CHAPTER VIII 
DACOSTA AND THE “MILL GROVE” MINE 
Advent of a new agent at “Mill Grove’—Dacosta becomes guardian to 
young Audubon and exploits a neglected lead mine on the farm— 
Correspondence of Lieutenant Audubon and Dacosta—Quarrel with 
Dacosta—Audubon’s return to France. 
If young Audubon was playing the réle of a prodigal 
son at the “Mill Grove” farm, which in a certain sense 
was doubtless true, an episode soon occurred which put 
a check to his carefree existence. Not long after the 
naturalist had arrived, William Thomas, the tenant, 
called his attention to the lead-ore deposits, which he 
thought had been discovered by a Mr. Gilpin in 1791, 
and the news of this prospect was promptly communi- 
cated to the elder Audubon in France. Though the 
presence of this mineral at “Mill Grove” had been 
known, as we have seen, at a much earlier day, its redis- 
covery excited great interest, and may have been a factor 
of influence in the steps which were soon to be taken. It 
should be noticed, however, that before May, 1803, a 
young Frenchman from Nantes, bearing the Portuguese 
name of Francis Dacosta, had preceded young Audubon 
to “Mill Grove,” and apparently had acquired at that 
time a certain interest in the farm.’ Dacosta soon suc- 
1In Dacosta’s final statement of his account, which was disputed, car- 
ried into court, and eventually settled by arbitration at Philadelphia, on 
August 1, 1807, these items occur: “Omitted, $300.00, paid by Francis 
Dacosta to Miers Fisher, on May 24, 1803;” and “Ditto $176.67, the pro- 
portion of Francis Dacosta in the rent of the first year, which has not 
been paid to him.” (See Appendix I, Document 1la; MSS. in possession 
of Mr. Welton A. Rozier.) 
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