154 Life of Auduhon, 



I recollect that once, through inadvertence, when I called 

 at a shop where I had sold a copy of the picture, the 

 dealer bought the duplicate at the same price he had 

 given for the first ! What has become of all those pic- 

 tures?" 



About this date Sir Robert Peel returned a letter Au- 

 dubon had brought to him from Lord Meadowbank, and 

 requested him to hand it over to his successor. This 

 Audubon interpreted as giving him to understand that 

 he need trouble him no more. The letter was obtained 

 with the view of gaining a presentation to the king, and 

 Audubon was not a man to easily relinquish an idea or 

 an object which he had once determined on. According- 

 ly, he says, " I made up my mind to go directly to the 

 American minister, Mr. Gallatin, and know from him how 

 I should proceed, and if there were really no chance of 

 my approaching the king nearer than by passing his cas- 

 tle. To pay a visit of this sort in London is really no 

 joke ; but as I thought there was a possibility of it for 

 myself, I wanted to have the opinion of one who I be- 

 lieved was capable of deciding the matter. 



"As I reached his presence he said, laughing, ^ Al- 

 ways at home, my dear sir, when I am not out.' I un- 

 derstood him perfectly, and explained the object of my 

 visit. His intellectual face lighted up as he replied, 

 *What a simple man you must be to believe all that 

 is said to you about being introduced to his majesty ! 

 It is impossible, my dear sir; the king sees nobody; 

 he has the gout, is peevish, and spends his time play-j 

 ing whist at a shilling a rubber. I had to wait si^t 

 weeks before I was presented to him in my positioi] 

 of ambassador, and then I merely saw him six oi 

 seven minutes. He stood only during the time the 

 public functionaries from foreign countries passed him^ 

 and seated himself immediately afterwards, paying 



