The Audubon Reader (80 page)

God bless you all—

Your friend J. J. Audubon, 4 Wimpole Street, Cavendish Square

Maria will not be confined until the middle or latter end of July next, if then?

I have thought it proper to write to you crossways, on finding that I have some more to say to you. First, did you receive the
birdlime, have you caught any birds with it; and have [you] written to Earl Derby? … Have you not met with any new
Woodpeckers among our small tribes? Depend upon it, both you & I have not been as diligent on this head as we ought to have been … I have made bold enough to name a new Woodpecker after you; it is another species of
Hairy Woodpecker from the Columbia River sent to me by Townsend, and I think you will be quite astonished to see that at this moment no less than 19 species of this interesting tribe are in my published plates. Townsend has sent two new
Oyster Catchers, two new
Cormorants, a new something which I intend to name in the way of a subgenus allied to
Tringa
[i.e., long-legged waders], a new
Burrowing Owl or one described by Temminck and a new species of
Bombycilla
[i.e., a
Waxwing], the given name of which is also pointed out by the latter author, &c., &c. Will you believe that since Bonaparte has left London I have drawn one hundred birds; indeed, I feel quite fagged, and now think that I never labored harder than I have done within the last two months.

A long article on general ornithology has been published of late in the
Encyclopedia Britannica
, in which my work is spoken of in most luxuriant words, and some good hints are given to students of zoology generally, though on the whole I look upon the article as far beneath what it ought to have been in such publication. Mr. [John] Gould, the author of the
Birds of Europe
, is about leaving this country for New Holland, or as it is now called, Australia. He takes his wife and bairns with him, a wagon the size of a squatter’s cabin and all such apparatus as will encumber him not a little. He has never traveled in the woods, never salted his rump steaks with gunpowder and how he will take to it will be a “sin to Crockett.”
Before this reaches you I daresay that you will have received my plates up to 405, wherein you will see some rara avis, but believe me when I tell you that in the 6th concluding Numbers you will be quite surprised at what you will see when you look over these …

Charleston, South Carolina

16 April 1838

My dear Audubon,

A week ago I shipped by the steamboat to New York to go by the packet of today, a barrel containing
flamingos. May they go safely, come in time to meet all your wishes and prove satisfactory. I did not open the barrel. It came from Mr. Chartrand, to whom I had written on the subject and who also met your youth somewhere and seems well acquainted with you. The barrel was accompanied with a very friendly letter. He begged me to say that he would write to you, but that no opportunity afforded from Matanzas. The situation of his family was such that he could not go to the breeding places of the birds, but had obtained from one in whom all confidence could be placed the habits of the bird. As the notes appear of some value, confirming what we previously knew with regard to the habits of this singular species, I think you will not grumble at the postage if I enclose them. I expect plenty more of this bird from other persons—these may not come as cheap—for I have offered higher rewards, and expect soon to have more about them than I could wish in prudence. I think you had best write Chartrand a little letter to my care in Charleston as he really was very friendly and sent his own boat and hands to procure the birds—they seem also in excellent spirits. May you find them singing “Yankee Doodle.”

I believe I have now attended to all your commissions. What you will do next, I know not. I doubt whether the giving of our quadrupeds would be profitable although it would certainly be serviceable to science …

Edinburgh, Scotland

5 July 1838

My dearest friend,

Your joint letter of the 3rd Instant has just reached me, and as it announces the arrival in England of our friend John Bachman, I write to you at once with the hope that this may reach you before the leaving of Victor for this place.

Mamma’s short letter announcing the safe delivery of our dear daughter Maria reached me in the unaccountable short period of 30 hours! How it came I know not, though it was postmarked at London. I am happy to know that she and little “Lulu” (as John calls the young stranger) are both doing well, and that dearest Mamma is also better from the effects of warm weather which, for a wonder, has wafted its influence as far northward as the quiet city of Edinburgh.

I am now exceedingly anxious to see John Bachman here; he could not be near me for a few weeks to greater advantage than at present, and I hope you all will join in urging his accompanying Victor. Tell him besides that I really and most truly feel extremely desirous to hail his coming to Europe by a most sincerely well-felt shake of the hand!

Mamma’s shoemaker is a shabby fellow. I have no faith in him and I would advise her to write to New York, the West Indies or to China for shoes. I have found the Golden Eagle, etc. but not one single “half-eagle” as Victor wittingly says.

The newborn thing must be a considerable size, just the weight of a Loon, and according to John’s account almost as greedily inclined, though more anxious for mother’s milk than for fish, as I will myself be in a few hours. Has the
Chicora
brought me the guts of some
flamingoes? Two sheets of the biography are now finished, and on Saturday I will have another. Mac and I are working like horses. Remembrances to all and ever your most truly attached friend, father, husband and granddad …

Edinburgh, Scotland

29 September 1838

My dear Mrs. Gifford,

I do not like to wait any longer for some account of your health, nor without telling you where we are and what has occurred to us. I wrote you a few lines in July telling you of the birth of our granddaughter, and of she and the mother doing well. I was at that time in very poor health, but the warm weather, with such good medical aid as I have had about that time, was of great service to me, and it was so very disagreeable as well as expensive to us to be part living in London & part in Edinburgh that the moment it was thought safe for me we all removed to this beautiful city. I still find myself mending, though obliged to live very quiet and strictly attend to my physician’s orders. Whether I shall be well enough to undertake the voyage to America this year or not is still doubtful, even if the work be done in time and the business closed. But we are all fully sensible of the advantage of our living in the United States as soon as we can, with our limited means. We do not yet know exactly when the letterpress will be out, but the printers are working as fast as they can, and all Mr. A.’s time is fully occupied in correcting the proof sheets. Our sons are occupying themselves in the most advantageous manner they can under the present circumstances of not being permanently settled, & our daughter is quite engaged with her little babe who grows finely and takes up nearly all her time; she is indeed a nice little thing and we all make quite a pet of her. Maria was very much gratified with a visit from her father before we left London (the Rev. Dr. Bachman), who came over in part to renovate his health, and partly to see Europe. He is now about Paris, having been into Germany and Switzerland.

Before we sail for America, I hope we shall be able to show the young people the curiosities and beauty of Derbyshire. I should like very much to peep at the spots of my childhood once more. On Saturday the 15 we all took the steamboat to Sterling and made
a little tour by way of Callendar and Loch Lomond, &c. We returned home the following Friday, having enjoyed ourselves extremely, and having had but one rainy day. You have, I daresay, visited that beautiful journey, and now that the inns and accommodations are so numerous there are no difficulties in the way.

The house we occupy in Edinburgh belongs to a Lady Mary Hay, and is more comfortable than the houses let furnished usually are, we have our own servants, and I hope she will find it in quite as good order when we give it up as when we took it. I understood from the agent Lady Mary was gone for a while to Aylesbury; so that she must be in your neighborhood. I cannot say anything of my Scotch acquaintance not having yet made a visit among them, indeed as I am at present obliged to retire to bed by half past eight or nine at the latest, my few personal habits and hours would agree with me. I hope before long you will write to me. My husband & children all join in best respects to yourself and Mr. Harrison’s family. Mr. Audubon says it will not be many months before you have your volume. It is strange rather how few complete copies of the
Birds of America
there will be, everyone believing that afterwards it would be cheaper and already the mistake is beginning to be felt since the copies are all put by—in the application of some for a few extra plates which cannot be had even now.

When we last heard from America the families were all well, and no changes whatever. My Aunt Atterbury looking as well as for these ten years past, and my Uncle Benjamin and family all well. My brothers have had some pecuniary difficulties to contend with, but they have happily none of them had the trials we endured for about 15 years; for the sorrows I have had I am more than recompensed by the continued and unremitting kindness of my own immediate family, who during these (nearly three years) of illness have watched and ministered to my comfort night & day. When these pains and attacks will cease we know not, but as I am better, [I] hope at last to be well …

Postscript

Edinburgh, Scotland

30 June–2 July 1839

My dear Child,

Papa brought from the post office this morning yours by the
Great Western
which, as before, Mr. Phillips franked from London. We see a little depression of spirits as soon as you leave Charleston, but as you say I hope many years yet of happiness is in store for us. All about your Eliza and self as well as much other matters you will find in the folio letter, so I shall at once refer to this one. We could not get berths in the
Liverpool
on application, and again Providence favors us, for if we had succeeded and since got your letter we should have been very uncomfortable, the berths we wrote for in the
Western
are taken and we have made a last effort just now at Glasgow for [cabin] 43 or 44 on deck, every other being taken, and if there are none to be had we have concluded to take the packet of the first or eighth of August from Liverpool or London, whichever we may find most to our liking. You do not say where you write from, only June 7, and we got a letter on the 28th from Miss Martin, same date, in answer to one from 31 Rutland Square. You seem surprised we sent on the young ones, but it was as Mr. Phillips said, high time! She should be stationary and I hope they will get safe over.

My plan, as Papa agrees—of all going to Charleston for the winter to be confined, to be married, to draw and write about quadrupeds and consider where the permanent abode should be—is a good one provided you find a roof to shelter us; however, we leave it in the hands of you all on that side the sea and we shall be content.

On looking over the items you will see what sums the
Birds of America
required and I am sure without that (though we paid by it) you would find our expenditure quite moderate for the number
of us and the comfort we have had. This day we calculate upon the arrival of the
Liverpool
at New York & almost of that of the
Toronto
, for the wind has been East all the month. Last night the
Synopsis
was done!! and in another week we think it will be bound and ready for sale, tomorrow Papa is beginning to pack up and we shall go to Liverpool as soon as we can. If we sail in a packet we shall have all our goods and chattels along with us, if not do take care of my big trunk, &c., which will be shipped per packet. However, as all these plans may not occur, look at the
British Queen
and make report. I wish the prints for Mr. Naysmith were here, but Papa will call on him before I go to have my tooth out.

July 2
. Dear Children, we have just heard from the agents that there are no staterooms in the
Great Western
except in the fore cabin, which we decline, and will come to you in a packet either of the first or eighth of August, and a disagreeable anticipation it is to me but perhaps for the best; at any rate it must be, and I give myself up to Providence. The Miss Mitchell you may have seen at Neill’s is going to set up a school somewhere in America. She asked for a letter to you to aid them in landing, &c., and I have given them one. I must stop for Papa to write, therefore God bless you all and manage the best you can till we meet. Papa thinks I am very well but I am as weak as a cat and good for nothing.

Ever your devoted Mother, Lucy Audubon.

Where are the shirts for Naysmith?

My dear Children. Mamma, who is simply low-spirited just now, has told you everything except business … The
Synopsis
is finished in 300 pages and at the binders … We will leave this on the 10th or 11th Instant …

Charleston, South Carolina

13 September 1839

Dear Audubon,

Yours of the 8th Instant was this moment received, and as I have an hour of leisure before I go out to dine with Friend Bickley, I do not know that I can spend my time better than by holding a little communion with you.