AUDUBON'S GREATEST TRIUMPH 179 



which brought it did not leave London on that evening on a/c 

 of the coronation etc., Here the festivals were poor beyond 

 description, and although scarcely anything was to be seen, the 

 whole population was on foot the entire day, and nearly the 

 whole night, gazing at each other like lost sheep. No illumina- 

 tions except at two shops, Mr. Henderson's and another close 

 by him. The fireworks at the castle consisted merely of about 

 one hundred rockets, not a gun was fired from the batteries. 

 MacGillivray & I went to see the fireworks at 10 p.m, and soon 

 returned disgusted. His museum (College of Surgeons) and 

 the Edinburgh Museum were thrown open gratis, and were 

 thronged to excess Upwards of 20000 in the first, and about 

 25000 in the other ; all was however quite orderly. The day 

 was showery ; cloudy and dismal at times, but the evening was 

 clear and fine. Mr. Hill's father died on the morning of the 

 27th and I have not seen Alexander H., since. Many thanks 

 to Maria for her bunch of letters, and the few lines of her own 

 to me, I hope that everything will go on well with you all. 



We begin printing tomorrow *2d. of July, 1838!! remember 

 that Mesdames et Messieurs ! and I intend to proceed with all 

 possible despatch and care. All the birds in rum will be in- 

 spected as far as internal or digestive organs, trachea &c are 

 concerned, and as I am constantly present in the dissecting 

 room, I think I shall know something about the matter anon. 

 I am almost in hopes to see Victor tomorrow night but cannot 

 be sure. There are somewhere at home the nests of the birds 

 found on the Columbia by Nuttall and Townsend, I believe that 

 of Bewick's Wren is among them ; send them all, very carefully 

 packed. I want the journal of my first trip to the Floridas, 

 which was cut out of my large leather journal, previous to 

 going to Labrador, also a letter on the habits of the Yellow- 

 L bellied Cuckoo, by a gentleman at Charleston. If it cannot be 

 found perhaps Maria will recollect his name, being a friend of 

 John Bachman, if so send me that, in full if possible. It is the 

 gentleman in whose garden I procured the small and large 

 cuckoos in the same nest. 



I have written fortyfour articles for my appendix and 



