56 Life of Auduhon, 



dollars which had been defX)sited with a merchant in 

 Richmond^ Virginia. Audubon, however, took no steps 

 to obtain possession of his estate in France, and in after 

 years, when his sons had grown up, sent one of them to 

 France, for the purpose of legally transferring the prop- 

 erty to his own sister Rosa. The merchant who held 

 possession of the seventeen thousand dollars would not 

 deliver them up until Audubon proved himself to be the 

 son of Commodore Audubon. Before this could be done 

 the merchant died insolvent, and the legatee never recov- 

 ered a dollar of his money. Returning from Philadelphia 

 to Hendersonville, the unfortunate Audubon cheerfully 

 endeavored to provide for the future, about which he felt 

 considerable anxiety. Gathering a few hundred dollars, 

 he purchased some goods in Louisville, and returned to 

 business in Hendersonville. In his journey he met with 

 General Toledo, who was raising volunteers to go to 

 South America, and who offered him a colonel's commis- 

 sion in the adventure. Audubon, however, preferred 

 remaining at home. The business prospered; he pur- 

 chased land and a log cabin, with a family of negroes 

 thereto, and seemed to be comfortably settled. 



The prosperous career of Audubon was prematurely 

 closed by the arrival of a former partner, who joined him, 

 and whose presence seemed to herald disaster. This 

 partner advised him to erect a steam mill at Henderson- 

 ville, a place which was totally unfitted for any such specu- 

 lation. An Englishman, named Thomas Pease, joined 

 in partnership, and having lost his money in an absurd 

 project, separated from Audubon on no pleasant terms. 

 In order to carry on the mill with renewed vigor, other 

 partners were added ; and in connection with it Mr. 

 Apperson was established at Shawnee Town, Mr. Ben- 

 jamin Harrison at Vincennes in Indiana, and Nathaniel 

 Pope, an old clerk of Audubon's, on the Mississii^pi 



