London Once More. 381 



three new subscribers, and lost one, a banker." Here 

 Audubon remained about a month j went to Philadelphia 

 to collect money, which he found rather difficult; and 

 passed on to New York. 



April 16, 1834. After remaining two weeks in 

 New York, Audubon, his wife, and son John, sailed 

 on the above date for Liverpool, "in the superb pack- 

 et, the North America, commanded by that excellent 

 gentleman, Mr. Dixey of Philadelphia. Our company 

 was good ; our passage was good ; the first land we 

 saw was Holyhead, and in nineteen days after leaving 

 America we were put ashore in Old England." Audubon 

 saw his friends in Liverpool, who had lost none of their 

 former cordiality and kindness ; and after a few days he 

 left with his family, by the way of Birmingham, for Lon- 

 don. 



^^ May 12. We reached London to-day and found our 

 son Victor quite well, and were all happy. My work 

 and business were going on prosperously." After re- 

 maining several weeks in London, and seeing to mat- 

 ters relating to his publication there, Audubon and his 

 son Victor went to deliver letters of introduction which 

 they had brought. Among those letters was one from one 

 of the firm of the distinguished American banking-house 

 Prime, Ward, and King, to the famous London bank- 

 er, Rothschild. " The letter was addressed to Baron 

 Rothschild, the man who, notwithstanding his original 

 poverty, is now so well known through his immense wealth, 

 which he uses as banker, jobber, and lender of money. 

 We found no difficulty in ascertaining the place of busi- 

 ness of the great usurer. Business in London is thor- 

 oughly matter of fact ; no external pomp indicated the 

 counting-house of the baron ; there was nothing to dis- 

 tinguish it from those of men of less enormous capital; 

 and we walked into his private office without any hin- 



