i 2 Z WY a UD QTD . ¥ U DELINEATIONS of AMERICAN SCENERY and CHARACTER : : ; & 9 7 = es a = “ae ra oN Les ‘ aie we ' a> 2 & = JoHN JAMES AUDUBON Painted from Life in 1833 by Henry Inman DELINEATIONS of AMERICAN SCENERY and CHARACTER BY JOHN JAMES AUDUBON WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY FRANCIS HOBART HERRICK, Pu.D., Sc.D. Professor of Biology in Western Reserve University Author of ‘‘Audubon, the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time,”’ G. A. BAKER & COMPANY NEW YORK 1926 | PRINTED AND BOUND BY THE VAIL- BINGHAMTON AND NEW YORK, CONTENTS TCC Se yee pay aipab. pn oped AuvuTHOR’s PREFACE... Gk Sere Means ie MEAL co -Avutuor’s Prerace, Part ia 7 Tur Ouro Tue GREAT PINE ae Tue PRarriz THE REGULATORS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RT TORS OF THE PAT eaeerene 93 A FLoop MeEapvILLEe THe Covucar : aay ME REMOQUAKE: 200. 6 ye tee te et Tur Hurricane Ue SPIER anes Sa ene gS KENTUCKY SPORTS ... a Paneer Tuer TRAVELLER AND THE Hore Gar Bahan ales ace an oes fe 2 NIAGARA ... ae, Ge eee ee prt HosPITALiry IN THE Rone tt a Mires wr eee ee Tue OrIcGINAL PAINTER MIME mre hy Teese wince a thi Perpesvinue IN KENTUCKY .— «ie: to; tet ‘te te eee tCOCRNTRIG NATURALIST ., (0: ts 1 im te Mens ASEAR 2 int ye tes tet od ePIC i yay yes ten teh sped te a ONT 2 ee ire Lost ONE. .. REP gar es Aner cree Hs Tuer Force oF THE iis Re er il een MS a ane Tuer SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI . ... .. Tue SQuaTTrrs oF LABRADOR . ..; (6: i te Mer IRATE: 6. epee genes fog abe. te PeisAti, IN NEWFOUNDLAND ,.; 6) fei ote te BerivE-OMAKERS . 4c, ie) det tet te Pol oes) te PEA GEN fa xh ey ar et ta dad et vi CONTENTS St. JoHN’s River, in FuLorIpa . Tue Fiorwa Keys . Tue Fuoriwa Keys . Tue TurRTLERS . Tur BurNING OF THE iiiaaas A Moost Hunt . JOURNEY IN NEw Beoweqier AND Manne Tuer Bay or Funpy Cop-Fisuinc in LABRADOR . Tur MerrcuHant or SAVANNAH Kentucky BARBECUE ON THE FouRTH OF Bh CLY.: THe AMERICAN Sun PERCH Tue Eccrers or LABRADOR . FisHiInG IN THE OHIO Tur WRECKERS OF FLORIDA : Tue Wuite PERcH AND ITS Ravounnee Bars A Racoon Hunt iw Kentucky A Wiip Horse . REMINISCENCES OF ene Rewer PirTinc oF THE WOLVES A Toucu WALK For A YOUTH . Breaxine Up or THe Ice . A Maptue-Sucar Camp . Tur Opossum A Lone CaLM aT a Stitt BEcALMED NatcHez In 1820 Tue Lost Portro.rio LABRADOR Great Ecce Henan PAGE . 174 . 181 . 188 19% . 203 . 210 ee Oi . 224 . 230 . 237 . 241 . 246 . 253 . 259 . 267 . 275 Nay = . 287 . 293 BS, . 304 . 310 . 314 . 318 . 323 . 328 . B32 . 336 . 341 . 346 BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WORKS OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON _ Tuer Birps or America, from Original Drawings. With 435 plates showing 1,065 life-sized figures. 4 Volumes, double elephant folio. London, 1827-1838. ORNITHOLOGICAL BiocrRAPHY; or, An Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America; accom- panied by descriptions of the Objects represented in “The Birds of America,” etc. 5 Vols., Royal 8vo. Edinburgh, 1831-1839. Text to the plates noted above. ERRATA Page xi, third line from bettom: read 1839 instead of 1893. Audubon’s spelling of personal names such as ‘‘Boon” has been followed throughout. \ weeee << Sy parts. Imperial folio. New York, 1845-1846. Tuer Viviearovus QuapRUPEDs oF NortH America. ‘Text to the plates noted above. 3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1846-1854. Tur Quaprureps or Nortu America. With 155 plates. 3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1849-1854. Tur Bros or America. Second Edition of the Octavo form. Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1856. Vil vi CONTENTS St. JoHN’s River, in FLORIDA . THe Fiorina Keys . Tue Fuorina Keys . THe TurRTLERS . Tur BurRNING OF THE ieee A Moosrt Hunr . ; JOURNEY IN NEW Reo AND Mant Tue Bay or Funpy Cop-Fisuinc in LABRADOR . Tur MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH Kentucky BARBECUE ON THE Roun OF J Th Gyan Tue AMERICAN Sun PERCH Tue Eccers or LABRADOR . FisHING IN THE OHIO THe WRECKERS OF FLORIDA Tue Wuitrt PEercu anp ITs Havanese Roe A Racoon Hunt 1n Kentucky Yee 0, nny fa pe PvEn ee Mabon £4UUoO ZEA DUU IV PAGE . 174 ae ra . 188 . 194 . 203 . 210 . 217 . 224 . 230 eet , Ba) . 246 . 253 . 259 . 267 . 275 . 281 aor . HO BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WORKS OF JOHN JAMES AUDUBON _ Tur Birps or America, from Original Drawings. With 435 plates showing 1,065 life-sized figures. 4 Volumes, double elephant folio. London, 1827-1838. ORNITHOLOGICAL BiocrAPHY; or, An Account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America; accom- panied by descriptions of the Objects represented in “The Birds of America,” etc. 5 Vols., Royal 8vo. Edinburgh, 1831-1839. Text to the plates noted above. A Synopsis oF THE Birps or America. 8vo. Edinburgh & London, 1839. Tue Birps or America, from Drawings made in the United States and its Territories. With 500 plates. Issued in 100 parts, Royal 8vo. New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Tue Birps or America, from Drawings made in the United States and its Territories. With 500 plates. ‘7 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Tue Vivirparous QuapRuPEDs oF Nortu America (with John Bachman). With 150 plates. Issued in 30 parts. Imperial folio. New York, 1845-1846. Tuer Viviearous QuapRuUPEDS oF Nortu America. Text to the plates noted above. 3% Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1846-1854. Tuer Quaprupeps or Nortu America. With 155 plates. 3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1849-1854. Tue Birps or America. Second Edition of the Octavo form. "7 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1856. Vil Vill BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY Tue Birps or America. With 106 plates. Partial re- issue of the large folio edition, never completed. New York, 1860. Tue Birps or America, etc. 7 Vols., Royal 8vo.. Text issued to the above. New York, 1861. Tue Birps or America, etc. Third Edition of the Octavo form. ‘7 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 1861. Tur Birps or America, etc. Re-issue of the above. 7 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 1863. | Tuer Birps or America, etc. MRe-issue of the Third Edi- tion, arranged into 8 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 1865. | Tue Birps or America, etc. Re-issue of the above. 8 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, [1870. ] For the fullest Bibliography of the Writings of Audubon, see “Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time,” by Francis H. Herrick. 2 Vols., New York, 1917. In Vol. II, pages 401-456. INTRODUCTION Beyond a doubt John James Audubon was one of the most versatile and striking characters that has ever appeared in our history. In ardor and enthusiasm for the study of nature perhaps no one has ever surpassed him, and no one can measure the influence which his talents and devotion have exerted upon his favorite pursuits. Until recent years Audubon had been regarded as the Melchizedek of American natural history, nothing having been certainly known up to that time concerning his birth, his parentage and early life. Then the personal letters and family documents of his father, Lieutenant Jean Audu- bon, were suddenly discovered in surprising abundance at Couéron in France, where, in a villa on the right bank of the Loire, they had lain unnoticed for nearly an hundred years. The veil of mystery which had so completely enveloped the life of his illustrious son was suddenly lifted and we were enabled to form a more just estimate of his character and work. “America, my country,” whose life and scenery Audubon never tired of celebrating, has not forgotten him. A lofty peak in the Rocky Mountains, American counties and towns, as well as parks and streets in American cities now bear his ~ name; and the far-famed and beneficent National Associa- tion of Audubon Societies for the-Protection of Wild Birds and Animals in recent years has made his name a household word throughout the land which he loved and whose bird and wild life he has depicted in unfading colors. Notwithstanding Audubon’s great fame and success as an animal painter and descriptive writer, the public has never had access to his work in cheap editions. It should be no- ix x INTRODUCTION ticed that his accounts of the birds were much more detailed than those of his famous contemporary, Alexander Wilson, and that his publications were projected on a large and ex- pensive scale. It is therefore hardly surprising that no re- print of even the smaller edition of his Birds has been made for half a century. Audubon’s greatest monument in the fields of natural his- tory and the graphic arts is the series of four-hundred and thirty-five double elephant folio plates that was published in Edinburgh and London from 1826 to 1838 and called The Birds of America, together with the five volumes of text entitled Ornithological Biography, which accompanied this and were issued at Edinburgh in 1831-39. Audubon had represented on his plates 1,065 life-size figures of 489 sup- posedly distinct species of American birds, besides hundreds of examples of American plants, insects and other animals. To relieve the tedium of descriptive ornithology Audubon introduced articles of a general nature into his Biographies, and called them “Episodes,” or ‘“‘Delineations of American Scenery and Character,” one such following every five arti- cles which described the species of birds depicted in a cor- responding “part” of his plates. These essays, which extended through the first three volumes of the Ornitholog- ical Biography to sixty in number, are here collected, with the omission only of the last, “Remarks on the Form of the Toes of Birds,” for the first time in a single volume. These off-hand sketches mainly relate to events between 1808 and 1834, and as sidelights on pioneer life in America, particularly of the Ohio and Mississippi Vallies, they have a perennial interest. ‘The reader will find numerous tales of adventure in the wilderness and on the frontier, particularly in Kentucky, which for local coloring, vivid presentment and personal charm have seldom been equalled. Audubon was a keen observer of men and things as well as of birds and ani- mal life, and when writing down his experiences on the spot, as was his invariable custom after 1820, he was as truthful INTRODUCTION x1 with his pen as with his pencil and brush. There is a wild and placid beauty in this description of the Ohio, his favor- ite river,—La Belle Riviere as the compatriots of his an- cestors had called it at an earlier day:—“As night came, sinking in darkness the broader portions of the river, our minds became affected by strong emotions, and wandered far beyond the present moments. The tinkling of bells told us that the cattle which bore them were gently roving from valley to valley in search of food, or returning to their dis- tant homes. The hooting of the Great Owl, or the muffled noise of its wings as it sailed smoothly over the stream, were matters of interest to us; so was the sound of the boatman’s horn, as it came winding more and more softly from afar. When daylight returned, many songsters burst forth with echoing notes, more and more mellow to the listening ear. Here and there the lonely cabin of a squatter struck the eye, giving note of commencing civilization. ‘The crossing of the stream by a deer foretold how soon the hills would be covered with snow.” With wonderful vividness also can we see the interior of the log-cabin in Kentucky, where he and his young son sought refuge on a stormy night in the forest, and to which the hospitable young woodsman had just brought his bride; the coon-hunter loading his rifle, or the belles with their beaux at “A Ballin Newfoundland.” When returning from St. Geneviéve in what is now Missouri, in the spring of 1811, with his knapsack, gun and dog as his only baggage and companions, and when following the old Indian trails, he met with an adventure which he thought had nearly cost him his life; and that, he said, was the only instance, during up- wards of twenty-five years in which his wanderings extended to every part of the country, that he felt his life to have been in danger from his fellow man. ‘Will you believe,” he said when writing in 1893, “that not many miles from the place where this adventure happened, and where fifteen years ago no habitation belonging to civilized man was to be Xil INTRODUCTION expected, and very few ever seen, large roads are now laid out, cultivation has converted the woods into fertile fields, taverns have been erected, and much of what we Americans call comfort is to be met with. So fast does improvement proceed in our abundant and free country.” Audubon foresaw with great concern the alteration which cultivation would produce along the delightful banks of his favorite stream, as he beheld “the surplus population of Europe coming to assist in the destruction of the forest” then “fast disappearing under the axe by day and the fire by night”; and he longed to have his incomparable country adequately protrayed by competent hands ere it was too late and when, as he would say, it was fresh from the Cre- ator’s own hand. He, at least, would do all in his power to portray the birds of his adopted land in their characteristic attitudes and environments, whether moving or at rest, amid appropriate foliage, flowers and fruits,—all holding up the mirror to nature in the accuracy of truth and in beauty as well. These “‘Delineations” were to be added also to give his work a more intimate and human touch as well as to beguile the reader. Such an ambition was enough to call out all of the man’s ardent enthusiasm, resourcefulness and iren tenac- ity of purpose; but the canvass was too large, and Audubon was obliged to give up his intercalated sketches in order to make way for the new materials relating more directly to ornithology, which were constantly growing under his hand. When Audubon, through dint of many failures and hard knocks, had come to the full realization of his mission, and when, at the age of thirty-five, his serious travels over the New and later over the Old World began, he turned every experience to good account. Wherever he slept, whether in the forest or in the settlements, there for the time he was at home and there his ‘‘observatory nerves” and pencil were at work. At commercial book-keeping he had proved a total failure, but in the care with which he posted his “‘books of nature” he had few equals. Every night, in spite of bodily INTRODUCTION Xiil fatigue or the many plausible excuses which are ever ready at hand, he would write out in pen and ink a full and careful record of his experiences of the day. Audubon was always the observer and the doer, and perhaps at times the actor as well, rather than the thinker, but he kept an honest record of himself, and the power of expression which he thus at- tained stood him in good stead when at the age of forty-six he came to produce his Bird-Biographies in Europe. One hundred years from the day and date on which this is written John James Audubon was at sea, aboard the schooner Delos, captain Joseph Hatch, of Kennebunk, Maine, which had sailed from New Orleans on the seventh of May and was bound for Liverpool with a cargo of cotton. Though he had then attained his forty-first year he was known to but few of his countrymen, yet his handsome face and French accent, aside from his flowing hair and nether garments of liberal dimensions, would have marked him any- where as an unusual character. He had fortified himself with valuable letters, but his most important credentials were the fruits of a life’s campaign,—his original paintings of American birds, contained in sundry large portfolios that constituted his principal baggage. Having been denied the encouragement and recognition which he craved in the land of his adoption mainly through the jealousy of a few in- dividuals at Philadelphia, who could not brook a rival to the fame of Alexander Wilson, Audubon had now resolutely turned his face to the Old World, and in London or Paris he hoped to find an engraver of his drawings as well as patrons through whose aid he could bring his labors to the light of day. The story of this unknown foreigner’s struggles and eventual success in the Europe of that period, which in an economic sense still belonged essentially to the eighteenth century, is one of the strangest romances in the history of science and literature of the past hundred years. In less than a week after his landing in Liverpool, unheralded and XIV INTRODUCTION not over supplied with funds, he was invited to exhibit his pictures at the Royal Institution and was immediately pro- claimed as a great American genius. It was not long before this artist-naturalist from the woods of the New World be- came the social lion of the day. At Edinburgh he attracted the ablest scientific and literary characters of the British Athens and he was liberally patronized by the aristocracy. There Lizars engraved the first of his mammoth plates,— the American Turkey Cock,—and showed him a proof of it on the twenty-eighth of November, 1826. Good copies of this, the most sought after, and possibly the rarest, of all Audubon’s plates, together with number eleven, the “Great American Hen and Young,” which was engraved by Lizars also, have brought upwards of five hundred dollars in Amer- ica in recent years. Audubon was compelled to transfer his publication to London, where under the Havells, father and son, it took a fresh start in the spring of 1827, and where under the skilful hands of Robert Havell, Junior, it was brought to a successful completion eleven years later. After Audubon had weathered the critical summer of 1827 his prospects brightened and honors came to him in rapid succession. In 1828 he was elected a member of the Lin- naean Society, and a fellow of the Royal Society in 1830. In the latter year he brought his wife to England, and in 1832 his elder son, Victor, took charge of his publication in London. Audubon’s return with his wife, who was Eng- lish born and bred, marked one of the happiest periods of his life. For ten years she had worked for the support and upbringing of their children in order that her husband’s hands might be free to follow his true vocation; never for a moment had she doubted his genius, and was not her judg- ment now vindicated before all the world? It is safe to say that without the sterling qualities of Lucy Audubon her husband’s name would not have reached far beyond the scenes of his trading ventures of the South and West. Audubon learned much from his early experience in writ- INTRODUCTION XV ing for publication in 1827, when he was bitterly assailed, as many thought, by those who had poured cold water on his plans at Philadelphia in 1824; but this and other attacks which followed probably helped him in the end. At all events, in his powers of expression, Audubon was not at this time the illiterate novice that certain antagonists had in- timated, as his journalizing will amply testify. John Wilson, or “Christopher North,” who recognized Audubon’s great talents from the first, and gave him much needed literary advice, devoted fifty pages of Blackwood’s Maga- zine to eulogistic reviews of the first volume of the Ornith- ological Biography. ‘Audubon,’ he said, “who had written but little even in his native tongue, under a powerful motive took to writing English; and he was not long in learning to write it well, not only with fluency, but eloquence. . . . Not a particle of jealousy is in his composition; a sin, that, alas! seems too easily to beset too many of the most gifted spirits in literature and science.” Wilson was essentially right in his estimate of Audubon with whom, as with every one else, more than genius was needed for good writing; his checkered career had been rich in experience; he had gone to nature, the fountain-head, for his materials, and once his mission was clearly seen the spur to fulfil it was never lacking; but having been denied an education in either the sciences or the classics, he stood in need of aid as well as advice. Both he later received in full measure from William Macgillivray, who in addition to cor- recting his letterpress supplied the anatomical details of the Ornithological Biography; and the aid thus received was acknowledged in a way satisfactory to both. In the course of an interrupted residence of thirteen years in the British Isles Audubon made three extended journeys through the United States, which occupied nearly five years (1829-30, 1831-34 and 1836-37) in search of new birds and subscribers. In 1833 he chartered his own vessel and sailed for Labrador with five assistants, while the spring of Xvl INTRODUCTION 1837 found him aboard a Government vessel bound from New Orleans for Galveston in the newly established Republic of Texas. In the earlier and more critical years of his undertaking Audubon constantly resorted to his palette and brush and painted his way to liberty, or to what was then its equivalent, freedom from debt. ‘There are moments,” he said in 1835, “and they are not far between, when, thinking of my present enormous undertaking, I wonder how I have been able to support the extraordinary amount of monies paid for the work alone, without taking cognizance of my family and my expeditions, which ever and anon travelling as we are from place to place and country to country are also very great.” Yet Audubon supported himself and his family during their long residence aboard, met all the obligations incurred in the publication of a work which cost upwards of one hundred thousand dollars to produce, a sum that meant a large for- tune in the first third of the last century, and with fame and a modest competence returned to the land of his choice in 1839. Audubon’s great work was now accomplished and he an- ticipated a well earned leisure at home; but his restless en- ergy still drove him on and he entered at once upon two formidable tasks, the bringing out of his “‘smali’”’ or octavo revised edition of The Birds, and the beginning of the de- lineation of The Quadrupeds, in which he was aided by his two sons, and the accompanying text of which was written by his friend Bachman. In 1842 he settled upon his estate in what is now the portion of New York City called Audu- bon Park, which he deeded to his wife and named for her ‘““Minnie’s land”; the name, said his granddaughter, coming from the fact that her father and uncle always used the Scotch name “Minnie” for mother. This was in Carmans- ville, later known as Washington Heights, where he pur- chased between thirty and forty acres of land which extended a thousand feet along the Hudson River from the present INTRODUCTION XVll One hundred and Fifty-fifth to One hundred and Fifty- eighth Streets, and reached to the easterly limits of the village at the old Bloomingdale Road, near the present Am- sterdam Avenue. Though feeling the weight of his laborious years and discouraged by his family, who felt for his safety, in March, 1843, Audubon set out with four friends and assistants for one of his greatest journeys, to the region of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, then little known; and al- though unable to attain his long contemplated goal, the Rocky Mountains, he returned in the autumn with many new birds and mammals. To judge from his portraits, Audubon aged greatly between 1848 and 1850, when at the age of sixty-five he had the appearance of a broken and feeble man; and he died at ““Minnie’s Land” on January 27, 1861, before the completion of his sixty-sixth year. His grave, now in Trinity Cemetery, New York, is marked by a beautiful Runic cross in white marble which was erected by popular subscription and dedicated in 1893. To revert to the mystery that was so successfully spread over the early life of John James Audubon that probably not a single member of his family in America ever learned the facts: Audubon at one time declared that he belonged to every country, at another that the precise period of his birth was a complete enigma to him, and, stranger yet, he was not adverse to being considered much older than he really was. The first definite date which he gave of his own history was that of his marriage to Lucy Bakewell on June 12, 1808. His granddaughter, Maria R. Audubon, ac- cepted the late tradition, without a shred of historical evi- dence in support of it, that he was a Louisianian by birth and first saw light on a certain plantation on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain about 1780. Fables, like traditions are commonly of slow growth, but when they have become entrenched in the popular mind by a process of gradual absorption their tenacity of life is remarkable. No doubt XVill INTRODUCTION the false halo of mystery and tradition which has gathered about the life of this remarkable man will be cherished and repeated by the uninformed for many years to come. Fougére,—in English, Fern,—Jean Rabin, or Jean Jacques Fougére, to give his baptismal name, was born at Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, in what is now Haiti, on April 26, 1785, the natural son of Lieutenant Jean Audubon and a French creole woman, named Rabin. The most important records concerning Audubon’s early life have now been recovered and include the curious bill of the physician who attended Audubon’s mother at the time of his birth, the record of his adoption at Nantes in 1794,— the second year of the Republic, when his father as ensign commanded a sloop of war,—the certificate of his baptism at Nantes in his sixteenth year, and the six wills executed at Couéron by Jean Audubon and his wife, Anne Moynet, be- tween May 20, 1812 and July 16, 1821. ‘These and numer- ous other pertinent documents, which are reproduced in the Life* of the naturalist published in 1917, contain in the fullest manner the statements repeated here. How much Jean Audubon’s son owed to his French creole mother will probably never be known, but to his capable, self-taught and enterprising father we can surely trace his restless energy, his versatile mind and mercurial temper, as well as that inherent capacity for taking pains which father and son possessed in a marked degree. Audubon’s life offers a striking example of the power which circumstance and environment can exert in awaken- ing dormant capacity and in calling into action every talent which heredity has supplied. Long thought to be indolent by some of his neighbors because he did not stick behind the counter or follow their pursuits, and also “suthin’ peculiar- some,” as Dennis Hanks said of young Abe Lincoln, Audu- bon at the age of forty suddenly emerges from obscurity and 1 Herrick, Francis H.: Audubon the Naturalist: A History of his Life and Time. Two volumes. New York, 1917. INTRODUCTION x1x is soon recognized as one of the great workers of the world. Who can say whether his success in the end was not due as much to a winning personality and enthusiasm as to his remarkable talents? Francis H. Herrick. Western Reserve University, June 80, 1926. “ AUTHOR’S PREFACE WueEn, for the first time, I left my father, and all the dear friends of my youth, to cross the great ocean that separates my native shores from those of the eastern world, my heart sunk within me. While the breezes wafted along the great ship that from La Belle France conveyed me towards the land of my birth, the lingering hours were spent in deep sorrow or melancholy musing. Even the mighty mass of waters that heaved around me excited little interest: my affections were with those I had left behind, and the world seemed to me a great wilderness. At length I reached the country in which my eyes first opened to the light; I gazed with rapture upon its noble forests, and no sooner had I landed, than I set myself to mark every object that pre- sented itself, and became imbued with an anxious desire to discover the purpose and import of that nature which lay spread around me in luxuriant profusion. But ever and anon the remembrance of the kind parent, from whom I had been parted by uncontrollable circumstances, filled my mind, and as I continued my researches, and penetrated deeper into the forest, I daily became more anxious to re- turn to him, and to lay at his feet the simple results of my multiplied exertions. Reader, since I left you, I have felt towards you as to- wards that parent. When I parted from him he evinced his sorrow; when I returned he met me with an affectionate smile. If my recollection of your kind indulgence has not deceived me, I carried with me to the western world your wish that I should return to you; and the desire of gratify- ing that wish, ever present with me as I wandered amidst the deep forests, or scaled the rugged rocks, in regions , xxi XXil PREFACE which I visited expressly for the purpose of studying nature and pleasing you, has again brought me into your presence: I have returned to present you with all that seems most interesting in my collections. Should you accept the offer- ing, and again smile benignantly upon me, I shall be content and happy. Soon after the engraving of my work commenced, I bade adieu to my valued friends in Edinburgh, whose many kind- nesses were deeply impressed on my heart. The fair city gradually faded from my sight, and, as I crossed the dreary heaths of the Lammermoor, the mental prospect became clouded; but my spirits revived as I entered the grounds of Mr. Selby, of Twizel House, for in him I knew I pos- sessed a friend. The few days spent under his most hos- pitable roof, and the many pleasures I enjoyed there, I shall ever remember with gratitude. I was then on my way to London, which I had never yet visited. 'The number of letters given me to facilitate my entry into the metropolis of England, and to aid me in pro- curing subscribers to my work, accumulated during my progress. At Newcastle-upon-Tyne I made my next halt. There the venerable Bewick, the Adamsons, the Turners, the Donkins, the Buddles, the Charnleys and others, re- ceived me with great kindness, and helped to increase my list of subscribers. The noble family of the Ravensworths I also added to my friends, and from them I have since re- ceived important benefits, particularly from the Honourable Thomas Liddell, whose partiality for my pursuits induced him to evince a warm interest in my favour, which I shall ever acknowledge with feelings of affection and esteem. It was there, reader, that, as my predecessor Wilson had done in America, I for the first time in England exhibited some engravings of my work, together with the contents of my portfolios. I cannot say that the employment was a pleasant one to me, nor do I believe it was so to him; but by means of it he at the time acquired that fame, of PREFACE Xxlll which I also was desirous of obtaining a portion; and, know- ing that should I be successful, it would greatly increase the happiness of my wife and children, I waged war against my feelings, and welcomed all, who, from love of science, from taste, or from generosity, manifested an interest in the “‘American Woodsman.” See him, reader, in a room crowded by visitors, holding at arm’s length each of his large drawings, listening to the varied observations of the lookers-on, and feel, as he now and then did, the pleasure which he experienced when some one placed his sign manual on the list. This occupation was continued all the way until I reached the skirts of Lon- don ; but the next place to which I went was the city of York, where I formed acquaintance with a congenial spirit, Mr. Phillips, who is now well known to you as an eminent Pro- fessor of Geology. There also I admired the magnificent Minster, within whose sacred walls I in silence offered up my humble prayer to heaven. At Leeds, the Gotts, the Bankses, the Walkers, the Marshalls, the Davys, were all extremely kind to me, and I found a fine museum belonging to the most interesting and amiable family of the Calverts, in whose society my evenings were chiefly spent. On my second visit to Manchester I obtained upwards of twenty subscribers in one week, and became acquainted with persons whose friendship has never failed. Of them I may particularly mention the Dyers, the Kennedys, the Darbi- shires, and the Sowlers. Having once more reached the hospitable home of the Rathbones, at Liverpool, I felt my heart expand within me, and I poured forth my thanks to my Maker for the many favours which I had in so short a period received. I read to my friends the names of more than seventy subscribers to my “Birds of America.” My journey was continued through Chester, Birmingham, and Oxford, and I passed in view of the regal and magnifi- XXIV PREFACE cent Castle of Windsor. The impression made on my mind the day I reached the very heart of London I am unable to describe. Suffice it, kind reader, to tell you that many were the alternations of hope and fear as I traversed the vast metropolis. I cannot give you an adequate idea of my horror or of my admiration, when on the one side I saw pallid poverty groping in filth and rags, and turning away almost in despair, beheld the huge masses of the noblest monument ever raised to St. Paul, which reminded me of the power and grandeur of man;—and along with the thronging crowds I moved, like them intent on making my way through the world. Eighty-two letters of introduction were contained in my budget. Besides these I was the bearer of general letters from Henry Clay, Speaker of the House of Congress, Gen- eral Andrew Jackson, and other individuals in America, to all our diplomatists and consuls in Europe and elsewhere. Thus, reader, you will perceive that I had some foundation for the hope that I should acquire friends in the great city. In May, 1827, I reached that emporium of the produc- tions of all climes and nations. After gazing a day on all that I saw of wonderful and interesting, I devoted the rest of my time to visiting. Guided by a map, I proceeded along the crowded streets, and endeavoured to find my way through the vast labyrinth. From one great man’s door to another I went; but judge of my surprise, reader, when, after wandering the greater part of three successive days, early and late, and at all hours, I had not found a single individual at home! | Wearied and disappointed, I thought my only chance of getting my letters delivered was to consign them to the post, and accordingly I handed them all over to its care, ex- cepting one, which was addressed to “J. G. Children, Esq., British Museum.” Thither I now betook myself, and was delighted to meet with that kind and generous person, whose friendship I have enjoyed ever since. He it was who PREFACE | XXV pointed out to me the great error I had committed in hav- ing put my letters into the post-office, and the evil arising from this step is perhaps still hanging over me, for it has probably deprived me of the acquaintance of half of the persons to whom they were addressed. In the course of a week, about half a dozen of the gentlemen who had read my letters, left their cards at my rooms. By degrees I became acquainted with a few of them, and my good friend of the Museum introduced me to others. I renewed my acquaintance with the benevolent Lord Stanley, and be- came known to other noblemen, liberal like himself. Soon after I was elected a Member of the Linnean and Zoological Societies. About this time, the Prince of Musignano, so well known for his successful cultivation of Natural History, arrived in London. He found me out through the medium of the learned geologist, Featherstonhaugh, and one evening I had the pleasure of receiving a visit from him, accompanied by that gentleman, Mr. Vigors, and some other persons. I felt happy in having once more by my side my first ornithological adviser, and that amiable and highly talented friend, with the accomplished geologist, remained with me until a late hour. Their departure affected me with grief, and since that period I have not seen the Prince. For several months I occupied myself with painting in oil, and attending to the progress of my plates. I now became ac- quainted with that eminent and amiable painter, Sir Thomas Lawrence, through a kindred spirit, Thomas Sully, of Phila- delphia; from both of whom, at different periods, I have re- ceived advice with reference to their enchanting art. One morning I had the good fortune to receive a visit from Mr. Swainson, whose skill as a naturalist every one knows, and who has ever since been my substantial friend. M. Tem- minck also called, as did other scientific individuals, among whom was my ever-valued friend Robert Bakewell, whose investigations have tended so much to advance the progress XXV1 PREFACE of geology; and as my acquaintance increased I gradually acquired happiness. Having visited those renowned seats of learning, Cambridge and Oxford, I became acquainted at the former with the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Davie, Professors Sedgwick, Whewell, and Henslow, the Right Honourable Wentworth Fitzwilliam, John Lodge, Esq., Dr. Thackery, and many other gentlemen of great learning and talent; at the latter, with Dr. Buckland, Dr. Kidd, and others. These Universities afforded me several subscribers. In the summer of 1828, my friend Swainson and I went to Paris, where I became acquainted with the great Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire, his son Isidore, M. Dorbigny, and M. Lesson, as well as that master of flower-painters, M. Redouté, and other persons eminent in science and the arts. Our time in Paris was usefully and agreeably spent. We were gratified at the liberality with which every object that we desired to examine in the great Museum of France was submitted to our inspection. Many of our evenings were spent under the hospitable roof of Baron Cuvier, where the learned of all countries usually assembled. ‘Through the influence of my noble-spirited friend, M. Redouté, I was introduced to the Duke of Orleans, now King of the French, and to several Ministers of State. The hour spent with Louis Phillippe and his Son, was, by their dignified urbanity, rendered one of the most agreeable that has fallen to my lot; and in consequence of that interview I procured many patrons and friends. Returning to England, I spent the winter there, and in April, 1829, sailed for America. With what pleasure did I gaze on each setting sun, as it sunk in the far distant west! With what delight did I mark the first wandering American bird that hovered over the waters! and how joyous were my feelings when I saw a pilot on our deck! I leaped on the shore, scoured the woods of the Middle States, and — reached Louisiana in the end of November. Accompanied by my wife, I left New Orleans on the 8th of January, 1830, PREFACE XXVIl and sailing from New York on the Ist of April, we had the pleasure, after a voyage of twenty-five days, of landing in safety at Liverpool, and finding our friends and relations well. When I arrived in London, my worthy friend, J. G. Children, Esq., presented me with a Diploma from the Royal Society. Such an honour conferred on an American Woodsman could not but be highly gratifying to him. I took my seat in the hall, and had the pleasure of pressing the hand of the learned President with a warm feeling of esteem. I believe I am indebted for this mark of favour more particularly to Lord Stanley and Mr. Children. And now, kind reader, having traced my steps to the period when I presented you with my first volume of Illus- trations and that of my Ornithological Biographies, allow me to continue my narrative. Previous to my departure from England, on a second visit to the United States, I had the honour and gratification of being presented to his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, who graciously favored me with a general letter of recommendation to the authorities in the British colonies. With others of a similar nature I was also honoured by the Noble Lords Stanley, Palmerston, Howick, and Goderich. We sailed on the Ist of August, 1831, and landed at New York, where I spent a few days only, and proceeded to Philadelphia. ‘There I found my old and firm friends Harlan, Wetherell, Pickering, Sully, Norris, Walsh, and others, a few subscribers, and some diplomas. I had now two assistants, one from London, Mr. Ward, the other a highly talented Swiss, Mr. George Lehman. At Washing- ton I received from the heads of our Government letters of assistance and protection along the frontiers, which it was my intention to visit. For these acts of kindness and en- couragement, without which my researches would have been more arduous and less efficient, I am much indebted, and gratefully offer my acknowledgments, to Major-General M‘Comb, General Jessup, General Gratiot, the Honourable XXVill PREFACE Messrs. M‘Lean, Livingston, and Woodbury, to Colonel John Abert, and others, whose frank and prompt attentions will never be forgotten by me. I need not say that towards our President and the enlightened members of the civil, military, and naval departments, I felt the deepest gratitude for the facilities which they thus afforded me. All received me in the kindest manner, and accorded to me whatever I desired of their hands. How often did I think of the error committed by Wilson, when, instead of going to Washing- ton, and presenting himself to President Jefferson, he for- warded his application through an uncertain medium. He, like myself, would doubtless have been received with favour, and obtained his desire. How often have I thought of the impression his piercing eye would have made on the discrimi- nating and learned President, to whom in half the time necessary for reading a letter, he might have said six times as much as it contained. But, alas! Wilson, instead of presenting himself, sent a substitute, which, it seems, was not received by the President, and which, therefore, could not have answered the intended end. How pleasing was it to me to find in our Republic, young as she is, the promtitude to encourage science, occasionally met with in other coun- tries. Methinks I am now bidding adieu to the excellent men who so kindly received me, and am still feeling the pressure of their hands indicative of a cordial wish for the success of my undertaking. May He who gave me being and inspired me with a desire to study his wondrous works, grant me the means of proving to my country the devoted- ness with which I strive to render myself not unworthy of her! We now proceeded swiftly down the broad Chesapeake Bay, reached Norfolk, and removing into another steamer bound to the capital of Virgina, soon arrived at Richmond. Having made acquaintance, many years before, in Ken- tucky, with the governor of that State, the Honourable John Floyd, I went directly to him, was received in the PREFACE XX1X kindest manner, and furnished with letters of introduction ; after which we proceeded southward until we arrived at Charleston, in South Carolina. It was there that I formed an acquaintance, now matured into a highly valued friend- ship, with the Rev. John Bachman, a proficient in general science, and particularly in zoology and botany, and one whose name you will often meet with in the course of my biographies. But I cannot refrain from describing to you my first interview with this generous friend, and mentioning a few of the many pleasures I enjoyed under his hospitable roof, and in the company of his most interesting family and connections. It was late in the afternoon when we took our lodgings in Charleston. Being fatigued, and having written the sub- stance of my journey to my family, and delivered a letter to the Rev. Mr. Gilman, I retired to rest. At the first glimpse of day the following morning, my assistants and myself were already several miles from the city, commen- cing our search in the fields and woods, and having pro- cured abundance of subjects, both for the pencil and the scalpel, we returned home, covered with mud, and so ac- coutred as to draw towards us the attention of every person in the streets. As we approached the boarding-house, I observed a gentleman on horseback close to our door. He looked at me, came up, inquired if my name was Audubon, and on being answered in the affirmative, instantly leaped from his saddle, shook me most cordially by the hand— there is much to be expressed and understood by a shake of the hand—and questioned me in so kind a manner, that I for a while felt doubtful how to reply. At his urgent desire, I removed to his house, as did my assistants. Suit- able apartments were assigned to us, and once introduced to the lovely and interesting group that composed his family, I seldom passed a day without enjoying their society. Serv- ants, carriages, horses, and dogs, were all at our command, and friends accompanied us to the woods and plantations, Xxx PREFACE and formed parties for water excursions. Before I left Charleston, I was truly sensible of the noble and generous spirit of the hospitable Carolinians. Having sailed for the Floridas, we, after some delay, occasioned by adverse winds, put into a harbour near St. Simon’s Island, where I was so fortunate as to meet with Thomas Butler King, Esq., who, after replenishing our provision-stores, subscribed to the “Birds of America.” At length we were safely landed at St. Augustine, and com- menced our investigation. Of my sojourn in Florida, dur- ing the winter of 1831-32, you will find some account in this volume. Returning to Charleston, we passed through Savannah, respecting my short stay in which city you will also find some particulars in the sequel. At Charleston we lived with my friend Bachman, and continued our oc- cupations. In the beginning of April, through the influence of letters from the Honourable Lewis M‘Lean, of the Treas- ury Department, and the prompt assistance of Colonel J. Pringle, we went on board the revenue cutter, the “Marion,” commanded by Robert Day, Esq., to whose friendly atten- tion I am greatly indebted for the success which I met with in my pursuits, during his cruize along the dangerous coast of East Florida, and amongst the islets that every where rise from the surface of the ocean, like gigantic water- lies. At Indian Key, the Deputy-Collector, Mr. Thruston, afforded me important aid; and at Key West I enjoyed the hospitality of Major Glassel, his officers and their families, as well as of my friend Dr. Benjamin Strobel, and other inhabitants of that singular island, to all of whom I now sin- cerely offer my best thanks for the pleasure which their so- ciety afforded me, and the acquisitions which their ever ready assistance enabled me to make. Having examined every part of the coast which it was the duty of the commander of the Marion to approach, we re- turned to Charleston with our numerous prizes, and shortly afterwards I bent my course eastward, anxious to keep PREFACE XXXI pace with the birds during their migrations. With the assistance of my friend Bachman, I now procured for my assistant, Mr. Ward, a situation of ease and competence, in the Museum of the Natural History Society of Charles- ton, and Mr. Lehman returned to his home. At Phila- delphia I was joined by my family, and once more together we proceeded towards Boston. ‘That dreadful scourge the cholera was devastating the land, and spreading terror around its course. We left Philadelphia under its chastis- ing hand, and arrived at New York, where it was raging, while a heavy storm that suddenly burst over our heads threw an additional gloom over the devoted city, already bereft of a great part of her industrious inhabitants. After spending a day with our good friends and relatives, we con- tinued our journey, and arrived at Boston. Boston! Ah! reader, my heart fails me when I think of the estimable friends whose society afforded me so much pleasure in that beautiful city, the Athens of our Western World. Never, I fear, shall I have it in my power to re- turn a tithe of the hospitality which was there shewn to- wards us, or of the benevolence and generosity which we experienced, and which evidently came from the heart, without the slightest mixture of ostentation. Indeed, I must acknowledge that although I have been happy in forming many valuable friendships in various parts of the world, all dearly cherished by me, the outpouring of kind- ness which I experienced at Boston far exceeded all that I have ever met with. Who that has visited that fair city, has not admired her site, her university, her churches, her harbours, the pure morals of her people, the beautiful country around her, gladdened by glimpses of villas, each vying with another in neatness and elegance? Who that has made his pilgrim- age to her far-famed Bunker’s Hill, entered her not less celebrated Faneuil-Hall, studied the history of her infancy, her progress, her indignant patriotism, her bloody strife, XXXll PREFACE and her peaceful prosperity—that has moreover experi- enced, as I have done, the beneficence of her warm-hearted and amiable sons—has not felt his bosom glow with admira- tion and love? ‘Think of her Adamses, her Perkins, her Kveretts, her Peabodys, Cushings, Sturgis, Appleton, Quincys, Storys, Bowditch, Shattuck, Jacksons, Paines, Greens, Tudors, Davises and Pickerings, whose public and private life presents all that we deem estimable, and let them be bright examples of what the citizens of a free land ought to be. But besides these honourable individuals whom I have taken the liberty of mentioning, many others I could speak of with delight; and one I would point out in particular, as him to whom my deepest gratitude is due, one whom I cannot omit mentioning, because of all the good and the estimable, he it is whose remembrance is most dear to me:—that general friend is About the middle of August we left our Boston friends, on our way eastward; and, after rambling here and there, came in sight of Moose Island, on which stands the last fron- tier town, boldly facing one of the entrances of the Bay of Fundy. ‘The climate was cold, but the hearts of the inhabi- tants of Eastport were warm. One day sufficed to render me acquainted with all whom I was desirous of knowing. Captain Childs, the commander of the garrison, was most obliging to me, while his wife shewed the greatest kindness to mine; and the brave officers received my sons with broth- erly feelings. Think, reader, of the true pleasure we en- joyed when travelling together, and everywhere greeted with so cordial a welcome, while every facility was afforded me in the prosecution of my researches. We made excur- sions into the country around, ransacked the woods and the shores, and on one occasion had the pleasure of meeting with a general officer in his Britannic Majesty’s service, who, on my presenting to him the official documents with which I had been honoured by the Home Department, evinced the greatest desire to be of service to me. We removed for PREFACE XXXlil some weeks to Dennisville, a neat little village, where the acquaintance of Judge Lincoln’s family rendered our stay exceedingy agreeable. We had, besides, the gratification of being joined by two gentlemen from Boston, one of whom has ever since remained a true friend to me. Time passed away, and having resolved to explore the British provinces of New Brunswick, we proceeded to St. John’s, where we met with much politeness, and ascending the river of that name, a most beautiful stream, reached Frederickton, where we spent a week. Here Sir Archibald Campbell, Bart. re- ceived us with all the urbanity and kindness of his amiable nature. We then ascended the River to some miles below the “Great Falls,” parallel to Mar’s Hill, and again entered the United States’ territory near Woodstock. From this spot we proceeded to Bangor, on the Penobscot river, as you will find detailed in one of my short narratives entitled, “A Journey in New Brunswick and Maine.” Soon after our arrival in Boston, my son Victor Gifford set sail for England, to superintend the publication of my “Birds of America,” and we resumed our pursuits, making frequent excursions into the surrounding country. Here I was a witness to the melancholy death of the lamented Spurzheim, and was myself suddenly attacked by a severe illness, which greatly alarmed my family; but, thanks to Providence, and my medical friends Parkman, Warren, and Shattuck, I was soon enabled to proceed with my labours. A sedentary life and too close application being the cause assigned for my indisposition, I resolved to set out again in quest of fresh materials for my pencil and pen. My wishes directing me to Labrador, I returned eastward with my youngest son, and had the pleasure of being joined by four young gentlemen, all fond of Natural History, and willing to encounter the difficulties and privations of the voyage,—George C. Shattuck, Jr., Thomas Lincoln, William Ingalls, and Joseph Cooledge. At Eastport, in Maine, I chartered a beautiful and fast- XXXIV PREFACE sailing schooner, the “Ripley,’? under the command of Mr. Henry W. Emmery, and, through the medium of my gov- ernment letters, was enabled to visit, in the United States’ Revenue Cutters, portions of the Bay of Fundy, and several of the thinly inhabited islands at its entrance. At length the day of our departure for Labrador arrived. ‘The wharf was crowded with all our friends and acquaintance, and as the “star-spangled banner” swiftly glided to the mast-head of our buoyant bark, we were surprised and gratified by a salute from the fort that towers high over the bay. As we passed the Revenue Cutter at anchor, her brave commander paid us the same honour; after which he came on board, and piloted us through a very difficult outlet. The next day, favoured by a good breeze, we proceeded at a rapid rate, and passing through the interesting Gut of Cansso, launched into the broad waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and made sail for the Magdalen Islands. There we spent a few days, and made several valuable observa- tions. Proceeding thence, we came in view of the famous “Gannet Rock,” where countless numbers of Solan Geese sat on their eggs. A heavy gale coming on, away we sped with reefed sails, towards the Coast of Labrador, which next morning came in view. ‘The wind had by this time fallen to a moderate breeze, the sky was clear, and every eye was directed towards the land. As we approached it, we perceived what we supposed to be hundreds of snow-white sails sporting over the waters, and which we conjectured to be the barks of fishermen; but on approaching them, we found them to be masses of drifting snow and ice, which filled every nook and cove of the rugged shores. Our cap- tain had never been on the coast before, and our pilot proved useless; but the former being a skilful and sagacious sea- man, we proceeded with confidence, and after passing a group of fishing boats, the occupiers of many of which we had known at Eastport, we were at length safely anchored PREFACE XXXV in the basin named ‘“‘American Harbour,” where we found several vessels taking in cured fish. But few days had elapsed, when, one morning, we saw a vessel making towards our anchorage, with the gallant flag of England waving in the breeze, and as she was moored within a cable-length of the Ripley, I soon paid my respects to her commander, Captain Bayfield, of the Royal Navy. The politeness of British Naval officers is proverbial, and from the truly frank and cordial reception of this gentleman and his brave “companions in arms,” I feel more than ever assured of the truth of this opinion. On board the “Gul- nare” there was also an amiable and talented surgeon, who was a proficient in botany. We afterwards met with the vessel in several other harbours. Of the country of Labrador you will find many detached sketches in this volume, so that for the present it is enough for me to say that having passed the summer there, we sailed on our return for the United States, touched at Newfound- land, explored some of its woods and rivers, and landed at Pictou in Nova Scotia, where we left the Ripley, which pro- ceeded to Eastport with our collections. While at Pictou, we called upon Professor MacCulloch, of the University, who received us in the most cordial manner, shewed us his superb collections of Northern Birds, and had the goodness to present me with specimens of skins, eggs, and nests. He did more still, for he travelled forty miles with us, to intro- duce us to some persons of high station in the Province, who gave us letters for Halifax. There, however, we had the misfortune of finding the individuals to whom we had intro- ductions, absent, and being ourselves pressed for time, we remained only a day or two, when we resumed our progress. Our journey through Nova Scotia was delightful, and, like the birds that, over our heads, or amidst the boughs, were cheerfully moving towards a warmer climate, we pro- ceeded gaily in a southern direction. At St. John’s, in XXXVI PREFACE New Brunswick, I had the gratification of meeting with my kind and generous friend, Edward Harris, Esq., of New York. Letters from my son in England, which he handed to me, compelled me to abandon our contemplated trip through the woods to Quebec, and I immediately proceeded to Boston. One day only was spent there, when the husband was in the arms of his wife, who with equal tenderness em- braced her beloved child. I had left Eastport with four young gentlemen under my care, some of whom were strangers to me, and I felt the responsibility of my charge, being now and then filled with terror lest any accident should befall them, for they were as adventurous as they were young and active. But, thanks to the Almighty, who granted us his protection, I had the satisfaction of restoring them in safety to their friends. And so excellent was the disposition of my young com- panions, that not a single instance of misunderstanding oc- curred on the journey to cloud our enjoyment, but the most perfect cordiality was manifested by each towards all the rest. It was a happy moment to me when I delivered them to their parents. | , From Boston we proceeded to New York, where I ob- tained a goodly number of subscribers, and experienced much kindness. My work demanded that I should spend the winter in the south, and therefore I determined to set out immediately. I have frequently thought that my suc- cess in this vast undertaking was in part owing to my prompt decision in every thing relating to it. This decision I owe partly to my father, and partly to Benjamin Frank- lin. We arrived at Charleston in October, 1833. At Columbia I formed an acquaintance with Thomas Cooper, the learned President of the College there. Circumstances rendered impracticable my projected trip to the Floridas, and along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, for which reason, after spending the winter in keen research, aided by my friend Bachman, I retraced my steps in March, in company PREFACE XXXVll with my wife and son, to New York. At Baltimore, where we spent a week, my friends Messrs. Morris, Gilmore, Skin- ner, and Drs. Potter, Edmonston, Geddings, and Ducatell, greatly aided me in augmenting my list of subscribers as did also my friend Colonel Theodore Anderson. My best acknowledgments are offered to these gentlemen for their polite and kind attentions. Taking a hurried leave of my friends, Messrs. Prime, King, Stuveysant, Harris, Lang, Ray, Van Ransselaer, Low, Joseph, Kruger, Buckner, Carman, Peal, Cooper, and the Reverend W. A. Duer, President of the College, we em- barked on board the packet ship the North America, com- manded by that excellent man and experienced seaman, Cap- tain Charles Dixey, with an accession of sixty-two sub- scribers, and the collections made during nearly three years of travel and research. In the course of that period, I believe, I have acquired much information relative to the Ornithology of the United States, and in consequence of observations from naturalists on both continents, I embraced every opportunity of form- ing a complete collection of the various birds portrayed in my work. Until this journey I had attached no value to a skin after the life which gave it lustre had departed: in- deed, the sight of one gave me more pain than pleasure. Portions of my collections of skins I sent to my friends in Europe at different times, and in this manner I parted with those of some newly discovered species before I had named them, so careless have I hitherto been respecting “priority.” While forming my collection, I have often been pleased to find that many species, which, twenty-five years ago, were scarce and rarely to be met with, are now comparatively abundant ;—a circumstance which I attribute to the increase of cultivated land in the United States. I need scarcely add, that the specimens here alluded to have been minutely examined, for the purpose of rendering the specific descrip- tions as accurate as possible. And here I gladly embrace XXXVIII PREFACE the opportunity offered of presenting my best thanks to Professor Jameson, for the kindness and liberality with which he has allowed me the free use of the splendid collec- tion of birds in the museum of the University of Edinburgh. Of this privilege I have availed myself in comparing speci- mens in my own collection with others obtained both in the United States and in other parts of the world. Ever anxious to please you, and lay before you the best efforts of my pencil, I carefully examined all my unpub- lished drawings before I departed from England, and since then I have made fresh representations of more than a hun- dred objects, which had been painted twenty years or more previously. On my latter rambles I have not only pro- cured species not known before, but have also succeeded in obtaining some of those of which Bonaparte and Wilson had met with single specimens only. While in the Floridas and Carolinas, my opportunities of determining the numerous species of Herons, Ibises, Pigeons, &c., were ample, for I lived among them, and carefully studied their habits. One motive for my journey to Labrador was to ascertain the summer plumage and mode of breeding of the Water Birds, which in spring retire thither for the purpose of rearing their young in security, far remote from the haunts of man. Besides accomplishing this object, I also met there with a few species hitherto undescribed. It has been said by some, that my work on the Birds of America would not terminate until I had added to those of the United States, the numerous species of the southern por- tion of our continent. Allow me, reader, to refer you in refutation of this assertion to my prospectus, in which it is stated that my work will be completed in four volumes. In whatever other enterprise I may engage, rely upon it I will adhere to my original design in this; and the only change will be, that the period of publication will be short- ened, and that there will be added landscapes and views, which were not promised in the prospectus. PREFACE XXxX1x From my original intention of publishing all the Land Birds first, I have been induced to deviate, in consequence of letters from my patrons, requesting that, after the con- clusion of the second volume, the Water Birds may im- mediately appear. Indeed, the various opinions which my subscribers occasionally express, are not a little perplexing to the “American Woodsman,” ever desirous to please all, and to adhere to the method proposed at the commence- ment of the work. In the fourth and last volume, after the Water Birds, will be represented all that remain unpub- lished, or that may in the mean time be discovered, of the Land Birds. As I cannot, in the fourth volume, proportion the plates in the same manner as in the other three, the number of large drawings will be much greater in it; but the numbers will still consist of five plates, and I trust my patrons will find the same careful delineation as before, with more perfect engraving and colouring. ‘These last numbers will of course be much more expensive to me than those in which three of the plates were small. The fourth volume will conclude with representations of the eggs of the different species. You have perhaps observed, or if not, I may be allowed to tell you, that in the first volume of my Illustrations, in which there are 100 plates, 240 figures of birds are given; and that in the second, consisting of the same number of plates, there are 244 figures. ‘The number of species not described by Wilson, are, in the first volume twenty-one, and in the second twenty-four. Having had but one object in view since I became ac- quainted with my zealous ornithological friend, the Prince of Musignano, I have spared no time, no labour, no ex- pense, in endeavouring to render my work as perfect as it was possible for me and my family to make it. We have all laboured at it, and every other occupation has been laid aside, that we might present in the best form the Birds of America, to the generous individuals who have placed their xl - PREFACE names on my. subscription list. I shall rejoice if I have in any degree advanced the knowledge of so delightful a study as that which has occupied the greater part of my life. I have spoken to you, kind reader, more than once of my family. Allow me to introduce them:—my eldest son, Vic- tor Gifford, the younger, John Woodhouse.—Of their nat- ural or acquired talents it does not become me to speak; but should you some day see the “Quadrupeds of America” published by their united efforts, do not forget that a pupil of David first gave them lessons in drawing, and that a mem- ber of the Bakewell family formed their youthful minds. To England I am as much as ever indebted for support in my hazardous and most expensive undertaking, and more than ever grateful for that assistance without which my present publication might, like an uncherished plant, have died. While I reflect on the unexpected honours bestowed on a stranger through the generous indulgence of her valu- able scientific associations, I cannot refrain from express- ing my gratitude for the facilities which I have enjoyed under the influence which these societies are spreading over her hospitable lands, as well as in other countries. I feel equally proud and thankful when I have to say that my own dear country is affording me a support equal to that supplied by Europe. Permit me now to say a few words respecting the persons engaged about my work. I have much pleasure in telling my patrons in Europe and America, that my engraver, Mr. Havell, has improved greatly in the execution of the plates, and that the numbers of the “Birds of America” have ap- peared with a regularity seldom observed in so large a pub- lication. For this, praise is due not only to Mr. Havell, but also to his assistants, Mr. Blake, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Edington. I have in this, as in my preceding volume, followed the nomenclature of my much valued friend, Charles Lucian Bonaparte, and this I intend to do in those which are to | PREFACE xli come, excepting always those alterations which I may deem absolutely necessary. It is my intention, at the close, to present a general table, exhibiting the geographical distri- bution of the different species. The order in which the plates have been published, precluding the possibility of ar- ranging the species in a systematic manner, it has not been deemed expedient to enter into the critical remarks as to affinity and grouping, which might otherwise have been made; but at another period I may offer you my ideas on this interesting subject. And now, reader, allow me to address my excellent friend the Critic. Would that it were in my power to express the feelings that ever since he glanced his eye over my pro-' ductions, whether brought forth by the pencil or the pen, have filled my heart with the deepest gratitude;—that I could disclose to him hew exhilarating have been his smiles, and how useful have been his hints in the prosecution of my enterprise! If he has found reason to bestow his com- mendations upon my first volume, I trust he will not find the present more defective. Indeed, I can assure him that the labour bestowed upon it by me has been much greater, and that I have exerted every effort to deserve his approbation. JoHN J. AUDUBON. EDINBURGH, 1st December, 1834. } AUTHOR’S PREFACE, PART II Twn years have now elapsed since the first number of my Illustrations of the Birds of America made its appearance. At that period I calculated that the engravers would take sixteen years in accomplishing their task; and this I an- nounced in my prospectus, and talked of to my friends. Of the latter not a single individual seemed to have the least hope of my success, and several strongly advised me to abandon my plans, dispose of my drawings, and return to my country. [I listened with attention to all that was urged on the subject, and often felt deeply depressed, for I was well aware of many of the difficulties to be surmounted, and perceived that no small sum of money would be required to defray the necessary expenses. Yet never did I seriously think of abandoning the cherished object of my hopes. When I delivered the first drawings to the engraver, I had not a single subscriber. ‘Those who knew me best called me rash; some wrote to me that they did not expect to see a second fasciculus; and others seemed to anticipate the total failure of my enterprise. But my heart was nerved, and my reliance on that Power, on whom all must depend, brought bright anticipations of success. Having made arrangements for meeting the first diffi- culties, I turned my attention to the improvement of my drawings, and began to collect from the pages of my jour- nals the scattered notes which referred to the habits of the birds represented by them. I worked early and late, and glad I was to perceive that the more I laboured the more I improved. I was happy, too, to find, that in general each succeeding plate was better than its predecessor, and when those who had at first endeavoured to dissuade me from xliii xliv PREFACE undertaking so vast an enterprise, complimented me on my more favourable prospects, I could not but feel happy. Number after number appeared in regular succession, until at the end of four years of anxiety, my engraver, Mr. Havell, presented me with the First Volume of the Birds of America. Convinced, from a careful comparison of the plates, that at least there had been no falling off in the execution, I looked forward with confidence to the termination of the next four years’ labour. 'Time passed on, and I returned from the forests and wilds of the western world to congratulate my friend Havell, just when the last plate of the second volume was finished. About that time, a nobleman called upon me with his family, and requested me to shew them some of the original drawings, which I did with the more pleasure that my visitors possessed a knowledge of Ornithology. In the course of our conversation, I was asked how long it might be until the work should be finished. When I mentioned eight years more, the nobleman shrugged his shoulders, and sigh- ing, said, “I may not see it finished, but my children will, and you may please to add my name to your list of sub- scribers.”” The young people exhibited a mingled expres- sion of joy and sorrow, and when I with them strove to dispel the cloud that seemed to hang over their father’s mind, he smiled, bade me be sure to see that the whole work should be punctually delivered, and took his leave. 'The solemnity of his manner I could not forget for several days; I often thought that neither might I see the work completed, but at length I exclaimed “my sons may.” And now that another volume, both of my Illustrations and of my Biographies is finished, my trust in Providence is augmented, and I cannot but hope that myself and my family together may be per- mitted to see the completion of my labours. I have performed no long journey since I last parted from you, and therefore I have little of personal history to relate — PREFACE xlv to you. I have spent the greater part of the interval in London and Edinburgh, in both which cities I have contin- ued to enjoy a social intercourse with many valued friends. In the former, it has been my good fortune to add to the list the names of William Yarrell, Esq., Dr. Bell, Dr. Boott, Captain James Clark Ross, R. N., and Dr. Richardson. From Mr. Yarrell and the two latter gentlemen, both well known to you as intrepid and successful travellers, I have received much valuable information, as well as precious specimens of birds and eggs, collected in the desolate regions of the extreme north. My anxiety to compare my speci- mens with those of the Zoological Society of London, induced me to request permission to do so, which the Council freely accorded. For this favour I now present my warm acknowl- edgments to the Noble Earl of Derby, the Members of the Council, their amiable Secretary Mr. Bennett, and to Mr. Gould, who had the kindness to select for me such speci- mens as I wanted. My friend Professor Jameson of Edin- burgh has been equally kind in allowing me the means of comparing specimens. From America I have received some valuable information, and many interesting specimens of birds and eggs, for which I am indebted to the Rev. John Bachman, Dr. Richard Harlan, Dr. George Parkman, Ed- ward Harris, Esq. and others. The number of new species described in the present vol- ume is not great. Among them, however, you will find the largest true Heron hitherto discovered in the United States. I have corrected some errors committed by authors, and have added to our Fauna several species which, although described by European writers, had not been observed in America. The habits of many species previously unknown have also been given in detail. Having long ago observed, in works on the Birds of the United States, the omission of the females and the different appearances produced by the change of season in most water birds, I have represented the male accompanied by his mate, xlvi PREFACE and, in as many instances as possible, the young also. ‘The technical descriptions have been given at greater length than in the former volumes, with the view of preventing error even in comparing dried skins with either the figures or the descriptions. I have also given the average measurement of the eggs, which I regret I had omitted to do in the other volumes; an error which I purpose to atone for by pre- senting you, in the last number of my Illustrations, with figures of all those which I have collected. The figures in the third volume of my Illustrations amount to one hundred and eighty-two, and are thus much fewer than those in either of the preceding volumes. ‘This, however, was rendered necessary by the comparatively large size of the originals, the aquatic species of Birds greatly ex- ceeding the terrestrial in this respect. Many of them in | fact are so large that only a single figure could be given, and that not always in so good an attitude as I could have wished. For this reason I have sometimes been obliged to give the figure of the young in a separate plate; and this I shall in a few cases continue to do, in order to correct the errors of authors respecting certain species, which I have proved to be merely nominal. Still the number contained in the three volumes being six hundred and seventy-four, there are more than two to each species. The engraving and colouring of the plates of this volume have generally been considered as much superior even to those of the second. Indeed, some of my patrons, both in Europe and America, have voluntarily expressed their con- viction of the superiority of these plates. ‘This is the more gratifying to me, that it proves the unremitted care and perseverance of Mr. Havell and his assistants, of whom I mention with approbation Messrs. Blake and Edington. The Ornithology of the United States may be said to have been commenced by Alexander Wilson, whose premature death prevented him from completing his labours. It is un- necessary for me to say how well he performed the task — PREFACE xlvii which he had imposed upon himself; for all naturalists, and many who do not aspire to the name, acknowledge his great merits. But although he succeeded in observing and obtain- ing a very great number of our birds, he left for others many species which he was unable to procure. These have been sought for with eagerness, and not without success, by per- sons who have engaged in the pursuit with equal ardour. The Prince of Musignano, full of enthusiasm, having his judgment matured by long observation, and his mind stored with useful learning, collected in our woods and prairies, by our great rivers, and along our extended shores, materials sufficient for four superb volumes, intended as a continua- tion of Wilson’s work. Thomas Nuttall, equally learned and enthusiastic, next entered the field. His Manual of our Birds contains a mass of useful information, and is for the most part excellent. Many others have, in various ways, endeavoured to extend our knowledge on this subject; but with the exception of Thomas Say, none have published their discoveries in a connected form. Dr. Harlan has given to the world an excellent account of our Mammalia; various works on Mollusca have appeared, and at present Dr. Holbrook of Charleston is engaged in publishing an ac- count of our Reptiles. Along our extended frontiers I have striven to observe and gather whatever had escaped the notice of the different collectors; and now, kind Reader, to prove to you that if not so fortunate as I had wished, I yet have done all that was in my power, I present you with a third volume of Ornitho- logical Biographies, in which you will find some account of about sixty species of Water Birds not included in the works of Wilson. These, at one season or other, are to be met with along the shores or streams of the United States. Some of them are certainly very rare, others remarkable in form and habits ; but all, I trust, you will find distinct from each other, and not inaccurately described. The difficulties which are to be encountered in studying xlvili PREFACE the habits of our Water Birds are great. He who follows the feathered inhabitants of the forest and plains, however rough or tangled the paths may be, seldom fails to obtain the objects of his pursuit, provided he be possessed of due en- thusiasm and perseverance. The Land Bird flits from bush to bush, runs before you, and seldom extends its flight be- yond the range of your vision. It is very different with the Water Bird, which sweeps afar over the wide ocean, hovers above the surges, or betakes itself for refuge to the inac- cessible rocks on the shore. There, on the smooth sea-beach, you see the lively and active Sandpiper; on that rugged promontory the Dusky Cormorant; under the dark shade of yon cypress the Ibis and Heron; above you in the still air floats the Pelican or the Swan; while far over the angry billows scour the Fulmar and the Frigate bird. If you en- deavour to approach these birds in their haunts, they betake themselves to flight, and speed to places where they are secure from your intrusion. But the scarcer the fruit, the more prized it is; and seldom have I experienced greater pleasures than when on the Florida Keys, under a burning sun, after pushing my bark for miles over a soapy flat, I have striven all day long, tor- mented by myriads of insects, to procure a heron new to me, and have at length succeeded in my efforts. And then how amply are the labours of the naturalist compensated, when, after observing the wildest and most distrustful birds, in their remote and almost inaccessible breeding places, he re- turns from his journeys, and relates his adventures to an interested and friendly audience. I look forward to the summer of 1838 with an anxious hope that I may then be able to present you with the last plate of my Illustrations, and the concluding volume of my Biographies. ‘To render these volumes as complete as pos- sible, I intend to undertake a journey to the southern and western limits of the Union, with the view of obtaining a more accurate knowledge of the birds of those remote and PREFACE : xlix scarcely inhabited regions. On this tour I shall be accom- panied by my youngest son, while the rest of my family will remain in Britain, to direct the progress of my publication. In concluding these prefatory remarks, I have to inform you that one of the tail-pieces in my second volume, entitled **A Moose Hunt,” was communicated to me by my young friend Thomas Lincoln of Dennisville in Maine; and that it was at his particular request, and much against my wishes, that his name was not mentioned at the time. I have now, however, judged it proper to make this statement. JOHN J. AUDUBON. EpiInsurcu, lst December 1835. THE OHIO To render more pleasant the task which you have imposed upon yourself, of following an author through the mazes of descriptive ornithology, permit me, kind reader, to relieve the tedium which may be apt now and then to come upon you, by presenting you with occasional descriptions of the scenery and manners of the land which has furnished the objects that engage your attention. The natural features of that land are not less remarkable than the moral character of her inhabitants; and I cannot find a better sub ject with which to begin, than one of those magnificent rivers that roll the collected waters of her extensive territories to the ocean. When my wife, my eldest son (then an infant), and my- self were returning from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, we found it expedient, the waters being unusually low, to pro- vide ourselves with a skiff, to enable us to proceed to our abode at Henderson. I purchased a large, commodious, and light boat of that denomination. We procured a mat- tress, and our friends furnished us with ready prepared viands. We had two stout Negro rowers, and in this trim we left the village of Shippingport, in expectation of reach- ing the place of our destination in a very few days. It was in the month of October. The autumnal tints al- ready decorated the shores of that queen of rivers, the Ohio. Every tree was hung with long and flowing festoons of dif- ferent species of vines, many loaded with clustered fruits of varied brilliancy, their rich bronzed carmine mingling beau- tifully with the yellow foliage, which now predominated over the yet green leaves, reflecting more lively tints from the clear stream than ever landscape painter portrayed or poet imagined. 1 2 THE OHIO The days were yet warm. ‘The sun had assumed the rich and glowing hue, which at that season produces the singular phenomenon called there the “Indian Summer.” The moon had rather passed the meridian of her grandeur. We glided down the river, meeting no other ripple of the water than that formed by the propulsion of our boat. Leisurely we moved along, gazing all day on the grandeur and beauty of the wild scenery around us. Now and then, a large cat-fish rose to the surface of the water in pursuit of a shoal of fry, which starting simultane- ously from the liquid element, like so many silvery arrows, produced a shower of light, while the pursuer with open jaws seized the stragglers, and, with a splash of the tail, disap- peared from our view. Other fishes we heard uttering be- neath our bark a rumbling noise, the strange sounds of which we discovered to proceed from the white perch, for on casting our net from the bow we caught several of that species, when the noise ceased for a time. Nature, in her varied arrangements, seems to have felt a partiality towards this portion of our country. As the traveller ascends or descends the Ohio, he cannot help re- marking that alternately, nearly the whole length of the river, the margin, on one side, is bounded by lofty hills and a rolling surface, while on the other, extensive plains of the richest alluvial land are seen as far as the eye can command the view. Islands of varied size and form rise here and there from the bosom of the water, and the winding course of the stream frequently brings you to places, where the idea of being on a river of great length changes to that of floating on a lake of moderate extent. Some of these islands are of considerable size and value; while others, small and insig- nificant, seem as if intended for contrast, and as serving to enhance the general interest of the scenery. These little islands are frequently overflowed during great freshets or floods, and receive at their heads prodigious heaps of drifted timber. We foresaw with great concern the alteration that THE OHIO 3 cultivation would soon produce along those delightful banks. As night came, sinking in darkness the broader portions of the river, our minds became affected by strong emotions, and wandered far beyond the present moments. The tinkling of bells told us that the cattle which bore them were gently roving from valley to valley in search of food, or re- turning to their distant homes. The hooting of the Great Owl, or the muffled noise of its wings as it sailed smoothly over the stream, were matters of interest to us; so was the sound of the boatman’s horn, as it came winding more and more softly from afar. When daylight returned, many songsters burst forth with echoing notes, more and more mellow to the listening ear. Here and there the lonely cabin of a squatter struck the eye, giving note of com- mencing civilization. The crossing of the stream by a deer foretold how soon the hills would be covered with snow. Many sluggish flat-boats we overtook and passed: some laden with produce from the different head-waters of the small rivers that pour their tributary streams into the Ohio; others, of less dimensions, crowded with emigrants from distant parts, in search of a new home. fPurer pleasures I never felt; nor have you, reader, I ween, unless indeed you have felt the like, and in such company. The margins of the shores and of the river were at this season amply supplied with game. A Wild Turkey, a Grouse, or a Blue-winged Teal, could be procured in a few moments; and we fared well, for, whenever we pleased, we landed, struck up a fire, and provided as we were with the necessary utensils, procured a good repast. Several of these happy days passed, and we neared our home, when, one evening, not far from Pigeon Creek (a small stream which runs into the Ohio, from the State of Indiana), a loud and strange noise was heard, so like the yells of Indian warfare, that we pulled at our oars, and made for the opposite side as fast and as quietly as possible. The sounds increased, we imagined we heard cries of “mur- A THE OHIO der;” and as we knew that some depredations had lately been committed in the country by dissatisfied parties of Ab- origines, we felt for a while extremely uncomfortable. Ere long, however, our minds became more calmed and we plainly discovered that the singular uproar was produced by an enthusiastic set of Methodists, who had wandered thus far out of the common way, for the purpose of holding one of their annual camp meetings, under the shade of a beech forest. Without meeting with any other interruption, we reached Henderson, distant from Shippingport by water about two hundred miles. When I think of these times, and call back to my mind the grandeur and beauty of those almost uninhabited shores; when I picture to myself the dense and lofty summits of the forest, that everywhere spread along the hills, and overhung the margins of the stream, unmolested by the axe of the set- tler; when I know how dearly purchased the safe navigation of that river has been by the blood of many worthy Vir- ginians; when I see that no longer any Aborigines are to be found there, and that the vast herds of elks, deer and buf- faloes which once pastured on these hills and in these valleys, making for themselves great roads to the several salt- springs, have ceased to exist; when I reflect that all this grand portion of our Union, instead of being in a state of nature, is now more or less covered with villages, farms, and towns, where the din of hammers and machinery is constantly heard; that the woods are fast disappearing under the axe by day, and the fire by night; that hundreds of steam-boats are gliding to and fro, over the whole length of the majestic river, forcing commerce to take root and to prosper at every spot; when I see the surplus population of Europe coming to assist in the destruction of the forest, and transplanting civ- ilization into its darkest recesses;—-when I remember that these extraordinary changes have all taken place in the short period of twenty years, I pause, wonder, and, although I know all to be fact, can scarcely believe its reality. THE OHIO 5 Whether these changes are for the better or for the worse, I shall not pretend to say; but in whatever way my conclu- sions may incline, I feel with regret that there are on record no satisfactory accounts of the state of that portion of the country, from the time when our people first settled in it. This has not been because no one in America is able to ac- complish such an undertaking. Our Irvings and our Coopers have proved themselves fully competent for the task. It has more probably been because the changes have suc- ceeded each other with such rapidity, as almost to rival the movements of their pen. However, it is not too late yet; and I sincerely hope that either or both of them will ere long furnish the generations to come with those delightful descriptions which they are so well qualified to give, of the original state of a country that has been so rapidly forced to change her form and attire under the influence of increas- ing population. Yes; I hope to read, ere I close my earthly career, accounts from those delightful writers of the prog- ress of civilization in our western country. They will speak of the Clarks, the Croghans, the Boons, and many other men of great and daring enterprise. They will analyze, as it were, into each component part, the country as it once ex- isted, and will render the picture, as it ought to be, immortal. THE GREAT PINE SWAMP I wert Philadelphia, at four in the morning, by the coach, with no other accoutrements than I knew to be absolutely necessary for the jaunt which I intended to make. These consisted of a wooden box, containing a small stock of linen, drawing paper, my journal, colours and pencils, together with 25 pounds of shot, some flints, the due quantum of cash, my gun T'car-jacket, and a heart as true to nature as ever. Our coaches are none of the best, nor do they move with _the velocity of those of some other countries. It was eight, and a dark night, when I reached Mauch Chunk, now so celebrated in the Union for its rich coal mines, and eighty- eight miles distant from Philadelphia. I had passed through a very diversified country, part of which was highly cultivated, while the rest was yet in a state of nature, and consequently much more agreeable to me. On alighting, I was shewn to the traveller’s room and on asking for the land- lord saw coming towards me a fine-looking young man, to whom I made known my wishes. He spoke kindly, and of- fered to lodge and board me at a much lower rate than trav- ellers who go there for the very simple pleasure of being dragged on the railway. In a word, I was fixed in four minutes, and that most comfortably. No sooner had the approach of day been announced by the cocks of the little village, than I marched out with my gun and note-book, to judge for myself of the wealth of the country. After traversing much ground, and crossing many steep hills, I returned, if not wearied, at least much disappointed at the extraordinary scarcity of birds. So I bargained to be carried in a cart to the central parts of the 6 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP i Great Pine Swamp, and, although a heavy storm was rising, ordered my conductor to proceed. We winded round many a mountain, and at last crossed the highest. The weather had become tremendous, and we were thoroughly drenched, but my resolution being fixed, the boy was. obliged to con- tinue his driving. Having already travelled about fifteen miles or so, we left the turnpike, and struck up a narrow and bad road, that seemed merely cut out to enable the people of the Swamp to receive the necessary supplies from the village which I had left. Some mistakes were made, and it was almost dark, when a post directed us to the habitation of a Mr. Jediah Irish, to whom I had been recommended. We now rattled down a steep declivity, edged on one side by al- most perpendicular rocks, and on the other by a noisy stream, which seemed grumbling at the approach of strangers. ‘The ground was so overgrown by laurels and tall pines of different kinds, that the whole presented only a mass of darkness. At length we got to the house, the door of which was al- ready opened, the sight of strangers being nothing uncom- mon in our woods, even in the most remote parts. On enter- ing, I was presented with a chair, while my conductor was shewn the way to the stable, and on expressing a wish that I should be permitted to remain in the house for some weeks, I was gratified by receiving the sanction of the good woman to my proposal, although her husband was then from home. As I immediately fell a-talking about the nature of the country, and inquired if birds were numerous in the neigh- bourhood, Mrs. Irish, more au fait to household affairs than ornithology, sent for a nephew of her husband’s, who soon made his appearance, and in whose favour I became at once prepossessed. He conversed like an educated person, saw that I was comfortably disposed of, and finally bade me good-night in such a tone as made me quite happy. The storm had rolled away before the first beams of the morning sun shone brightly on the wet foliage, displaying 8 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP all its richness and beauty. My ears were greeted by the notes, always sweet and mellow, of the Wood Thrush and other songsters. Before I had gone many steps, the woods echoed to the report of my gun, and I picked from among the leaves a lovely Sylvia, long sought for, but until then sought for in vain. I needed no more, and standing still for awhile, I was soon convinced that the Great Pine Swamp harboured many other objects as valuable to me. | The young man joined me, bearing his rifle, and offered to accompany me through the woods, all of which he well knew. But 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, speaking of nothing else than the picturesque beauty of the country around. A few days passed, during which I became acquainted with my hostess and her sweet children, and made occasional rambles, but spent the greater portion of my time in draw- ing. One morning, as I stood near the window of my room, I remarked a tall and powerful man alight from his horse, loose the girth of the saddle, raise the latter with one hand, pass the bridle over the head of the animal with the other, and move towards the house, while the horse betook himself to the little brook to drink. I heard some movements in the room below, and again the same tall person walked towards the mills and stores, a few hundred yards from the house. In America, business is the first object in view at all times, and right it is that 1t should be so. Soon after my hostess entered my room, accompanied by a fine-looking wocdsman, to whom, as Mr. Jediah Irish, I was introduced. Reader, to describe to you the qualities of that excellent man were vain; you should know him, as I do, to estimate the value of such men in our sequestered forests. He not only made me welcome, but promised all his assistance in forwarding my views. The long walks and long talks we have had together I THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 9 never can forget, or the many beautiful birds which we pur- sued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison, excellent bear flesh, and delightful trout that daily formed my food, me- thinks I can still enjoy. And then, what pleasure I had in listening to him as he read his favourite Poems of Burns, while my pencil was occupied in smoothing and softening the drawing of the bird before me! Was not this enough to recall to my mind the early impressions that had been made upon it by the description of the golden age, which I here found realized? The Lehigh about this place forms numerous short turns between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, as well as below the falls deep pools, which render this stream a most valuable one for mills of any kind. Not many years before this date, my host was chosen by the agent of the Lehigh Coal company, as their mill-wright, and manager for cutting down the fine trees which covered the mountains around. He was young, robust, active, industrious, and persevering. He marched to the spot where his abode now is, with some workmen, and by dint of hard labour first cleared the road mentioned above, and reached the river at the centre of a bend, where he fixed on erecting various mills. ‘The pass here is so narrow that it looks as if formed by the bursting asunder of the mountain, both sides ascending abruptly, so that the place where the settlement was made 1s in many parts difficult of access, and the road then newly cut was only sufficient to permit men and horses to come to the spot where Jediah and his men were at work. So great, in fact, were the difficulties of access, that, as he told me, pointing to a spot about 150 feet above us, they for many months slipped from it their barrelled provisions, assisted by ropes, to their camp below. But no sooner was the first saw-mill erected, than the axemen began their devastations. Trees one after another were, and are yet, constantly heard falling, during the days; and in calm nights, the greedy mills told the sad tale, that in a century the noble forests around should exist 10 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP no more. Many mills were erected, many dams raised, in defiance of the impetuous Lehigh. One full third of the trees have already been culled, turned into boards, and floated as far as Philadelphia. In such an undertaking, the cutting of the trees is not all. They have afterwards to be hauled to the edge of the moun- tains bordering the river, launched into the stream, and led to the mills over many shallows and difficult places. Whilst I was in the Great Pine Swamp, I frequently visited one of the principal places for the launching of logs. To see them tumbling from such a height, touching here and there the rough angle of a projecting rock, bouncing from it with the elasticity of a foot-ball, and at last falling with awful crash into the river, forms a sight interesting in the highest degree, but impossible for me to describe. Shall I tell you that I have seen masses of these logs heaped above each other to the number of five thousand? I may so tell you, for such I have seen. My friend Irish assured me that at some sea- sons, these piles consisted of a much greater number, the river becoming in those places completely choked up. When freshets (or floods) take place, then is the time chosen for forwarding the logs to the different mills. This is called a Frolic. Jediah Irish, who is generally the leader, proceeds to the upper leap with his men, each provided with a, strong wooden handspike, and a short-handled axe. ‘They all take to the water, be it summer or winter, like so many Newfoundland spaniels. The logs are gradually detached, and, after a time, are seen floating down the dancing stream, here striking against a rock and whirling many times round, there suddenly checked in dozens by a shallow, over which they have to be forced with the handspikes. Now they ar- rive at the edge of a dam, and are again pushed over. Cer- tain numbers are left in each dam, and when the party has arrived at the last, which lies just where my friend Irish’s camp was first formed, the drenched leader and his men, THE GREAT PINE SWAMP ll about sixty in number, make their way home, find there a healthful repast, and spend the evening and a portion of the night in dancing and frolicking, in their own simple man- ner, in the most perfect amity, seldom troubling themselves with the idea of the labour prepared for them on the morrow. That morrow now come, one sounds a horn from the door of the store-house, at the call of which each returns to his work. ‘The sawyers, the millers, the rafters and raftsmen are all immediately busy. The mills are all going, and the logs, which a few months before were the supporters of broad and leafy tops, are now in the act of being split asunder. The boards are then launched into the stream, and rafts are formed of them for market. During the summer and autumnal months, the Lehigh, a small river of itself, soon becomes extremely shallow, and to float the rafts would prove impossible, had not art man- aged to provide a supply of water for this express purpose. At the breast of the lower dam is a curiously constructed lock, which is opened at the approach of the rafts. They pass through this lock with the rapidity of lightning, pro- pelled by the water that had been accumulated in the dam, and which is of itself generally sufficient to float them to Mauch Chunk, after which, entering regular canals, they find no other impediments, but are conveyed to their ulti- mate destination. Before population had greatly advanced in this part of Pennsylvania, game of all descriptions found within that range was extremely abundant. ‘The Elk itself did not dis- dain to browse on the shoulders of the mountains, near the Lehigh. Bears and the Common Deer must have been plen- tiful, as, at the moment when I write, many of both kinds are seen and killed by the resident hunters. ‘The Wild Turkey, the Pheasant and the Grouse, are also tolerably abundant; and as to trout in the streams—Ah, reader, if you are an angler, go there, and try for yourself. For my part, I can 12 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP only say, that I have been made weary with pulling up from the rivulets the sparkling fish, allured by the struggles of the common grasshopper. A comical affair happened with the bears, which I will relate. A party of my friend Irish’s raftsmen, returning from Mauch Chunk, one afternoon, through sundry short cuts over the mountains, at the season when the huckle- berries are ripe and plentiful, were suddenly apprised of the proximity of some of these animals, by their snuffing the air. No sooner was this perceived than, to the astonishment of the party, not fewer than eight bears, I was told, made their appearance. Each man, being provided with his short- handled axe, faced about and willingly came to the scratch; but the assailed soon proved the assailants, and with claw and tooth drove off the men in a twinkling. Down they all rushed from the mountain; the noise spread quickly; rifles were soon procured and shouldered; but when the spot was reached, no bears were to be found; night forced the hunters back to their homes, and a laugh concluded the affair. I spent six weeks in the Great Pine Forest—Swamp it cannot be called—where I made many a drawing. Wishing to leave Pennsylvania, and to follow the migratory flocks of our birds to the south, I bade adieu to the excellent wife and rosy children of my friend, and to his kind nephew. Jediah Irish, shouldering his heavy rifle, accompanied me, and trudging directly across the mountains, we arrived at Mauch Churk in good time for dinner. Shall I ever have the pleasure of seeing that good, that generous man again? At Mauch Chunk, where we both spent the night, Mr. White, the civil engineer, visited me, and looked at the draw- ings which I had made in the Great Pine Forest. ‘The news he gave me of my sons, then in Kentucky, made me still more anxious to move in their direction, and, long before day- break, I shook hands with the good man of the forest, and found myself moving towards the capital of Pennsylvania, THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 13 having as my sole companion a sharp frosty breeze. Left to my thoughts, I felt amazed that such a place as the Great Pine Forest should be so little known to the Philadelphians, scarcely any of whom could direct me towards it. How much is it to be regretted, thought I, that the many young gentlemen who are there so much at a loss how to employ their leisure days should not visit these wild retreats, valu- able as they are to the student of nature. How differently would they feel, if, instead of spending weeks in smoothing a useless bow, and walking out in full dress, intent on display- ing the make of their legs, to some rendezvous where they may enjoy their wines, they were to occupy themselves in. contemplating the rich profusion which nature has poured around them, or even in procuring some desired specimen for their Peale’s Museum, once so valuable and so finely ar- ranged? But alas! no: they are none of them aware of the richness of the Great Pine Swamp, nor are they likely to share the hospitality to be found there. Night came on, as I was thinking of such things, and I was turned out of the coach in the streets of the fair city, just as the clock struck ten. I cannot say that my bones were much rested, but not a moment was to be lost. Sol desired a porter to take up my little luggage, and leading him towards the nearest wharf, I found myself soon after gliding across the Delaware, towards my former lodgings in the Jerseys. The lights were shining from the parallel streets as I crossed them, all was tranquil and serene, until there came the increasing sound of the Baltimore steamer, which, for some reason unknown to me, was that evening later than usual in its arrival. My luggage was landed, and carried home by means of a bribe. ‘The people had all re- tired to rest, but my voice was instantly recognised, and an entrance was afforded to me. THE PRAIRIE On my return from the Upper Mississippi, I found myself obliged to cross one of the wide Prairies, which, in that por- tion of the United States vary the appearance of the coun- try. The weather was fine, all around me was as fresh and blooming as if it had just issued from the bosom of nature. My knapsack, my gun, and my dog, were all I had for bag- gage and company. But, although well moccasined, I moved slowly along, attracted by the brilliancy of the flow- ers, and the gambols of the fawns around their dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger as I felt myself. My march was of long duration; I saw the sun sinking beneath the horizon long before I could perceive any appear- ance of woodland, and nothing in the shape of man had I met with that day. The track which I followed was only an old Indian trace, and as darkness overshadowed the prairie, I felt some desire to reach at least a copse, in which I might lie down to rest. The Night-hawks were skimming over and around me, attracted by the buzzing wings of the beetles which form their food, and the distant howling of wolves gave me some hope that I should soon arrive at the skirts of some woodland. I did so, and almost at the same instant a fire-lght at- tracting my eye, I moved towards it, full of confidence that it proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I was mistaken:—I discovered by its glare that it was from the hearth of a small log cabin, and that a tall figure passed and repassed between it and me, as if busily engaged in household arrangements. I reached the spot, and presenting myself at the door, asked the tall figure, which proved to be a woman, if I might 14 THE PRAIRIE 15 take shelter under her roof for the night. Her voice was gruff, and her attire negligently thrown about her. She answered in the affirmative. I walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly seated myself by the fire. The next object that attracted my notice was a finely formed young Indian, resting his head between his hands, with his elbows on his knees. A long bow rested against the log wall near him, while a quantity of arrows and two or three raccoon skins lay at his feet. He moved not; he apparently breathed not. Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, and knowing that they pay little attention to the approach of civilized strangers (a circumstance which in some countries is con- sidered as evincing the apathy of their character), I ad- dressed him in French, a language not unfrequently partially known to the people in that neighborhood. 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 arrow at a rac- coon in the 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 ex- pect. Such a thing as a bed was not to be seen, but many large untanned bear and buffalo hides lay piled in a corner. I drew a fine time-piece from my breast, and told the woman that it was late, and that I was fatigued. She had espyed my watch, the richness of which seemed to operate upon her feelings with electric quickness. She told me that there was plenty of venison and jerked buffalo meat, and that on re- moving the ashes I should find a cake. But my watch had struck her fancy, and her curiosity had to be gratified by an immediate sight of it. I took off the gold chain that secured it from around my neck, and presented it to her. She was all ecstasy, spoke of its beauty, asked me its value, and put the chain round her brawny neck, saying how happy 16 THE PRAIRIE the possession of such a watch should make her. Thought- less, and, as I fancied myself, in so retired a spot, secure, I paid little attention to her talk or her movements. I helped my dog to a good supper 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. He passed and repassed me several times, and once pinched me on the side so violently, that the pain 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 scab- bard, examined its edge, as I would do that of a razor sus- pected dull, replaced it, and again taking his tomahawk from his back, filled the pipe of it with tobacco, and sent me expressive glances whenever 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 re- turned glance for glance to my companion, and rested well assured that, whatever enemies I might have, he was not of their number. I asked the woman for my watch, wound it up, and under pretence of wishing to see how the weather might probably on the morrow, took up my gun, and walked out of the cabin. I slipped a ball into each barrel, scraped the edges of my flints, renewed the primings, and returning to the hut, gave a favourable account of my observations. I took a few bear- skins, made a pallet of them, and calling my faithful dog to my side, lay down, with my gun close to my body, and in a few minutes was, to all appearance, fast asleep. A short time had elapsed, when some voices were heard, and from the corner of my eyes I saw two athletic youths making their entrance, bearing a dead stag on a pole. They disposed of their burden, and asking for whisky, helped themselves freely to it. Observing me and the wounded THE PRAIRIE 17 Indian, they asked who I was, and why the devil that rascal (meaning the Indian, who, they knew, understood not a word of English) was in the house. The mother—for so she proved to be, bade them speak less loudly, 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 me to guess. I tapped my dog gently. He moved his tail, and with indescribable pleasure I saw his fine eyes al- ternately fixed on me and raised towards the trio in the corner. I felt that he perceived danger in my situation. The Indian exchanged a last glance with me. The lads had eaten and drunk themselves into such condi- tion, that I already looked upon them as hors de combat; and the frequent visits of the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth of their dam I hoped would soon reduce her to a like state. Judge of my astonishment, reader, when I saw this incarnate fiend take a large 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 sweat covered every part of my body, in despite 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 faith- ful companion, and lay ready to start up and shoot the first who might attempt my life. The moment was fast ap- proaching, and that night might have been my last in this world, had not Providence made preparations for my rescue. All was ready. ‘The infernal hag was advancing slowly, probably contemplating the best way of despatching me, whilst her sons should be engaged with the Indian. I was several times on the eve of rising and shooting her on the spot :—but she was not to be punished thus. The door was suddenly opened, and there entered two stout travellers, each with a long rifle on his shoulder. I bounced up on my feet, 18 THE PRAIRIE and making them most heartily welcome, told them how well it was for me that they should have arrived at that moment. The tale was told in a minute. The drunken sons were secured, and the woman, in spite of her defence and vocifera- tions, shared the same fate. The Indian fairly danced with joy, and gave us to understand that, as he could not sleep for pain, he would watch over us. You may suppose we slept much less than we talked. The two strangers gave me an account of their once having been themselves in a somewhat similar situation. Day came, fair and rosy, and with it the punishment of our captives. They were now quite sobered. ‘Their feet were unbound, but their arms were still securely tied. We marched them into the woods off the rcad, and having used them as Regu- lators were wont to use such delinquents, we set fire to the cabin, gave all the skins and implements to the young Indian warrior, and proceeded, well pleased, towards the settlements. During upwards of twenty-five years, when my wander- ings extended to all parts of our country, this was the only time at which my life was in danger from my fellow creatures. Indeed, so little risk do travellers run in the United States, that no one born there ever dreams of any to be encountered on the road; and I can only account for this occurrence by supposing that the inhabitants of the cabin were not Americans. Will you believe, reader, that not many miles from the place where this adventure happened, and where fifteen years ago, no habitation belonging to civilized man was ex- pected, and very few ever seen, large roads are now laid out, cultivation has converted the woods into fertile fields, taverns have been erected, and much of what we Americans call com- fort is to be met with. So fast does improvement proceed in our abundant and free country. | THE REGULATORS THE population of many parts of America is derived from the refuse of every other country. I hope I shall elsewhere prove that even in this we have reason to feel a certain de- gree of pride, as we often see our worst denizens becoming gradually freed from error, and at length changing to use- ful and respectable citizens. 'The-most depraved of these emigrants are forced to retreat farther and farther from the society of the virtuous, the restraints imposed by which they find incompatible with their habits and the gratification of their unbridled passions. On the extreme verge of civiliza- tion, however, their evil propensities find more free scope, and the dread of punishment for their deeds, or the infliction of that punishment, are the only means that prove effectual in reforming them. In those remote parts, no sooner is it discovered that an individual has conducted himself in a notoriously vicious manner, or has committed some outrage upon society, than a conclave of the honest citizens takes place, for the purpose of investigating the case with a rigour without which no good result could be expected. ‘These honest citizens, selected from among the most respectable persons in the district, and vested with powers suited to the necessity of preserving order on the frontiers, are named Regulators. 'The accused per- son is arrested, his conduct laid open, and if he is found guilty of a first crime, he is warned to leave the country, and go farther from society, within an appointed time. Should the individual prove so callous as to disregard the sentence, and remain in the same neighbourhood, to commit new crimes, then woe be to him; for the Regulators, after proving him guilty a second time, pass and execute a sen- 19 20 THE REGULATORS tence, which, if not enough to make him perish under the infliction, is at least forever impressed upon his memory. The punishment inflicted is generally a severe castigation, and the destruction, by fire, of his cabin. Sometimes, in cases of reiterated theft or murder, death is considered neces- sary ; and, in some instances, delinquents of the worst species have been shot, after which their heads have been stuck on poles, to deter others from following their example. I will give you an account of one of these desperadoes as I received it from a person who had been instrumental in bringing him to punishment. The name of Mason is still familiar to many of the navi- gators of the Lower Ohio and Mississippi. By dint of in- dustry in bad deeds he became a notorious horse-stealer, formed a line of worthless associates from the eastern parts of Virginia (a State greatly celebrated for its fine breed of horses) to New Orleans, and had a settlement on Wolf Island, not far from the confluence of the Ohio and Missis- sippi, from which he issued to stop the flat-boats, and rifle them of such provisions and other articles as he and his party needed. His depredations became the talk of the whole Western Country; and to pass Wolf Island was not less to be dreaded than to anchor under the walls of Algiers. The horses, the negroes, and the cargoes, his gang carried off and sold. At last, a body of Regulators undertook, at great peril, and for the sake of the country, to bring the villian to punishment. Mason was as cunning and watchful as he was active and daring. Many of his haunts were successively found out and searched, but the numerous spies in his employ enabled him to escape in time. One day, however, as he was riding a beautiful horse in the woods, he was met by one of the Regulators who immediately recognised him, but passed him as if an utter stranger. Mason, not dreaming of danger, pursued his way leisurely, as if he had met no one. But he was dogged by the Regulator, and in such a manner as THE REGULATORS Q1 proved fatal to him. At dusk, Mason having reached the lowest part of a ravine, no doubt well known to him, hoppled (tied together the fore-legs of) his stolen horse, to enable it to feed during the night without chance of straying far, and concealed himself in a hollow log to spend the night. The plan was good, but proved his ruin. The Regulator, who knew every hill and hollow of the woods, marked the place and the log with the eye of an ex- perienced hunter, and as he remarked that Mason was most efficiently armed, he galloped off to the nearest house, where he knew he should find assistance. This was easily procured, and the party proceeded to the spot. Mason, on being at- tacked, defended himself with desperate valour; and as it proved impossible to secure him alive, he was brought to the ground with a rifle ball. Huis head was cut off, and stuck on the end of a broken branch of a tree, by the nearest road to the place where the affray happened. ‘The gang soon dispersed, in consequence of the loss of their leader, and this infliction of merited punishment proved beneficial in deter- ring others from following a similar predatory life. The punishment by castigation is performed in the follow- ing manner. The individual convicted of an offence is led to some remote part of the woods, under the escort of some- times forty or fifty Regulators. When arrived at the chosen spot, the criminal is made fast to a tree, and a few of the Regulators remain with him, whilst the rest scour the forest, to assure themselves that no strangers are within reach, after which they form an extensive ring, arranging themselves on their horses, well armed with rifles and pistols, at equal distances and in each other’s sight. At a given signal that “all’s ready,” those about the culprit, having provided themselves with young twigs of hickory, administer the number of lashes prescribed by the sentence, untie the sufferer, and order him to leave the country immediately. One of these castigations which took place more within my immediate knowledge, was performed on a fellow who was 22 THE REGULATORS neither a thief nor a murderer, but who had misbehaved otherwise sufficiently to bring himself under the sentence with mitigation. He was taken to a place where nettles were known to grow in great luxuriance, completely stripped, and so lashed with them, that although not materially hurt, he took it as a hint not to be neglected, left the country, and was never again heard of by any of the party concerned. Probably at the moment when I am copying these notes respecting the early laws of our frontier people, few or no Regulating Parties exist, the terrible examples that were made having impressed upon the new settlers a salutary dread, which restrains them from the commission of flagrant crimes. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NAVIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI I HAvE so frequently spoken of the Mississippi, that an account of progress of navigation on that extraordinary stream may be interesting even to the student of nature. I shall commence with the year 1808, at which time a great portion of the western country, and the banks of the Missis- sippi River, from above the city of Natchez particularly, were little more than a waste, or, to use words better suited to my feelings, remained in their natural state. To ascend the great stream against a powerful current, rendered still stronger wherever islands occurred, together with the thou- sands of sand-banks, as liable to changes and shiftings as the alluvial shores themselves, which at every deep curve or bend were seen giving way, as if crushed down by the weight of the great forests that everywhere reached to the very edge of the water, and falling and sinking in the muddy stream, by acres at a time, was an adventure of no small difficulty and risk, and which was rendered more so by the innumer- able logs, called sawyers and planters, that everywhere raised their heads above the water, as if bidding defiance to all in- truders. Few white inhabitants had yet marched towards its shores, and these few were of a class little able to assist the navigator. Here and there a solitary encampment of native Indians might be seen, but its inmates were as likely to prove foes as friends, having from their birth been made keenly sensible of the encroachments of the white men upon their lands. Such was then the nature of the Mississippi and its shores. That river was navigated principally in the direction of the current, in small canoes, pirogues, keel-boats, some flat- 23 Q4 NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI boats, and a few barges. The canoes and pirogues being generally laden with furs from the different heads of streams that feed the great river, were of little worth after reach- ing the market of New Orleans, and seldom reascended, the owners making their way home through the woods, amidst innumerable difficulties. The flat-boats were demolished and used as fire-wood. The keel-boats and barges were em- ployed in conveying produce of different kinds besides furs, such as lead, flour, pork, and other articles. These returned laden with sugar, coffee, and dry goods suited for the markets of St. Genevieve and St. Louis on the Upper Mis- sissippi, or branched off and ascended the Ohio to the foot of the Falls near Louisville in Kentucky. But, reader, follow their movements, and judge for yourself of the fa- tigues, troubles and risks of the men employed in that navi- gation. ert? ibutshe:iwasechapfallen;+—nay I thought his: visage hdd; dssumed ia icadaverous shuei i» Dears ran down lhis:cheeks, and:he'told me:that his:‘barrel of; rum had been;stolen ‘by: the “eggers,” orsome fishermen!! He THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 145 said that he had been in the habit of hiding it in the bushes, to prevent its being carried away by those merciless thieves, who must have watched him in some of his frequent walks to the spot. “Now,” said he, “I can expect none until next spring, and God knows what will become of me in the winter !” Pierre Jean Baptiste Michaux had resided in that part of the world for upwards of ten years. He had run away from the fishing smack that had brought him from his fair native land, and expected to become rich some day by the sale of the furs, seal skins, eider down, and other articles which he collected yearly, and sold to the traders who regularly visited his dreary abode. He was of moderate stature, firmly framed, and as active as a wild cat. He told me that excepting the loss of his rum, he had never experienced any other cause of sorrow, and that he felt as “happy as a lord.” Before parting with this fortunate mortal, I inquired how his dogs managed to find sufficient food. ‘Why, Sir, during spring and summer they ramble along the shores, where they meet with abundance of dead fish, and in winter they eat the flesh of the seals which I kill late in autumn, when these animals return from the north. As to myself, every thing eatable is good, and when hard pushed, I assure you I can relish the fare of my dogs just as much as they do themselves.” Proceeding along the rugged indentations of the bay with my companions, I 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 difficulties; but as our boats turned a long point jutting out into the bay, we were pleased to see several small schooners at anchor and one lying near a sort of wharf. Several neat-looking houses enlivened the view, and on Janding, we were kindly greeted with a polite welcome from ‘a man who proved to be the owner of the establishment. 146 THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR For the rude simplicity of him of the rum-cask, we found here the manners and dress of a man of the world. A hand- some fur cap covered his dark brow, his clothes were similar to our own, and his demeanour was that of a gentleman. On my giving my name to him, he shook me heartily by the hand, and on introducing each of my com- panions to him, he extended the like courtesy to them also. Then, to my astonishment, he addressed me as follows :— “My dear Sir, I have been expecting you these three weeks, having read in the papers your intention to visit Labrador, and some fishermen told me of your arrival at Little Natasguan. Gentlemen, walk in.” Having followed him to his neat and comfortable man- sion, he introduced us to his wife and children. Of the latter there were six, all robust and rosy. The lady, although a native of the country, was of French extraction, handsome, and sufficiently accomplished to make an excellent companion to a gentleman. A smart girl brought us a luncheon, consisting of bread, cheese, and good port wine, to which, (having rowed fourteen or fifteen miles that morn- ig,) we helped ourselves in a manner that seemed satisfactory to all parties. Our host gave us newspapers from different parts of the world, and shewed us his small but choice col- | lection of books. He inquired after the health of the amiable Captain Bayfield, of the Royal Navy, and the officers under him, and hoped they would give him a call. Having refreshed ourselves, we walked out with him, when he pointed to a very small garden, where a few vegetables sprouted out, anxious to see the sun. Gazing on the desolate country around, I asked him how he had thus secluded himself from the world. For it he had no relish, and although he had received a liberal education, and had mixed with society, he never intended to return to it. “The country around,” said he, “‘is all my own, much farther than you can see. No fees, no lawyers, no taxes are here. Ido pretty much as I choose. My means are ample, THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 147 through my own industry. These vessels come here for seal-skins, seal-oil, and salmon, and give me in return all the necessaries, and indeed comforts, of the life I love to follow; and what else could the world afford me!” I spoke of the education of his children. “My wife and I teach them all that is useful for them to know, and is not that enough? My girls will marry their countrymen, my sons the daughters of my neighbours, and I hope all of them will live and die in the country!” I said no more, but by way of compensation for the trouble I had given him, purchased from his eldest child a beautiful fox’s skin. Few birds, he said, came around him in summer, but in winter thousands of ptarmigans were killed, as well as great numbers of gulls. He had a great dislike to all fishermen and eggers, and I really believe was always glad to see the departure even of the hardy navigators who annually visited him for the sake of his salmon, seal-skins, and oil. He had more than forty Esquimau dogs; and, as I was caressing one of them, he said, “Tell my brother-in-law at Bras d’Or, that we are all well here, and that, after visiting my wife’s father, I will give him a call!” Now, reader, his wife’s father resided at the distance of seventy miles down the coast, and, like himself, was a recluse. He of Bras d’Or was at double that distance; but, when the snows of winter have thickly covered the country, the whole family, in sledges drawn by dogs, travel with ease, and pay their visits, or leave their cards. ‘This good gentle- man had already resided there more than twenty years. Should he ever read this article, I desire him to believe that I shall always be grateful to him and his wife for their hospitable welcome. When our schooner, the Ripley, arrived at Bras d’Or, I paid a visit to Mr. , the brother-in-law, who lived in a house imported from Quebec, which fronted the strait of Belle Isle, and overlooked a small island, over which the eye reached the coast of Newfoundland, whenever it was the 148 THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR wind’s pleasure to drive away the fogs that usually lay over both coasts. The gentleman and his wife, we were told, were both out on a walk, but would return in a very short time, which they in fact did, when we followed them into the house, which was yet unfinished. ‘The usual immense Dutch stove formed a principal feature of the interior. The lady had once visited the metropolis of Canada, and seemed desirious of acting the part of a “blue-stocking.” Understanding that I knew something of the fine arts, she pointed to several of the vile prints hung on the bare walls, which she said were elegant Italian pictures, and continued her encomiums upon them, assuring me that she had purchased them from an Italian, who had come there with a trunk full of them. She had paid a shilling sterling for each, frame included! I could give no answer to the good lady on this subject, but I felt glad to find that she possessed a feeling heart. One of her children had caught a siskin, and was tormenting the poor bird, when she rose from her seat, took the little fluttering thing from the boy, kissed it, and gently launched it into the air. This made me forget the tattle about the fine arts. Some excellent milk was poured out for us in clean glasses. It was a pleasing sight, for not a cow had we yet seen in the country. ‘The lady turned the conversation on music, and asked if I played on any instrument. I answered that I did, but very indifferently. Her fort, she said, was music, of which she was indeed immoderately fond. Her instru- ment had been sent to Europe to be repaired but would re- turn that season, when the whole of her children would again perform many beautiful airs, for in fact any body could use it with ease, as when she or the children felt fatigued, the servant played on it for them. Rather surprised at the extraordinary powers of this family of musicians, I asked what sort of an instrument it was, when she described it as follows:—“Gentlemen, my instrument is large, longer than broad, and stands on four legs, like a table. At one THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 149 end is a crooked handle, by turning which round, either fast or slow, I do assure you we make most 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 that it must be a hand-organ she used, she laughingly said, “Ah, that is it: it is a hand-- organ, but I had forgot the name, and for the life of me could not recollect it.” — ‘The husband had gone out to work, and was in the harbour calking an old schooner. He dined with me on board the Ripley, and proved to be also an excellent fellow. Like his brother-in-law, he had seen much of the world, having sailed nearly round it; and, although no‘scholar, like him, too, he was disgusted with it. He held his land on the same foot-. ing 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 kept a great pack,. bartered or sold his commodities, as his relations did, and cared about nothing else in the world. Whenever the weather was fair, he walked with his dame. over the moss-. covered rocks of the neighbourhood; and, during. winter, killed ptarmigans and Leaeleae while his eldest son attended to the traps, and skinned. the animals caught i in them. He 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 his plantation or settlement, was. a heap of fifteen hundred carcasses of skinned seals, which, at the time when we visited the place, in the month of Aug- ust, “notwithstanding the coolness of the atmosphere, sent forth a stench that, according to the ideas of some natural- ists, might have sufficed to attract call the Vultures i in the United States. During our stay at nie s d’Or, the Ped ieey aa good Mrs. daily sent us fresh milk. and butter, for which we were denied the pleasure of making any return. DEATH OF A PIRATE In the calm of a fine moonlight night, as I was admiring the beauty of the clear heavens, and the broad glare of light that glanced from the trembling surface of the waters around, the officer on watch came up and entered into con- versation with me. He had been a “‘turtler’’ in other years, and a great hunter to boot, and although of humble birth and pretensions, energy and talent, aided by education, had raised him to a higher station. Such a man could not fail to be an agreeable companion, and we talked on various subjects, principally, you may be sure, birds and other natural productions. He told me he once had a disagreeable adventure, when looking out for game, in a certain cove on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico; and on my expressing a desire to hear it, he willingly related to me the following particulars, which I give you not perhaps precisely in his own words, but as nearly so as I can remember. “Towards evening, one quiet summer day, I chanced to be paddling along a sandy shore, which I thought well fitted for my repose, being covered with tall grass, and as the sun was not many degrees above the horizon, I felt anxious to pitch my musquito-bar or net, and spend the night in this wilderness. ‘The bellowing notes of thousands of bull-frogs in a neighbouring swamp might lull me to rest, and I looked upon the flocks of blackbirds that were assembling as sure companions in this secluded retreat. “T proceeded up a little stream, to insure the safety of my canoe from any sudden storm, when, as I gladly advanced, a beautiful yawl came unexpectedly in view. Surprised at such a sight in a part of the country then scarcely known, I felt a sudden check in the circulation of my blood. My paddle dropped from my hands, and fearfully indeed, as | | 150 DEATH OF A PIRATE 151 I picked it up, did I look towards the unknown boat. On reaching it, I saw its sides marked with stains of blood, and looking with anxiety over the gunwale, I perceived to my horror, two human bodies covered with gore. Pirates or hostile Indians I was persuaded had perpetrated the foul deed, and my alarm naturally increased ; my heart fluttered, stopped, and heaved with unusual tremors, and I looked towards the setting sun in consternation and despair. How long my reveries lasted I cannot tell; I can only recollect that I was roused from them by the distant groans of one apparently in mortal agony. I felt as if refreshed by the cold perspiration that oozed from every pore, and I reflected that though alone, I was well armed, and might hope for the protection of the Almighty. ‘““Humanity whispered to me that, if not surprised and disabled, I might render assistance to some sufferer, or even be the means of saving a useful life. Buoyed up by this thought, I urged my canoe on shore, and seizing it by the bow, pulled it at one spring high among the grass. “The groans of the unfortunate person fell heavy on my ears, as I cocked and re-primed my gun, and I felt determined to shoot the first that should rise from the grass.