240 Deane, Letters of MacGillivray to Auduboti. Va^\^ 



No. I. 



Edinburgh, 22 Warriston Crescent 

 7th May, 1 83 1 

 Dear Sir, 



I received your letter of the 30th ulto. in due time. Agreeably 

 to your desire I called upon Mr. Neill, but did not find him, and 

 so went to Prof. Jameson who informed me that the election of 

 your friends had not yet taken place, but would be proposed at 

 next meeting. I also called at Mr. Kidd's, but did not find him. 

 With respect to the review, I can only say that if Mr. Lockhart is 

 so doubtful as to my powers, he may doubt as long as he lists. I 

 shall not submit any essay of mine to his judgment. If you had 

 informed me that he or the conductor of my other review would 

 print a notice of your works, I should have agreed to write one 

 with pleasure, but under existing circumstances I shall not, it being 

 repugnant to my feelings and contrary to my practice and princi- 

 ples to sue for favor with any man. I have already written three 

 reviews of your books which have been printed, and when I am 

 applied to for a fourth I shall write it too, with "an elegance of 

 style, a power of expression, and knowledge of the subject " equal 

 to those usually displayed by the editor of the Quarterly. 



I have settled with Mr. Boyd about the volume which I am to 

 write for him. Prof. Jamieson sent a flaming eulogy of my trans- 

 lation of Richard W. Blackwood, and wishes me to undertake the 

 translation of a Latin work on Zoology, for the use of his class ; 

 nothing that has happened to me for ten years has surprised me 

 more than his having said to you that I did not deserve to be men- 

 tioned in your book. I have been collecting birds for description, 

 and looking over my old manuscript, and before you return I ex- 

 pect to have my views on the classification of objects of Natural 

 History published, and perhaps a synopsis of British Quadrupeds 

 and Birds. My translation of Richard has been recommended by 

 Prof. Jameson to his pupils, adopted by Dr. Graham as his text 

 book, and praised, as I am informed, in the newspapers. They 

 say Wilson has said nothing of your biography in the last number 

 of the magazine, which, however, I have pot seen, and I am in- 



