1908 ] Deane, Audubon's Copper-plates of ' Birds of America.' 409 



sets I think might all go into one case, tinned as usual and insured 

 of course to the full amount of their value, as well as all others and 

 to which I pray you to attend as if for your own self. It is impossible 

 for me to go to London at present, and indeed I cannot exactly tell 

 when I will, and I trust to you entirely for the seeing that all the 

 volumes are fair and good and passed through your oxen inspection 

 of them before they are packed. No volumes of Biographies must 

 be put in the same boxes. 



When you have disposed of your business, what will you do Avith 

 what you may have on hand belonging to us ? This recjuires an 

 answer from you at once. You have a great number of volumes 

 of Biographies, Pictures &c. &c., a regular list of which you ought 

 to send me. I cannot yet say when the 5th vol. of Biographies 

 will be finished, but will let you know as soon as I can. I received 

 yesterday morning a letter from a gentleman who has procured a 

 copy of the work through Mr. Eame the bookseller, he says that 

 he has called upon you to say that he has missing one plate and begs 

 to have a copy of- the plate struck and remitted to Mr. Eame who 

 will pay you whatever price the extra trouble on this account may 

 amount to, but he does not say what plate it is, and I therefor sup- 

 pose that you do ? If so as he is the brother-in-law of Mr. Walker 

 of Ravensfield Park, one of our good subscribers I would say do it 

 for him! My wife begs of you to save all the loose prints which 

 were returned to you by our son Victor, as well as any others what- 

 ever, perhaps among them you might find one to send Mr. Eame's 

 subscriber ? 



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

 way across the Atlantic!! Sir William Jardine- has published a 



1 "At a meeting of the Directors of tlie Great Western Railway, Oct., 1835, one 

 of tlie party spoke of tlie enormous length, as it then appeared, of the proposed 

 railway from London to Bristol, Mr. Brunei exclaimed, 'why not make it longer, 

 and have a steamboat to go from Bristol to New York, and call it the 'Great West- 

 ern'?". The suggestion was evidently received with favor, for on July 19, 1837, 

 the 'Great Western,' a steamship of 1340 tons and 236 feet in length, was launched 

 and on April 8, 1838, she sailed on her maiden voyage, under command of Lieut. 

 James Hosken, R. N., and reached New York on tlie 23rd inst. Sire was regarded 

 as a nautical novelty and remained in commission for eigliteen years. 



2 Sir William Jardine, born Edinburgh, Feb. 23, 1800; died Sandown, Isle of Wight, 

 Nov. 21, 1874. Editor of two editions of Wilson's 'American Ornithology' 1832-34. 

 Co-author, at the age of 25 years, with Prideaux John Selby, 'Illustrations of Orni- 

 thology,' 1830. Editor 'Naturalists Library,' 40 volumes, 1833-45, of wliich he 

 wrote 14 volumes. He was keenly addicted to field sports and a master of the rod 

 and the gun. 



