118 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



upon this subject. My son speaks to me about his marriage. 

 If you would have the kindness to inform me about his in- 

 tended, as well as about her parents, their manners, their con- 

 duct, their means, and why they are in that country, whether 

 it was in consequence of misfortune that they left Europe, 

 you will be doing me a signal service, and I beg you, moreover, 

 to oppose this marriage until I may give my consent to it. 

 Tell these good people that my son is not at all rich, and that 

 I can give him nothing if he marries in this condition. 



Jean Audubon to Francis Dacosta 



NANTES, le 19 ventose, an 13 9 March, 1805 

 MR. DACOSTA, Philadelphia: 



I have received at this very moment your duplicate of the 

 twelfth of November, and your letter of December fifth, which is 

 not so favorable for several reasons as the one preceding it, yet 

 this impels us to hope that your last tunnel will not be a de- 

 serter, and that the oxides of iron which are present will not 

 vanish upon further digging ; this, at least, is my hope. You do 

 well to make every effort to obtain associates. If this does not 

 succeed, and if you should wish to work for our interests, I 

 should always approve of everything that you do, since you 

 have my confidence. In this case I believe . . . that you should 

 make the most urgent repairs, above all at the principal house, 

 before going there to live. As to Mr. W. Thomas, you do 

 well to keep him for yourself for every reason that you give 

 me, and I believe that he will not be stubborn about withdrawing 

 until he has, or has not, deserved his reward. 



I am [vexed] Sir; one cannot be more vexed at the fact that 

 you should have reason to complain about the conduct of my 

 son, for the whole thing, when well considered, is due only to 

 bad advice, and lack of experience ; they have goaded his self- 

 esteem, and perhaps he has been immature enough to boast in 

 the house to which he goes, that this plantation should fall to 

 him, to him alone. You have every means to destroy this pre- 

 sumption; it is known at Philadelphia that you have the same 



