JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 115 

 were presented to Mr. Crawford, an 

 agent of the British Minister to Mexico, 

 who has come here on some secret mis- 

 sion. 



"The President was engaged in the 

 opposite room on some national busi- 

 ness, and we could not see him for some 

 time. Meanwhile we amused ourselves 

 by walking to the capitol, which was 

 yet without a roof, and the floors, 

 benches, and tables of both houses of 

 Congress were as well saturated with 

 water as our clothes had been in the 

 morning. Being invited by one of 

 the great men of the place to enter a 

 booth to take a drink of grog with 

 him, we did so ; but I was rather sur- 

 prised that he offered his name, instead 

 of the ca^sh to the bar-keeper. 



"We first caught sight of President 

 Houston as he walked from one of the 

 grog shops, where he had been to pre- 

 vent the sale of ardent spirits. He was 

 on his way to his house, and wore a 



