WIIvSON AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICANS 85 



son, begs leave to become a subscriber to it, sat- 

 isfied it will give us valuable new matter as well 

 as correct the errors of what we possessed before, 

 he salutes mr. Wilson with great respect. 

 "Washington Oct. 9, 07." 



A year later when Wilson was in Washington 

 soliciting subscribers he called at the White 

 House to see the President, sending in the fol- 

 lowing note to announce himself: 



"Alexander Wilson, author of 'American Orni- 

 tholog}^,' would be happy to submit the first vol- 

 ume of this work to the inspection of Mr. Jeffer- 

 son, if he knew when it would be convenient for 

 the President. 



A, WiivSON. 

 "Saturday Noon. 

 "Endorsed: Alexr Wilson, reed Dec. 17, 08." 



Wilson himself thus describes his reception in 

 a letter to his friend, Mr. D. H. Miller: "The 

 President received me very kindly. I asked for 

 nobody to introduce me, but merely sent him a 

 line that I was there; when he ordered me to be 

 immediately admitted. He has given me a letter 

 to a gentleman in Virginia, who is to introduce 

 me to a person there, who, Mr. Jefferson says, 

 has spent his whole life in studying the manners 

 of our birds ; and from whom I am to receive a 

 world of facts and observations. The President 

 intended to send for this person himself, and to 

 take down, from his mouth, what he knows on the 

 subject, thinking it a pity, as he says, that the 



