Ixxiv UFE OF WILSON, 



veral copies of the prospectus into my pocket, and walked up 

 to this spacious sanctuary of literature. I could amuse you with 

 some of my reflections on this occasion, but room will not per- 

 mit Dr. Smith, the president, and Dr. M'Lean, professor of 

 Natural History, were the only two I found at home. The latter 

 invited me to tea, and both were much pleased and surprised 

 with the appearance of the work. I expected to receive some 

 valuable information from McLean, on the ornithology of the 

 country, but I soon found, to my astonishment, that he scarcely 

 knew a sparrow from a woodpecker. At his particular request, 

 I left a specimen of the plates with him ; and from what passed 

 between us, I have hopes that he will pay more attention to this 

 department of his profession than he has hitherto done. I visit- 

 ed several other literary characters; and, at about half past eighty 

 the Pilot coming up, I took my passage in it to New Brunswick,, 

 which we reached at midnight, and where I immediately went 

 to bed. 



" The next morning was spent in visiting the few gentlemen 

 who were likely to patronize my undertaking. I had another 

 task of the same kind at Elizabethtown; and, without tiring you 

 with details that would fill a volume, I shall only say that I 

 reached Newark that day, having gratified the curiosity, and 

 feasted the eyes, of a great number of people, who repaid me 

 with the most extravagant compliments, which I would have 

 very willingly exchanged for a few simple subscriptions. I 

 spent nearly the whole of Saturday in Newark, where my 

 book attracted as many starers as a bear or a mammoth would 

 have done; and I arrived in New York the same evening. The 

 next day I wrote a number of letters, enclosing copies of the 

 prospectus, to different gentlemen in town. In the afternoon 

 of Tuesday I took my book, and waited on each of those gen- 

 tlemen to whom I had written the preceding day. Among these 

 I found some friends, but more admirers. The professors of 

 Columbia College expressed much esteem for my performance. 

 The professor of languages, being a Scotchman, and also a Wil- 

 son, seemed to feel all the pride of national partiality so common 



