“LA GERBETIERE” 137 
of the city, Lieutenant Audubon made “La Gerbetiére”’ 
his permanent abode only when he retired from the navy 
in 1801, still maintaining, as we have seen, a foothold 
in Nantes. 
Upon Audubon’s first return from the United States 
in the spring of 1805, he said that his vessel entered the 
mouth of the Loire and anchored off Paimbceuf, the 
lower harbor of Nantes. “On sending my name to the 
principal officer of the customs,” the narrative continues, 
“he came on board, and afterwards sent me to my fa- 
ther’s villa, La Gerbetiére, in his barge and with his 
own men.” It is to be noticed, incidentally, that as the 
distance to be covered between the lower and upper 
harbors was twenty-five miles, or sixteen miles to 
Couéron, such journeys no doubt were made upon the 
arrival of incoming vessels for the regular business of 
the service. 
It has been suggested, without proof, that Couéron 
represents the ancient town of Corbilo, mentioned by 
Strabo at the beginning of our era. Though unques- 
tionably ancient, at the time of the Revolution it was a 
small and unimportant parish of poor but industrious 
farmers. It occupies rolling ground, but little raised 
above the Loire, to the east of Port Launay and nearly 
opposite Pellerin. As this commune was easily acces- 
sible by river-barge from Nantes, the revolutionists 
seem to have thought it worth watching, though Citizen 
Audubon found its people in a tranquil mood when he 
canvassed their district in behalf of the Central Com- 
mittee in April, 1793. Couéron is still a farming com- 
munity, but its population’ has been considerably 
1The total population of Couéron, as given in the official directory 
for 1913, was 2,035, but the total working population is probably three 
times as great. 
