52 



AUDUBON 



I 



poverty. He at once took him to his house and kept him 

 as a guest, till, like Micawber, " something turned up " for 

 him to do. When this gentleman left, this entry is made : 

 " Mr. Matabon's departure is regretted by us all, and we 

 shall sorely miss his beautiful music on the flute." 



Summer approaching, when those who purchased pic- 

 tures and took drawing-lessons were about to leave the 

 city, Audubon accepted a position aS tutor in the house- 

 hold of a Mr. Quaglas near Natchez. Mrs. Audubon, who 

 had for some time been teaching in the family of Mr. 

 Brand, removed to that gentleman's house with her sons; 

 they, however, were almost immediately sent to school at 

 Washington, nine miles from Natchez, Audubon's salary 

 enabling him to do this, and in September he was joined 

 by his wife. 



While at Natchez, the long summer days permitted the 

 drawing of birds as well as the teaching, which was con- 

 scientiously performed, and the hope of eventually pub- 

 lishing grew stronger. In the autumn of this year (1822), 

 Audubon met a portrait painter named John Stecn or 

 Stein, from Washington, Pa., and thus writes, December, 

 1822: " He gave me the first lesson in painting in oils 

 I ever took in my life ; it was a copy of an Otter from 

 one of my water-colors. Together we painted a full length 

 portrait of Pere Antonio, which was sent to Havana." 



January, 1823, brought fresh changes. Mrs. Audubon, 

 with her son John, went to Mrs. Percy's plantation, Beech- 

 woods, to teach not only Marguerite Percy, but also the 

 daughters of the owners of the neighboring plantations, 

 and Audubon, with Victor and Mr. Steen, started on a tour 

 of the Sout.ie. n States in a dearborn, intending to paint 

 for their support. The journal says, March, 1823; " I re- 

 gretted deeply leaving my Natchez friends, especially 

 Charles Carr6 and Dr. Provan. The many birds I had 

 collected to take to France I made free; some of the 

 doves had beccme so fond of me that I was oblig'^'^ to 



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