252 WANDERINGS IN 



THIRD gentleman in George-town had made me a present 



JOURNEY. 



of. I had collected in the forest several eggs of 



curious birds, in hopes of introducing the breed 

 into England, and had taken great pains in doing 

 them over with gum arabic, and in packing them 

 in charcoal, according to a receipt I had seen in 

 the gazette, from the " Edinburgh Philosophical 

 Journal." But these were detained in the depot, 

 instead of being placed under a hen ; which 

 utterly ruined all my hopes of rearing a new 

 species of birds in England. Titled personages 

 in London interested themselves in behalf of the 

 collection, but all in vain. And vain also were 

 the public and private representations of the first 

 officer of the Liverpool Custom-house in my 

 favour. 



At last there came an order from the Treasury 

 to say, that any specimens Mr. Waterton intended 

 to present to public institutions might pass duty 

 free ; but those which he intended to keep for 

 himself must pay the duty ! 



A friend now wrote to me from Liverpool, 

 requesting that I would come over and pay the 

 duty, in order to save the collection, which had 

 just been detained there six weeks. I did so. 

 On paying an additional duty, (for the moderate 

 duty first imposed had already been paid,) the 

 man who had detained the collection, delivered it 

 up to me, assuring me that it had been well taken 

 care of, and that a fire had been frequently made 



