriguiids. Uy Uavid Ililtoi., Ksq. 2 vols, post 8vo. cloth, 16s. r >i A History of the Gipsies, with Specimens of the Gipsy Language, liy Woltcr Siinsoii. I'oat 8vo, lu.s. tW. A History of West Point, the United States Military Academy and ita Militiiry Iniiiortuiice, Uy C'upt. K. ('. Itoyntou, A.M. With I'lans iiiul Illustrations. 8vo. 2U'. 'I'he Twelve Great Battles of England, from Hastings to Waterloo. With I'luiis, IVap. 8vo. idoth extra, 'Ss. He/. I'liitarch's Lives. An entirely new Library Edition, carefully revised and eorrei'ted, with some Original Translations hy the Kditor. Edited by A. H. C'lounh, Ks(|. sometime Fellow of Oriel C'ollefrc, Oxford, and late Professor of I'^n^flish Languiige and Literature at University College. 5 vols. 8vo. cloth. 21. 10s. " ' Plutiirch's Lives ' will be read by thousands, and in the version of Mr. Clouiih." — Quarterly Review. '■•Mr. Cloiii/h's 11-iirk ).< vortliy of aU praise, and ire hope that it v: ill tend to revive the stiuti/ of Plutaixh." — Times. The Prison Life of Jenrersf)n Davis : embracing Details and Incidents in his Captivity, to>/ethei' with Conversations on Tojiics of preat Public Interest. By John J, Craven, M.l)., Physician of the Prisoner durinj; his Confinement. 1 vol. post Svo. price 8.s'. The Life and Correspondence of Benjamin Silliman, JNI.D., LL.I)., late Professor of Chemistry, Jlineralofry, and Oeolofiy in Vale College, U.S.A. Chiefly from his own MSH. and Diary. By George I'isher. With Portrait, a vols, post 8vo. price U'la'. ' •)' TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE. r^'^^OClAL Lilb of tlu^ Cliiiiose: n Dnq;uerreotype of Daily Life in China. Condensed from the Work of ihe liev. J. Doo- j)^ little, jirice 8s. Gi/. With above 100 Illustrations. Post ^y* 8vo. " The bock before us supiilies a lorr/e quantity of minute and valnahle information eohrernint] a ruiintry of hii/h i-nnnin'rcial and loitional im/iort- ancr, and as to u-hich the amount if popular information (> evm more than ordinarily scant i/. The author speahs with the authority ■■/ an i ye-witness ; and the minuteness of detail which his work exhibits will, to v.ost readers, (JO fir to establish its ?n(.s?«()r^/(/»t'.?s."— Saturday Re\ iew. " He have no hesitation in sayin;/ that from these in'ips may be gathered more information about the soc'ial'life of the Chine. '^e than can be obtained from any other source. The importance of the work as a key to a right 'understanding oftlw character of .w vast a port inn of the human race ought to insure if an ej-fensive circulation."-~AU\enKmn. p List of Puhlicaliom. 16 \ Die Open Polar Sea: a Narrativi, of u Voya-o -f Discnv.-rv tmvunis t ... N.„tl. PoK-. lly \,y. Isuar I. lluyes/ a" cntiivly new u u I chniiHi- e.litini.. With Illu.lrutioi... Small |,o»t >so. lis " " 7'/"' •''"'■.'/ 'if this l„xt Ardin riifrrpris,- is most stirruuj, umt ,f ,s mil f'.'^, '^/a '!'i!!'"^^ /tfmm/rrnturf Ihat this is ttw aisvjor It must !„■ ,Ji. u;ll, we trust, semi nwmj rmd,:rs to its jiaycs.- -MUvinnun. Life amongst tlie Nurth and South American Indians. 15v U.'nrife C'utlni. Ami Ust Ihimblcs lunni.irst tl„. IwWnm U-youd the lim-ky Moi.ntiunsaiH Ih,. AilIcs. With nniiHTons IlluMnilions l,y the Author. -2 vols .-umll pust, ."s. ciich. " An admirable l,,,:k, full ,.f useful i„f>rm,ttion,wrn,,f up in sfnrirs pnulmrly minpte, to rouse the i„i''>''>\%l"tterentilleAlngiresw-hndrirc than the aquatie mli; u- turer whose ' Ihousand Ades in the Hob lie,,, Canoe ' h,s bee'me afaniilhir book to trij,/ educated ru,,l,shman who is wont to siek his pos/imc on the deep. I he I oi/a.'/cAone ' is suitably illustrated, andfhroii,/h its nlcasuiti ^th'!"^/ '"i' •* T ^"'; ^^l"r" '"'"""" '" "■"''■'•'/ ""'IMo'o-ably LinV^ the Jiob lioj/ Canoe." — Atlu'ua'um. A Thousand Miles in the Kob Roy Canoo, on Uivers and L:d;es of Kurnpo. ]!y John M'On.Ror, M.A. Firth e,l,tiu„. With a Mio,, anil uumerons Ilhistrations. Also, The Rob Roy on the liiiltic A Cum' \oyage in .\onv.,y, Sweden, .^:o. With a Ma,, and luiin.Toua Illustri tions. Irice os. eaeh volume, handsomely bound in cloth, " Jt possesses the rare merit of displai/iiu, f, miliar districts of Europe from "'\'2]*l''';l!l J](''^ l'[>i\>' ^'f i-if'i'^i it is written in *.i. IViipli;. By Jarnos M. Old ICtmland. Its Sci'iicry, Art, imd Ilnppiii. 1 vol. sraiill post Hvn. 7'. tV/. Tho Black Country and its Oroi'n Bonier Land ; or, Expedi- tinii'< Hiid KxploriitioiiH rouiiil llii'niiiighum, VVulverhuinpton, &c, Ily Khhu Iturritt. 8vo. chith. Id.'.'. •«/. John O'Groats, and from London to With Notes hy the Way. Hy Klihu Hiiiril.t. " Aw one Clin taUr up tliix hook without rrndm;/ it throuijk. We luul [houijht f/iiit l:'/i/iii lliirfitt's ' U'lilk to John It' Groat's //o'usr^' was the mo.ii //cr/irt .i/iiTiniin of its kind that had inr sii'n the /ii/ht, so i/enial, livrli/, and iiraciiral wire the details he had liromjht toi/ethir . tint he has I t\... I. .-« ^.. «.....» lu. .».....;ii..^.'.... ..../ ,./ II... i!..t.l'l.,. 41.;.^ ...l.r.t: I A Walk fr. NVVsim. uiM l',„.iil,. Si.aes „r Amenca; witliaiirw Mnp. l)y KdwunI H. Hull. l,v. Applctuu-.s IlniMl-B.Mik t.r Aiiioricim Travd — Tho ISoitluTii l„„r; will. .Maps cl Uoutr.s of Tnivd «„,! the piiii, ,,, il «-U>,s. DyKdwunl II. IlMll. New Kdition. 1 vol. po"t\«vo. l'''. ' '^'"'olr'.. )..''"'■' '" ^'1"<'''''""-.V. N..W Z..nla,ul; will, ViMts t,. the li". 1!> -Mrs. lliarlrslhoiiison. I'Viip. tvo. dotli, ^.v. tV. Life's Work ns^it is ; „r, the Kniigranfs Iloni.. in Ansiralia. Hv tt tolouist. Hmall po.st Svo. 'ds. (id.. ('aiiadu in 1864; a lland-ljook for Settk^r.s. By Henrv T N Clifsshyiv. I'Vup. 8vn. a,s\ Hi/. "^ :•'■■<. that in,,„ns tclh,,;/. I hr „uth<.r is ha„s,//a sittl.r, ami kaJs uhat - VtViemi'um''' ""' '""'""'y M '/'"•"■ "'''" "re ah.ut to Leronw »ttkri.- A History of the Discovor^-.and Exploration of Anstralia- or "" Aivm.nt of tlu. i;ro^;,v>. of U,.ogrupl,i,.al f)i>n,v,.rv m. tin.t V;„- iiient, n'oiii the Larliest I'criod to thf IVfSfiit Day livtlieH.v Inii, ,, K. Teuisou Woods, F.K.G.S.. &.., &c. 2 vols, dwny 8vo. doth, kv Jamaica and tlio Colonial OHii-o : Who caiispd tlio Crisis ? By (u.,rjr<' I'lM.H.. Ks,| jatf Mcmlifi' of tlif Kxecutive Comu„ttfes of Go- veniors. Svo. cloth, with a i'laii, ."..v. The Colony of Victoria: its Ilistorv, Coinnierce, tind Cold MiniMs: ,ts Social and l>olilic„l I.isf.tutioas, (l.,w„ t<, the Knd of ksti:i \\ith Uemarks. iMcidcMlal and Compamtive, upon the other Australian Min'""\ "y ^^'"'1"" ^\-'K'u■tll Author of ■•Victoria and the God Mines, &c. 8vo. with a iMap, cloth, Ifo. Tracks of McKinlay and Party across Australia. By John Davis one of the Kxpedition. With an Introductory View of recent Kxplora- tions. Hy Win. Wctirarlh. With niiinproiis Ilhi.strations in fhromo- hthojfriiphy, and Map. 8vo. cloth, 10s, I i '' 18 S(t7nj>fon Low and Co.'i Tho rruprorts and Present Stiite of Hritisli Iniliii; a Manual of Iiidiiiii Histoi'y, (li'Dnriiphy, iind I'liiiiiHi', (nr >ri'iiiriil usi- ; Im-i'd upon Olllciiil Uotiiiiii'iita, I'll I'll i?.lir(l iiiiilfi' till- iiutliMrily iif lIiT .Miijii-iy's Becretary of Htiitt- lor lintm. Uy .Moiit(((>iiicry Murtiii, ICcii., Aiilliur of II '• History of thu IJritisli Coloiiii'si," cVf. l'o>l »vo. ilolli, 10<. tJi/. Thn (!()ttiin Kin^dcim : a 'rravcllcr's OliscrviitioiiH on ("nttciii and Hliivri'y ill Aiiirrii'it, IiusimI iiiMiii tliri'i' fonni'r mpIiimiis of I ihmIs mid Kxploi'utious. Uy FrederifU LttW Olmsti'd. With Miip. :i vols, post Bvo. 1/. U. A History of the Orif^in, Formation, and Adoption of tho Con- gtiliitioii of till' Uni'i'd Stiitos of Aiiifricii, with Notici's of its I'lincipal l-'riimtTM. Uy Ut'or^^i- Tiikiioi- Curtis, K.s(i. 2 voU. Bvo. Cluth, 1/. is. The I'rincipk's of I'olitical Ki'ononiy apidicd to llu: ('oiidition, the Uesourc't'8, und liistitutious of the Aiiu'riiuii I't'ople. Uy Irautii Uoweu. bvo. Cloth, 14s. A History of New South Wales from the Discovery of New IIoIIiukI ill Ifilti to the present time. Ity tlie liite Hoderielt Fliiiiii(i;un, Es'i., Memher of the I'hilosophieul Hoeiety of New Soutli Wiiles. 'J vein. Svo. IH.I. Canada and its Resources. Two Prize Kssnys, by Hogan and Morris. 7s-. or s.'iitirately, Is. M. eaeli, uiul ^Iiip, lis. /: )| SCIENCE AND DISCOVERY. DICTIONARY of riiotoRraphy, on tho Uasis of Sutton's Dictionary. Kewriltiu liy I'ri'fe.'i.snr lluw.soii, of Kiu^'.s C'olleije, Kditor of the " Jouriml of I'liotn^iraphy ;" and Th"inu» Sutton, U.A., I'.dilor of " I'hotogruph Notes." bvo. witli numerous Illustrations. 8.v. tii/. " The most ini/mrtiiiit nf thr iiiiiiiertnn^ huulis in roiiiirxion uitk photo- grii}'hil vhii-h luivi' tsaiiid frmii tlif /iri'^x fu)' .sirinil yriirs. — ii Ijnok wliick t.s ai/iiiliitrd to provp niiiiit iitli/ vatuiiblc und usiful ti/ /diottiijj'iij hirs." — British Journal of I'holojjriiphy. A History of the Atlantic Telegraph. By Henry M. Field. l2nio. 7.V. 6(/. Tho Structure of Aninial Life. By Louis Agassiz. With 46 Diagrams, bvo. eloth, lO.f. iid. The Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology ; or, the Eeonnmy of the Sea and its Adaptations, its Salts, it.s Waters, its C'liiniites, its Inhaiiitaiits, aeil ■vhiitever llieie may heof ^'eneral interest in its C'om- mereial Uses or Industrial Pursuits, liy Cuniiiiiiiider M. F. Maurj-, LL.I). Tenth l'".osscsscs—of the crust of the eorlh Iniuiith the O/iie irafers of the Atlantic und Ptwifu- oceans, llnpeli ssli/ scieiili/ic tconld these sidijects be in the liiDuls (f most men, ijet vpon each ami all if them Captain Mauri/ enlists our attention, or charms ».« with ew/ilanations and theories, replete with orii/inaliti/ und r/eniiis. Jlix is indeed a nautical mnnual, a hund-booh nf the sea. invesiinij tiith fresh intirest ivirij nave that heats ii/.on our shores ; und it cannot fail to aiiahen in both nuilors and lundsinen a cruvini; to l.noic more intimutely the secrets of thut icon- derful element. The (jood that Mmiry has do)ie in aieakcnimj the ponert nf observation nf the lioijal and Mercantile Navies of Knijiardund America is incalculable." — niackwood's IMngazine. Liat of Vablimtions. T9 '^^^'uS^l'^"':'";!',' ;"''T"'""K S-iilor's Assistant, by Williuni co.i.J!:;'Sj-''i;;:-,„.'!^„ •;-';;:- /:x::;: .^;"'^'""' "' ^'^"' "^"cbrt"''"" "• ^'''"'''"■•'' Astronomy, by the Same. 8vo. Manual T,il ',f ^'',,''':'"'i'"'R.V. inHiKlinp Obsorvations on Mines, WwVs ^^'IhS'^'";'! Mathematical Science, by Daviea and Peck. 8vo. 12mo. '^^''v^'T'i.7' ^I'rveyor's Guide; by A.Duncan. TRADE, AQRICULTURE, ETC. "^^Joh./L T^ "* Implements, and thoir Construction; 1)> John L. Thomas. W.th L'OO Illualrotmns. U'mo. 6j. tl Fcp. ^"±Sn„s,i:j,':.Lrr'' ^^*^-"-^-- s^aiipostevo. tkon^uuls can take a rracUcal, and not ,ne. ..y „ IpeJuUr^.^uZtVur '''^S"S;iS"Sk^^ ^^^^''^^-^ "^ '^City Man. Fcap. ""^^a"'? '^ij:'ir::;,3.''^. ''"' ^"^»'- °f " -^j- ^"i^i^'- of Coffee ! A Treatise on its Nature and Cultivation. With some The Railway Freighter's Guide. Defining mutual liabilities of Carriers and Freighters, and explaining system of rates bcto",,, "'S' '•''''•''«• ^"'"'''"K. and permits, and all other deta Is Vertam,« to raffle management, us sanctioned by Acts of Parliament Bye a f «nd General Ugage. By J. S, Martin. 12mo. Cloth, 2? W ' Mi J: I t ■ 1 i 1 ■ n . h i 5 1 1 I > 20 Sampson Low and Co.'s THEOLOGY. HE Origin and History of the Books of the New Tosta- Jfl niciit, Ciiiioniciil and Apacryphul. ' Desijjnecl to .-how wimt the ►{^-O) liible is not, what it is, and liow to use it. liy Professor C. E. — ^ Stowe. ttvo. 8.S-. M. With pUites, lOs. 6(/. " The wor/t cxhthits in ererij jniye the stdmp tif untirimj incliistri/, per- sonril rcsenrch, diiil saiiiul iniihuil. Tin re is siic/i a tune of' hairti/ iiirnest- ncss, vii/orous tliniiijltf, mid dctir r/rcisifc r.r press ion nbout tlui lioiik, that one is curcliiiUij disposed tu wrlcomc a t/icotof/icul work ivhich is neither unitarinn in dodrine, sensiitionid in style, nor destrudive in spirit." — London Kevii'w. " The nuthor hrinijs Old forcibly the overivhclming m/inuscript evidence for the books if the New Testament as compared with the tihe evidence for the best attested of the profane icriters. . . . JJc adds these remarks : ' / instrt these extracts here because the Fathers had ways of looking at the boi,li>i of the Bible tvhich in our day have nearly become obsolete, and which onijlit, in some measure at least, to be reviced. The incredulity of our own times in rei/ard to the liible is due, not so much to the irant of evidence as to the want of that rcvereiu-e, and a//'ection, and admiration of the lH.«hnell, P.D., Author of " Nature and the Supernatural," itc. Crown 8vo. 7-'?. 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