270 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



as the "enigma" of his life. In some of his private 

 journals and letters 13 he dramatically declared that a 

 mystery had surrounded his early existence, which he 

 was bound by a solemn oath exacted by his father never 

 to reveal, and that this secret must be carried by him 

 to the grave. If it be the duty of a biographer to make 

 the true character of his subject known, the passage of 

 time would now seem to sanction reference to many 

 personal matters which a century ago should have been 

 more rigidly guarded. I enter upon this task solely 

 with the view of placing Audubon's character in a truer 

 and fairer light. 



The essential facts regarding Audubon's birth and 

 early years have now been given, and this is the true, 

 though possibly not the complete, story. Anything 

 which we now add, however, can be regarded as little 

 better than speculation. Audubon is said to have received 

 through his father a large sum of money from an un- 

 known or unnamed source, 14 but as such stories are apt 

 to be exaggerated, especially when an ocean intervenes 

 between a testator and his heir, the statement may be 

 erroneous ; we have seen that Lieutenant Audubon was 

 not in a position to make such gifts himself had he been 

 so disposed. If the report were true, the money may 

 have come from the estate of his mother, and through 

 the agency of the mysterious "Audubon of La Ro- 



13 These passages, which were shown to me by his granddaughter, Miss 

 Maria R. Audubon, in 1914, but not for publication, occur in his journals 

 under the following dates; June 4, 1826, at sea; March 15, 1827, at Edin- 

 burgh, after describing a visit of Lady Selkirk and her daughter; again 

 on the 18th of March of the same or the following year; and on October 

 8, 1828, when writing to his wife from Paris and reflecting on the advisabil- 

 ity of visiting his old home at Nantes. While these extraordinary passages 

 are not quoted, out of deference to the wishes of his granddaughters, it 

 seems only just to Audubon, in view of the revelations that have already 

 been made, to add this brief reference to the incidents in question. 



14 This statement was made to me in 1914 by Miss Maria R. Audubon. 



