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234 



AUDUBON 



much for difference of taste. — I have just returned from 

 old Bewick's. We had a great deal of conversation, all 

 tending towards Natural History ; other guests came in as 

 the evening fell, and politics and religion were touched 

 upon. Whilst this was going on old Bewick sat silent 

 chewing his tobacco; the son, too, remained quiet, but 

 the eldest daughter, who sat next to me, was very interest- 

 ing, and to my surprise resembles my kind friend Hannah 

 Rathbone so much, that I frequently felt as if Miss Hannah, 

 with her black eyes a id slender figure, were beside me. I 

 was invited to breal.fast to-morrow at eight with Mr. 

 Bewick to see the old gentleman at work. 



April 16. I breakfasted with old Bewick this morning 

 quite sans cMmonie, and then the old man set to work to 

 show me how simple it was to ait wood! But cutting wood 

 as he did is no joke ; he did it with as much ease as I can 

 feather a bird ; he made all his tools, which are delicate 

 and very beautiful, and his artist shop was clean and at- 

 tractive. Later I went with Mr. Plummer, the officiating 

 American consul at this place, to the court-rooms, and 

 Merchant Coffee House, also to a new fish market, small 

 and of a half-moon form, contiguous to the river, that I 

 have forgotten to say is as dirty and muddy as an alligator 

 hole. The coal boats were moving down by hundreds, 

 with only one oar and a steerer, to each of which I saw 

 three men. We then went to the Literary and Philosoph- 

 ical Society rooms ; the library is a fine, large room with 

 many books — the museum small, but in neat order, and 

 well supplied with British specimens. Since then I have 

 been shov/ing my drawings to at least two hundred persons 

 who called at my lodgings, I was especially struck with 

 a young lady who came with her brother. I saw from my 

 window a groom walking three fine horses to and fro, and 

 almost immediately the lady and gentleman entered, whip 

 in hand, and spurred like fighting-cocks ; the lady, with a 

 beaver and black silk neckerchief, came in first and alone, 



