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AUDUBON 



69 



northward to New York, when the three sailed for Liver- 

 pool April 16, and joined Victor in London, in May, 



1834. 

 It has been erroneously stated that Audubon kept no 



journals during this second visit to England and Scotland, 



for the reasons that his family — for whom he wrote — 



was with him, and also that he worked so continuously for 



the " Ornithological Biography ; " but this is a mistake. 



Many allusions to the diaries of these two years from 



April, 1834, until August, 1836, are found, and conclusive 



proof is that Victor writes: "On the 19th of July last, 



1845, the copper-plates from which the " Birds of America " 



had been printed were ruined by fire,^ though not entirely 



destroyed, as were many of my father's journals, — most 



unfortunately those which he had written during his 



residence in London and Edinburgh while writing and 



publishing the letter-press." 



It was at this time that Victor and John went to the 

 Continent for five months, being with their parents the 

 remainder of the time, both studying painting in their 

 respective branches, Victor working at landscapes, John 

 at portraits and birds. 



In July, 1836, Audubon and John returned to America, 

 to find that nearly everything in the way of books, papers, 

 the valuable and curious things collected both at home 

 and abroad, had been destroyed in New York in the fire 

 of 1835, Mr. Berthoud's warehouse being one of those 

 blown up with gunpowder to stay the spread of the fire. 

 Mrs. Audubon and Victor remained in London, in the 

 house where they had lived some time, 4 Wimpole St., 

 Cavendish Square. After a few weeks in New York, 

 father and son went by land to Charleston, pausing at 

 Washington and other cities; and being joined by Mr. 

 Edward Harris in the spring of 1837, they left Dr. Bach- 

 man's where they had spent the winter, for the purpose 



^ The offices 34 Liberty St., New York, were burned at this time. 



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