296 



AUDUBON 



Mr. Vigors, who assisted me in the nomenclature of the 

 Hawk for Lord Stanley. This afternoon I received a let- 

 ter from Mr. Wm. Swainson, inviting me to go to spend 

 a day with him. My work continues to be well received, 

 and as I have a tolerable list of subscribers I hope it will 

 continue to improve. 



April 21. The same feelings still exist this year that 

 I felt last, during my whole stay in London. I hate it, 

 yes, I cordially hate London, and yet cannot escape from 

 it. I neither can write my journal when here, nor draw 

 well, and if I walk to the fields around, the very voice 

 of the sweet birds I hear has no longer any charm for 

 me, the pleasure being too much mingled with the idea 

 that in another hour all will again be bustle, filth, and 

 smoke. Last Friday, when about to answer Mr. Swain- 

 son's letter, I suddenly thought that it would be best for 

 me to go to see him at once. The weather was shock- 

 ing ; a dog would scarce have turned out to hunt the fin- 

 est of game. I dined at two, and went to a coach office, 

 when, after waiting a long time, the coachman assured me 

 that unless I had been to Mr. Swainson's before, it 

 would be madness to go that day, as his house lay 

 off from the main road fully five miles, and it was a 

 difficult place to find; moreover, the country, he said, 

 was swimming. This is the first advice I have ever 

 had from a coachman to stop me from paying my fare; 

 I thanked him, and returned home, and wrote to Mr. 

 Swainson ; then walked twice round Kensington Gar- 

 dens, most dull and melancholy. Ah ! cannot I return 

 to America.'' 



April 2^. I have been so harassed in mind and body, 

 since ten days, that I am glad to feel partially relieved at 

 last. All the colorers abandoned the work because I 

 found one of theii amber was doing miserable daubing, 

 and wished him dismissed unless he improved; but now 

 they are all replaced. 



