190 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



On the 4th of this month the 'Great Western' was nearly 

 half way across the Atlantic ! ! Sir William Jardine has pub- 

 lished a capital review of the work ! What a strange world we 

 do learn in ! Be sure to let me know about the original draw- 

 ings at Henry's, if he has finished them, where they are &c. &c. 

 We all remain as usual with kind good wishes to you all, 



Your friend 



John J. Audubon. 



6 Alva St. 

 [Superscribed] 



Robert Havell Esq. 

 Engraver. 



77 Oxford st 

 London. 



How fully Audubon's injunctions in regard to his 

 residual stock, and particularly to scattered plates of 

 the Birds, were followed, is not known, but it is certain 

 that a part of this residuum remained in England, where 

 it is occasionally turned up even at the present day. In 

 a considerable number of the original plates which were 

 found in a bookshop in New Oxford Street in August, 

 1912, twelve were in the uncolored state, and several 

 had the appearance of rejects; moreover, in a collection 

 of these plates received from England in 1910, there 

 were nine copies of the same subject, the Painted Bunt- 

 ing (No. 11, Plate 53). Though a complete set of the 

 plain plates is known, 12 and a considerable number were 

 probably dispersed in America, they are very rare. 



Audubon wrote to Havell again on the 13th of 

 March, when he complained of the gross mistakes made 



12 See Note 5, Vol. II, p. 7. Mr. John Hardin (see Vol. II, p. 995) 

 showed me an uncolored print of the Hen Turkey which John W. Auduhon 

 had given him, and a correspondent in New Orleans informs me that a rel- 

 ative possesses a numher in this condition, which were received many years 

 ago as a gift from Mrs. Auduhon. Mr. Charles E. Goodspeed, of Boston, 

 was the recipient of the Painted Bunting plates, noticed above. 



