Audubon and His Journals, Volume 1Audubon, John James
History
Audubon and His Journals, Volume 1
Audubon, John James
Audubon, John James, 1785-1851 -- Diaries; Birds -- North America; Naturalists -- United States -- Diaries
passed over the Tyne, on a fine strong bridge of stone, with several
arches, I think six or seven. This is distant from the sea, and I must
say that the Tyne _here_ is the only stream I have yet seen since my
landing resembling at all a river. It is about as large as Bayou Sara
opposite the Beech Woods, when full. I saw some of the boats used in
carrying coals down the stream; they are almost of oval shape, and are
managed with long, sweeping oars, and steerers much like our
flat-boats on the Ohio. My companion did not talk much; he is more an
acting man than a talker, and I did not dislike him for that. After
ascending a long road or lane, we arrived at Bewick's dwelling, and I
was taken at once to where he was at work, and saw the man himself. He
came to me and welcomed me with a hearty shake of the hand, and took
off for a moment his half-clean cotton night-cap tinged with the smoke
of the place. He is tall, stout, has a very large head, and his eyes
are further apart than those of any man I remember just now. A
complete Englishman, full of life and energy though now seventy-four,
very witty and clever, better acquainted with America than most of his
countrymen, and an honor to England. Having shown me the work he was
at, a small vignette cut on a block of box-wood not more than three by
two inches, representing a dog frightened during the night by false
appearances of men formed by curious roots and branches of trees,
rocks, etc., he took me upstairs and introduced me to his three
daughters--all tall, and two of them with extremely fine figures; they
were desirous to make my visit an agreeable one and most certainly
succeeded. I met there a Mr. Goud, and saw from his pencil a perfect
portrait of Thomas Bewick, a miniature, full-length, in oil, highly
finished, well drawn and composed. The old gentleman and I stuck to
each other; he talked of my drawings, and I of his woodcuts, till we
liked each other very much. Now and then he would take off his cotton
cap, but the moment he became animated with the conversation the cap
was on, yet almost off, for he had stuck it on as if by magic. His
eyes sparkled, his face was very expressive, and I enjoyed him much
more, I am sure, than he supposed. He had heard of my drawings and
promised to call early to-morrow morning with his daughters and some
friends. I did not forget dear John's wish to possess a copy of his
work on quadrupeds, and having asked where I could procure one, he
answered "Here." After coffee and tea had been served, young Bewick,
to please me, brought a bagpipe of a new construction, called a
"Durham," and played simple, nice Scotch and English airs with
peculiar taste; the instrument sounded like a hautboy. Soon after ten
the company broke up, and we walked into Newcastle. The streets were
desolate, and their crookedness and narrowness made me feel the more
the beauty of fair Edinburgh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account