Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time. Vol. 1 (of 2)Herrick, Francis Hobart
History
Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time. Vol. 1 (of 2)
Herrick, Francis Hobart
Audubon, John James, 1785-1851
Young Audubon's dislike of Dacosta, the uncertainty of the mining
project, and other difficulties of the situation soon decided the
partners to cut short their stay at "Mill Grove." Both were equally
interested in the lead mine, but after working several months without
success in an attempt to form a mining company, they wisely decided
to leave such experiments to the enthusiastic Dacosta and to seek
an opening in trade, where the hazard would be no greater and their
ignorance less profound. Following the advice of their Quaker friend,
Miers Fisher, they decided to sell to Dacosta their remaining rights in
"Mill Grove." As a preliminary it was necessary to divide the property
which had been held in common by him and Lieutenant Audubon since 1804,
and this division was effected by an agreement drawn up at Philadelphia
on the fifth day of September, 1806.[124] Ten days later the remainder
of "Mill Grove" was conveyed to Francis Dacosta, representing a number
of capitalists whom he had managed to interest in the mine, of whom the
astute Stephen Girard is said to have been one. The sale was subject
to conditions,[125] dependent upon their success in mining lead, which,
as will appear eventually, could not have been fulfilled. These various
transactions are so clearly set forth by Ferdinand Rozier in writing to
his father at Nantes that we shall reproduce his letter in full:[126]
_Ferdinand Rozier to Claude François Rozier_
PHILADELPHIA, _12 Sept., 1806_
Duplicate.
MY VERY DEAR AND VENERABLE FATHER:
Still in hope of cherished news from you, and replies to my
letters of 31 May, 22 June, and 4 July, I have to tell you
that we have since succeeded in closing all our business
relations with Mr. Francis Dacosta, in the following
manner: We are anxious that our method of procedure may
be satisfactory to you; we have followed the advice of Mr.
Miers Fisher, and have had his approval in all that we have
done. What should set you at rest is that as regards your
investment, you will find that I have made quite a neat
profit. Here is a copy of the agreement.
"It is agreed between Mr. Dacosta and Mr. J. Audubon
that the farm of "Mill Grove," which they now hold
in common, shall be divided between them as follows:
"1. Mr. Dacosta shall have the lot of 113 and a
half acres, situated on the N.E. side of Perkioming
creek, with all the buildings, mines, et cet., and
in general all that it contains.
"2. Mr. Audubon shall have the lot of 171 acres,
situated on the other side of the creek.
"3. Mr. Dacosta shall pay to Mr. Audubon for the
difference [in value] of the lot of 113½ acres, and
of that which it contains:
"1. The sum of eight hundred dollars,
payable with interest, in three years from
this day;
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