% APPENDIX. 



When I firft came home, it was with great pleafure I 

 gratified the curiofity of the whole world, by {hewing them 

 each what they fancied the moft curious. I thought this 

 was an office of humanity to young people, and to thofe 

 of ilender fortunes, or thofe who, from other caufes, had 

 no opportunity of travelling. I made it a particular duty 

 to attend and explain to men of knowledge and learning 

 that were foreigners, everything that was worth the time 

 they bellowed upon confidering the different articles that 

 were new to them, and this 1 did at great length to the 

 Count de Buffon, and Monf. Gueneau de Montbeliard, and 

 to the very amiable and accomplifhed Madame d'Aubenton. 

 I cannot fay by whofe induflry, but it was in confequence 

 of this friendly communication, a lift or inventory (for they 

 could give no more) of all my birds and beafts were pub- 

 lifhed before I was well got to England. 



From what I have feen of the performances of the artifts 

 employed by the cabinet, I do not think that they have an- 

 ticipated in any fhape the merit of my drawings, efpecially 

 in birds and in plants ; to fay nothing milder of them, they 

 are in both articles infamous ; the birds are fo diffimilar from 

 the truth, that the names of them are very neceffarily wrote 

 under, or over them, for fear of the old miftake of taking 

 them for fomething elfe. I condefcend upon the B.rkoom as a 

 proof of this. I gave a very fine fpecimen of this bird in 

 great prefervation to the King's collection ; and though I 

 mewed them the original, they had not genius enough to 

 make a representation that could with any degree of cer- 

 tainty be promifed upon for a guefs. When I was at 

 Paris, they had a woman, who, in place of any merit, at 

 leaft that i could judge of, was protected, as they faid, by 



3 the 



