"LA GERBETIERE" 137 



of the city, Lieutenant Audubon made "La Gerbetiere" 

 his permanent abode only when he retired from the navy 

 in 1801, still maintaining, as we have seen, a foothold 

 in Nantes. 



Upon Audubon's first return from the United States 

 in the spring of 1805, he said that his vessel entered the 

 mouth of the Loire and anchored off Paimboeuf, the 

 lower harbor of Nantes. "On sending my name to the 

 principal officer of the customs," the narrative continues, 

 "he came on board, and afterwards sent me to my fa- 

 ther's villa, La Gerbetiere, in his barge and with his 

 own men." It is to be noticed, incidentally, that as the 

 distance to be covered between the lower and upper 

 harbors was twenty-five miles, or sixteen miles to 

 Coueron, such journeys no doubt were made upon the 

 arrival of incoming vessels for the regular business of 

 the service. 



It has been suggested, without proof, that Coueron 

 represents the ancient town of Corbilo, mentioned by 

 Strabo at the beginning of our era. Though unques- 

 tionably ancient, at the time of the Revolution it was a 

 small and unimportant parish of poor but industrious 

 farmers. It occupies rolling ground, but little raised 

 above the Loire, to the east of Port Launay and nearly 

 opposite Pellerin. As this commune was easily acces- 

 sible by river-barge from Nantes, the revolutionists 

 seem to have thought it worth watching, though Citizen 

 Audubon found its people in a tranquil mood when he 

 canvassed their district in behalf of the Central Com- 

 mittee in April, 1793. Coueron is still a farming com- 

 munity, but its population ' has been considerably 



1 The total population of Coueron, as given in the official directory 

 for 1913, was 2,035, but the total working population is probably three 

 times as great. 



