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
_April 16._ I breakfasted with old Bewick this morning quite _sans
ceremonie_, and then the old man set to work to show me how simple it
was to _cut wood_! But cutting wood as he did is no joke; he did it
with as much ease as I can feather a bird; he made all his tools,
which are delicate and very beautiful, and his artist shop was clean
and attractive. Later I went with Mr. Plummer, the officiating
American consul at this place, to the court-rooms, and Merchant Coffee
House, also to a new fish market, small and of a half-moon form,
contiguous to the river, that I have forgotten to say is as dirty and
muddy as an alligator hole. The coal boats were moving down by
hundreds, with only one oar and a steerer, to each of which I saw
three men. We then went to the Literary and Philosophical Society
rooms; the library is a fine, large room with many books--the museum
small, but in neat order, and well supplied with British specimens.
Since then I have been showing my drawings to at least two hundred
persons who called at my lodgings. I was especially struck with a
young lady who came with her brother. I saw from my window a groom
walking three fine horses to and fro, and almost immediately the lady
and gentleman entered, whip in hand, and spurred like fighting-cocks;
the lady, with a beaver and black silk neckerchief, came in first and
alone, holding up with both hands her voluminous blue riding-habit,
and with a _ton_ very unbecoming her fine eyes and sweet face. She
bowed carelessly, and said: "Compliments, sir;" and perceiving how
much value she put on herself, I gave her the best seat in the room.
For some time she sat without a word; when her brother began to put
questions, however, she did also, and so fast and so searchingly that
I thought them _Envoies Extraordinaires_ from either Temminck or
Cuvier. Mr. Adamson, who sat by all the time, praised me, when they
had gone, for my patience, and took me home to dine with him _en
famille_. A person (a glazier, I suppose), after seeing about a
hundred pictures, asked me if I did not want glass and frames for
them. How I wish I was in America's dark woods, admiring God's works
in all their beautiful ways.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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