390 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



ing to his young son, John W. Audubon, on the 10th 

 of the same month, he charged him to devote two hours 

 daily to the preparation of bird skins, and to send him 

 not only the skins but live birds and mussel shells, for 

 which he would be duly paid. Said the father: 



I would give you 500 dollars per annum, were you able 

 to make for me such drawings as I will want. I wish you would 

 draw one bird only, on a twig, and send it [to me] to look at, 

 as soon as you can after receiving this letter. ... I should 

 like to have a large box filled with branches of the trees, cov- 

 ered with mosses &c, such as Mama knows I want; now recol- 

 lect, all sorts of Birds, males and females, ugly or handsome. 



Audubon had come to London with the idea of hav- 

 ing his work published under the patronage of King 

 George IV; in order to gain a personal interview with 

 the Sovereign he had brought a letter to Robert Peel, 

 who was then the Home Secretary, but a change in 

 the Cabinet had upset his plans and the letter was re- 

 turned. He then applied to the American Ambassador, 

 Mr. Albert Gallatin, who upon their first meeting ad- 

 dressed him in French and showed "the ease and charm 

 of manner of a perfect gentleman" ; but when the ques- 

 tion of an audience with the King was broached, Gal- 

 latin laughed at the idea as preposterous. "The king," 

 he declared, "sees nobody; he has the gout, is peevish, 

 and spends his time playing whist at a shilling a rubber. 

 I had to wait six weeks before I was presented to him 

 in my position of ambassador, and then I merely saw 

 him six or seven minutes." When Audubon then sug- 

 gested that the Duke of Northumberland might interest 

 himself in his behalf, Gallatin, who disliked the English 

 heartily, replied: "I have called hundreds of times on 

 like men in England, and have been assured that his 



