CHARLES ALEXANDRE LESUEUR. 



135 



bless my soul ! " the only approach to anything like irritation 

 that he evinced; he was very kind-hearted. 



" In conversation with Agassiz about Mr. Lesueur, the 

 great Swiss ichthyologist paid a high compliment to Lesueur's 

 acquirements in that department, considering him then (as I 

 inferred) the next best to himself at that time in the United 

 States. He was n however, I judge, remarkably conversant 

 with other branches of biology, inasmuch as nearly all the 

 magnificent drawings he had made when left in New Holland 

 (as it was then called) were mammals, chiefly the ornithorhyn- 

 chus, echidna, and other rare animals. In showing his draw- 

 ings he generally offered a lens, that you might see every 

 hair distinctly delineated. 



" He was a magnificent artist, good alike in drawing and 

 colouring. I have some of his sketches yet, in which, when I 

 was taking drawing lessons from him, he showed me how to 

 outline, for instance, the skeleton of the human figure, then to 

 add the muscular system, then the clothing, drapery, etc. We 

 usually took views from Nature. Although so minute in de- 

 tails of fine paintings, he was equally good in large scenery. 

 For many years we had here the scenes he painted for a Thes- 

 pian Society of this place, where, amid the forest trees, he had 

 squirrels, birds, etc. Being fond of hunting, he had made to 

 order by a native gunsmith, who was quite a genius, a double- 

 barrel piece, one a rifle, the other a smoothbore. Gillson, the 

 gunsmith, made the barrels, bored the rifle, made the stock, and 

 an admirable lock ; the stock was inlaid with silver and en- 

 graved by the same skilful hand, bearing Lesueur's name and 

 an appropriate device. I do not remember exactly the price, 

 but think it was about a hundred dollars. 



" In consequence of his having been with La Pe'rouse (until, 

 fortunately for his life, he was left to work up the animals of 

 Australia), the French Government gave him a pension, which 

 he drew annually, until they notified him that, unless he re- 

 turned and gave his time and talents to his native country 

 (France), the pension would be withheld.* He went at a time 

 when I was absent, and those who here knew him well have 



* This statement evidently contains an error. The pension was probably 

 given for his services in conjunction with Peron, as he was too young to have 

 gone on the ill-fated expedition commanded by La Perouse. W. J. Y. 



