254 AUDUBON 



attired like a mournful Raven, went to dine at Mr. Chil- 

 dren's. On my return I found a note from Lord Stanley, 

 asking me to put his name down as a subscriber; this 

 pleased me exceedingly, as I consider Lord Stanley a man 

 eminently versed in true and real ornithological pursuits. 

 Of course my spirits are better; how little does alter a 

 man. A trifle raises him, a little later another casts him 

 down. Mr. Bentley has come in and tells me three poor 

 fellows were hanged at Newgate this morning for stealing 

 sheep. My God ! how awful are the laws of this land, to 

 take a human life for the theft of a miserable sheep. 



June 1. As I was walking, not caring whither, I sud- 

 denly met a face well known to me ; I stopped and warmly 

 greeted young Kidd of Edinburgh. His surprise was as 

 great as mine, for he did not know where I had been since 

 I left Edinburgh. Together we visited the exhibition at 

 the British gallery. Ah ! what good work is here, but 

 most of the painters of these beautiful pictures are no 

 longer on this earth, and who is there to keep up their 

 standing? I was invited to dine with Sir Robert IngHs,^ 

 and took a seat in the Clapham coach to reach his place. 

 The Epsom races are in full activity about sixteen miles 

 distant, and innumerable coaches, men on horseback, 

 barouches, foot passengers, filled the road, all classes from 

 the beau monde to the beggar intent on seeing men run 

 the chance of breaking their necks on horses going 

 like the wind, as well as losing or gaining pence, shillings, 

 or guineas by the thousand. Clapham is distant from 

 London five miles, and Sir Robert invited me to see the 

 grounds while he dressed, as he came in almost as I did. 

 How different from noisy London ! I opened a door and 

 found myself on a circular lawn so beautifully ornamented 

 that I was tempted to exclaim, " How beautiful are Thy 

 works, O God ! " I walked through avenues of foreign 

 trees and shrubs, amongst which were tulip-trees, larches, 

 1 Robert Inglis, 1786-1855, of the East India Company. 



