$34 Bwgraphical Sketch of [May, 
travel and rural retirement, had rendered qualified to teach. “Mr. 
Bartram soon perceived the bent of his friend’s mind, and its con- 
geniality to his own ; and took every pains to encourage him in a 
study which; while it expands the faculties, and purifies the heart, 
insensibly leads to the contemplation of the glorious Author of 
nature himself. From his youth Mr. Wilson had been observant of 
the manners of birds; and since his arrival in America had found 
them objects of uncommon interest ; but he had not yet viewed 
them with the eye of a naturalist. 
Mr. Bartram possessed some works on natural history, particularly 
those of Catesby and Edwards. Mr. Wilson perused them atten- 
tively ; and found himself enabled, even with his slender stock of 
information, to detect errors and absurdities into which these authors 
had fallen, from a defective mode of studying nature: a mode 
which, while it led them to the repositories of dried skins and pre- 
parations, and to a reliance on hearsay evidence, subjected them to 
the imputation of ignorance, which their lives, devoted to the cul- 
tivation and promotion of science, certainly would not justify. Mr. 
Wilson’s improvement was now rapid; and the judicious criticisms 
which he made on the above-mentioned authors, gratified his friend 
and instructor, who redoubled his encouraging assistance, in order 
to further one in a pursuit for which his genius, now beginning to 
develope itself, was evidently fitted. 
In his new situation Mr. Wilson had many enjoyments; but he 
had likewise moments of despondency which solitude tended te 
confirm, He had addicted himself to the writing of verses and to 
music ; and being of a musing turn of mind, had given way to 
those seductive feelings which the charming scenery of the country, 
in a susceptible heart, never fails to awaken, This was a fatal bias, 
which all his efforts could not counteract or remove. His friends 
ae the danger of his state ; and one in whose friendship he 
ad placed strong reliance, and to whom he had freely unburthened 
himself, Mr. Lawson, the engraver, became alarmed for the sound- 
ness of his intellect.* ‘There was one subject which contributed 
not a little to increase his mental gloom, and that was the consi- 
deration of the life of penury and dependance to which he seemed 
destined as the teacher of a country school. Mr, Lawson imme- 
diately recommended the renouncing of poetry and the flute, and 
the substituting of the amusement of drawing in their stead, as 
* Since the above has been in type, the following incident has heen communicated 
to us By Col. Carr, who had it from Mr, Wilson himself. During the time that the 
latter laboured under great depression of spirits, in order to sooth his mind he one 
day rambled with his gun. ‘The piece by aecident ‘slipped from his hand, and in 
making an effort to regain it the lock was cocked. At that moment, had the gun 
gone off, it is more than probable that he would have lost his life, asthe muzzle 
was opposite to his breast..* When Mr, Wilson reflected on the danger which he 
hadescaped, he shuddered at the idea of the imputation of suicide, which a fatal 
occurrence, to one in hig frame of mind, would have occasioned. There is room 
to conjécture that many have accidentally met their end whose memories have beens 
guilied by the alleged crime of self murder, ~ 
