368 Life of Audubon, 



" On our return to the hotel we were met by Mr. 

 Blanchard, the deputy consul for the United States, an 

 agreeable man, who offered frankly to do anything in his 

 power to make our visit fruitful and pleasant. ' Time 

 up,' and the coach almost ready, our bill was paid, our 

 birds packed, and I walked ahead about a mile out of 

 the town, with Mr. Blanchard, who spoke much of Eng- 

 land, and was acquainted with Mr. Adamson, and some 

 other friends whom I knew at Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



" The coach came up, I shook hands with Mr. Blan- 

 chard, jumped in, and away we went for Truro, distant 

 forty miles. The rain began to fall, and the wind to 

 blow from the east, a good wind for the Ripley, and on 

 we rolled on as good a road as any in England, were it 

 only a little broader. We now passed through a fine 

 tract of country, well wooded, well cultivated, and a won- 

 derful relief to our fatigued eyes, which had so long been 

 seeing only desolate regions, snow, and tempestuous 

 storms. 



"By four in the afternoon we were hungry, and 

 stopped at a house to dine, and it now rained faster 

 than before. Two ladies, and the husband of one of 

 them as I supposed, had arrived before us, in an open 

 cart or Jersey waggon ; and I, with all the gallantry be- 

 longing to my nature, offered to exchange vehicles with 

 them, which they readily accepted, but without express- 

 ing any thanks in return. After dinner Shattuck, Ingalls, 

 and myself jumped into the open thing ; I was seated by 

 the side of my so-so Irish dame, and our horse moved off 

 at a very good speed. 



" Our exchange soon proved an excellent one, for the 

 weather cleared up, and we saw the country much better 

 than we could have done in the coach, where there were 

 so many passengers that we should have been squeezed 

 together closely. Directly Professor McCullough came 



