SKETCH OF J. J. AUDUBON. 691 



was compelled to work for a living. He took up the drawing of crayon- 

 portraits with much success, and is said to have seemed to get a new 

 start in life. In a short time he received an invitation to- become a 

 curator of the museum at Cincinnati, and for the preparation of birds 

 received a liberal remuneration. In conjunction with this situation he 

 opened a drawing-school in the same city, and obtained from this em- 

 ployment additional emolument sufficient to support his family com- 

 fortably. His teaching succeeded well until several of his pupils 

 started on their own account. The work at the museum having 

 been finished, Audubon fell back upon his portrait-painting and such 

 resources as his genius could command. Applying for assistance to 

 an old friend whom he had helped into business, the ungrateful wretch 

 declared he would do nothing for his benefactor, and further added 

 that he would not even recommend one who had such wandering 

 habits. On more occasions than this his genius for discovery was 

 made an argument against him. 



In October, 1820, Audubon left Cincinnati, and sailed down the 

 Ohio in company with Captain dimming, an engineer, who had been 

 appointed to make a survey of the Mississippi River. He was provided 

 with letters of introduction from General Harrison and Henry Clay, 

 and intended a long ornithological excursion through Mississippi, Ala- 

 bama, and Florida, up Red River, and down the Arkansas. At Bayou 

 Sara, in the following June, he accepted an engagement with Mrs. 

 Perrie to teach her daughter drawing during the summer months at 

 sixty dollars a month. Mrs. Perrie's real aim is supposed to have been 

 to provide for Audubon an opportunity to carry on his pursuits under 

 the guise of an employment which would be congenial and not inter- 

 fere with his work. Later in the year he was invited to join another 

 artist in painting a panorama of New Orleans. But, he wrote in his 

 journal, " My birds, my beloved birds of America, occupy all my time, 

 and nearly all my thoughts, and I do not wish to see any other per- 

 spective than the last specimen of those drawings." 



For the first two months of 1822 it is written by his wife in her 

 " Life," " the records of Audubon's life are sparse and imperfect, on 

 account of his inability to purchase a book to wi'ite his journal in ! " 

 The one at last obtained was made of thin, poor paper, and the records 

 entered are rather in keeping with his financial difficulties. It took all 

 his means at this time to supply his family with the necessaries of life ; 

 and in order to obtain money to educate the children, his wife undertook 

 the duties of a situation in which she had charge of and educated the 

 offspring of a Mr. Brand. They afterward removed to Natchez, where 

 Audubon drew and taught drawing in the college at Washington, Missis- 

 sippi, and Mrs. Audubon taught ; and then to Bayou Sara, Louisiana, 

 where Mrs. Audubon established a school, with the proceeds of which 

 she was enabled to aid materially in the publication of the " Birds," and 

 Audubon assisted her by teaching music and dancing. A member of one 



