CHAPTER XXIII 
AUDUBON IN LONDON 
Impressions of the metropolis—A trunk full of letters—Friendship of 
Children—Sir Thomas Lawrence—Lizars stops work—A family of 
artists—Robert Havell, Junior—The Birds of America fly to London— 
The Zoological Gallery—Crisis in the naturalist’s affairs—Royal 
patronage—Interview with Gallatin—Interesting the Queen—Desertion 
of patrons—Painting to independence—Personal habits and tastes— 
Enters the Linnean Society—The White-headed Eagle—Visit to the 
great universities—Declines to write for magazines—Audubon-Swain- 
son correspondence—“Highfield Hall” near Tyttenhanger—In Paris 
with Swainson—Glimpses of Cuvier—His report on The Birds of 
America—Patronage of the French Government and the Duke of 
Orleans—Bonaparte the naturalist. 
Audubon reached London on May 21, 1827, and 
put up at the “Bull and Mouth” tavern, but soon moved 
into more permanent lodgings at number 55 Great 
Russell Street, near the British Museum. Though for 
a long time eager to see the capital, no sooner had he 
reached it than he was anxious to be away and more 
homesick than ever for his family and his beloved 
America. London then seemed to him “like the mouth 
of an immense monster, guarded by millions of sharp- 
edged teeth,” from which he could escape only by 
miracle. 
He had brought with him a formidable array of 
letters addressed to the élite of the capital,’ and he bore 
* Among the sixty or more persons to whom Audubon carried written 
credentials at this time were the following: the Duke of Northumberland, 
Robert Peel, Sir Humphry Davy, Sir J. D. Aukland, Albert Gallatin, 
the American Minister, Sir Thomas Lawrence, David Wilkie, Dr. Buck- 
land, Dr. Holland, Dr. Roget, Dr. Wollaston, William Swainson, Sir 
William Herschel, and his son, afterwards Sir John Herschel, John George 
Children, R. W. Hay, N. A. Vigors, Captain Cook, John Murray and 
Robert Bakewell (see Vol. II, p. 134). 
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