270 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 
as the “enigma” of his life. In some of his private 
journals and letters ** he dramatically declared that a 
mystery had surrounded his early existence, which he 
was bound by a solemn oath exacted by his father never 
to reveal, and that this secret must be carried by him 
to the grave. If it be the duty of a biographer to make 
the true character of his subject known, the passage of 
time would now seem to sanction reference to many 
personal matters which a century ago should have been 
more rigidly guarded. I enter upon this task solely 
with the view of placing Audubon’s character in a truer 
and fairer light. 
The essential facts regarding Audubon’s birth and 
early years have now been given, and this is the true, 
though possibly not the complete, story. Anything 
which we now add, however, can be regarded as little 
better than speculation. Audubonis said to have received 
through his father a large sum of money from an un- 
known or unnamed source,'* but as such stories are apt 
to be exaggerated, especially when an ocean intervenes 
between a testator and his heir, the statement may be 
erroneous; we have seen that Lieutenant Audubon was 
not in a position to make such gifts himself had he been 
so disposed. If the report were true, the money may 
have come from the estate of his mother, and through 
the agency of the mysterious “Audubon of La Ro- 
% These passages, which were shown to me by his granddaughter, Miss 
Maria R. Audubon, in 1914, but not for publication, occur in his journals 
under the following dates; June 4, 1826, at sea; March 15, 1827, at Edin- 
burgh, after describing a visit of Lady Selkirk and her daughter; again 
on the 18th of March of the same or the following year; and on October 
8, 1828, when writing to his wife from Paris and reflecting on the advisabil- 
ity of visiting his old home at Nantes. While these extraordinary passages 
are not quoted, out of deference to the wishes of his granddaughters, it 
seems only just to Audubon, in view of the revelations that have already 
been made, to add this brief reference to the incidents in question. 
“4 This statement was made to me in 1914 by Miss Maria R. Audubon. 
