THE OSPEEY. 



23 



CORRESPONDENCE OF AND ABOUT AUDUBON WITH SWAINSON. 



By Theodore Gili,, Washington, D. C. 



The correspondence with Swainson of his 

 contemporaries has been referred to in the 

 columns of comments in the present number of 

 the OSPREY. Among the first of its treasures 

 are a number of letters from the great artist- 

 ornithologist, John James Audubon. There are 

 24 of these, and some of them would necessitate 

 a slight modification of the account of the inter- 

 course between Audubon and Swainson derived 

 from the former's letters to his wife, or at least 

 they would supplement them and add further 

 details. Dr. Giinther has given a slight sketch 

 of the character of Audubon's correspondence 

 as well as a list of the letters and briefs of their 

 contents. 



Dr. Giinther, "from the great number of cor- 

 respondents" of Swainson, has selected "two 

 ornithologists who by their fame claim our at- 

 tention, Audubon and Prince C. Lucien Bona- 

 parte." Respecting Audubon, he discourses 

 in the following terms: 



"Audubon's letters are rather disappointing: 

 they contain chiefly matter relating t<> his per- 

 sonal and domestic affairs, and little of direct 

 ornithological interest. Thelanguage in which 

 they are written is sometimes as fantastic and 

 unnatural as are many of the pictures on which 

 he was engaged for his mammoth edition of the 

 'Birds of America.' The acquaintance between 

 the two men commenced with an offer of Swain- 

 son to write a review of Audubon's work. The 

 review (in Loudon's Magazine) was highly eulo- 

 gistic, but probably would have been less so 

 later on when Swainson became better ac- 

 quainted with Audubon's method. He observed 

 a discreet silence about the famous picture of 

 "The Eagle and the Lamb," which did not 

 escape Audubon's notice. Shortly after they 

 paid a joint visit to Paris, where Audubon 

 looked for subscribers to his large work*', whilst 

 Swainson cultivated the friendship of the 

 French Zoologists (particularly of Lesson), 

 which a few years afterwards led him to break 

 a lance for his foreign friends in an article en- 

 titled "Vindication of certain French Natu- 

 ralists." Audubon soon conceived the idea of 

 publishing some letterpress to his collection of 

 pictures, but as he himself did not possess the 

 requisite leisure or qualifications, he was 

 searching for a^-istance. At that time he does 

 not seem to have been acquainted with Macgil- 

 livray: at least his name does not appear in any 

 of his letters. So he placed a plan of the in- 

 tended work before Swainson, who declined the 

 proposal. This, as well as Audubon's return to 

 America in 1831, led b i the discontinuance of the 

 correspondence, which afterwards was resumed 

 for a short period only." 



Probably those letters of Audubon will not be 

 the le." interesting to our friend.-- because "they 

 contain chiefly matter relating to hi-- personal 

 and domestic affairs" and have "little of direct 

 ornithological interest." As to Dr. Giinther's 



judgment on An 

 nothing need be 



The summary 

 Giinther follows: 



London. 

 9 April 1829. 



18 April 1S28. 

 1 May 1828. 



16 June 1828. 



1 Julv 1828. 



July 1828. 



Aug. 1828. 



21. 22. 25 Aug 

 1828. 



27 An-. 1828. 

 1 Nov. 1828. 



7 Nov. 1828. 



20 I »ec. 1828. 

 25 Dec 1828. 



14 Feb. 1829. 

 New Jersey. 

 14 Sept. 1829 



London. 

 28 April 1830. 



dubon's personality and works 

 said here, 

 of the letters given by Dr. 



In reply to an offer by S. to 

 review his works for a copy 

 of them at cost-price, A. 

 agrees, although his publi- 

 cations cost him twice the 

 sale price. — Habits of La- 

 iiius excubitor. 



A. proposes to meet S. 



A most effusive letter of 

 thanks for S.'s review. — 

 His plan of publishing a 

 work on British Birds does 

 not meet with favour from 

 any one. 



Another letter in high flown 

 language. His method of 

 composing the picture of 

 the Eagle and the Lamb. 



On the same and other pic- 

 tures composed or improved 

 in London from various 

 materials. 



A. hopes the "Eagle and 

 Lamb" will go to Windsor 

 Castle. S. abstains from 

 offering an opinion on the 

 merits of the picture. 



Despondent about domestic 

 affairs: proposes to S. a 

 visit to Paris. 



About the arrangements for 

 the journey. Has received 

 from Vigors the offer of ,£10 

 10j. Od. p. sheet for a paper 

 for the Zoolog. Journal. 



To Mrs. S., who joins the 

 party to Paris. 



A. has returned from Paris 

 where he got 14 subscribers 

 to his work, which raised 

 the whole list of subscri- 

 bers to 144. 



A. has sold his picture of the 

 Blue Jays for 10 gs.; he has 

 presented his work to the 

 Linnean Society, without 

 receiving an acknowledg- 

 ment. 



A. mention that the skeleton 

 of the Elephant from Exeter 

 'Change fetched ,£400. 



Private affairs. 



Private affairs. — Habits of 

 Ampelis americana. 



A. has returned to England, 

 visits Paris again, sends S. 



-In this he was so far successful that Ik obtained II additional subscrihers, which raised the total number to 144. 



