80 AI.EXANDER WILSON : POET-NATURAUST 



"Permit me now to ask your Excellency's for- 

 giveness for this intrusion. Rejoicing with 3 

 grateful country on the prospects of reaping the 

 fruits of your pre-eminent services for many years 

 I implore Heaven to bless and preserve a life so 

 honourable to Science and so valuable to the Re- 

 publican institutions of a great and rapidly in- 

 creasing Empire and beg leave to Subscribe my- 

 self 



"With deepest veneration, 

 "Your Excellency's sincere Friend 



and humble Servant 

 "Alex Wilson." 

 "Kingsess March i8th, 1805." 



The President responded with a letter full of 

 interest and courtesy which we print in full: 



"Monticello Apr. 7, 05. 

 "Sir 



"I received here yesterday your favor of March 

 18, with the elegant drawings of the new birds 

 you found on your tour to Niagara, for which I 

 pray you to accept my thanks. The Jay is quite 

 unknown to me, from my observations while in 

 Europe, on the birds & quadrupeds of that quar- 

 ter, I am of opinion there is not in our continent a 

 single bird or quadruped which is not sufficiently 

 unlike all the members of it's family there to be 

 considered as specifically different, on this gen- 

 eral observation I conclude with confidence that 

 your Jay is not a European bird. 



"The first bird on the same sheet I judge to 



