Audubon's Letter from Nantucket

28

That the famous American John James Audubon was a visitor to Nantucket is not as well known as it might. The outstanding ornithologist and artist, whose monumental Birds of America is one of the most sought after sets of books, came to this island in July, 1840, a part of his tour of New England, during which he was successful in selling many of his folios. While here he wrote to his son, John J. Audubon, Jr., in care of the Rev. John Bachman, in Charleston, South Carolina, and the letter has been preserved, now being in the collections of the Peter Foulger Museum, of the Nantucket Historical Association.

In March, 1919, Alexander Starbuck, the great historian of Nantucket, learned of the existence of the Audubon letter from advice contained in a communication to him by a dealer in antiquarian items, Otho Wiecker, of Boston. Mr. Wiecker had purchased the letter from Patrick F. Madigan, a rare book and manuscript dealer in New York, paying $25 for it. The sale price to Mr. Starbuck was $28, plus 16 cents for registered mail. In his accompanying letter Mr. Wiecker indicated he had first attempted to sell the letter to some Nantucket residents, without success, writing, in part: "The worthy fathers of Nantucket are like most of the people, even the educated class, possessed of blunted senses as regards autograph values, which are vital products of the hand, often the heart, always the mind of the writer. . . ."

Fortunately, Mr. Starbuck bought the letter and it eventually came to the Nantucket Historical Association. The document is in excellent condition, the writing clear and legible, with the old style "f" for "s," and filling three pages of a four-page folded sheet. The postmark is in a circle, containing the name "Nantucket — Jul. 27—Ms." and the written cost "25," meaning 25 cents. Apparently Audubon had been here several days, as he mentions having received letters from his wife. He had first written home on July 24, 1840, reporting that he had come by steamer to Nantucket from New Bedford. The letter at the Peter Foulger Museum is dated July 26, 1840, written to his son, as already stated, and reads as follows: "My dear Johnny: You will of course have heard of my having left home, ere this reaches you; and like myself will feel desirous to know something of what happens when far away. The last news I have from you was received here 2 days ago, in a letter from Mamma and Victor, saying that your beloved Maria, had again assumed better symptoms, and that although you now did expect to remain at Charleston the whole of this summer, you had some hope of her recovery. May God grant this, and also your safe return to us at an earlier period than

AUDUBON'S LETTER FROM NANTUCKET 29

you expect. How is my sweet little Lucy? I have not heard her mentioned for some time. When I left home little Harriet had grown finely and was a great pet of mine, and I hope that I will very soon see and kiss her fat cheeks again. "I arrived here on Tuesday last, after having visited Boston. Salem, Ipswich and New Bedford; and since then have obtained i3 subscribers. This Island is not more than 14 miles long and on an average 3x/£ miles wide, and yet the population of Nantucket exceeds 8,000 Inhabitants, deriving their wealth and comforts from the Whale Fisheries in the South Pacific through a ileet of about 75 ships of from 220 to 360 tons burthen. At the exception of the trees planted in the garden and those in the streets, scarcely a bush is to be found above 7 or 8 feet high, and that only in the swamps from which the inhabitants collect the Peat they burn in winter, along with the imported wood and coals from the main, or as the people here term it, the Continent. The Island is almost wholly sand, covered with much of Sea-grass and short dwarf shrubbery, such as oaks and bilberry bushes, through which about 10,000 Sheep run at Large, hundreds of which perish every winter during snow storms, etc. There is about 10 species of land birds here at present, thousands of yellow-winged sparrows, and in the winter ducks of many kinds are said to be abundant. Fish to my surprise is scarce at this season, and the largest quadruped found in a wild state is the Norway Rat. There are hundreds of jumping mice, and several species of shrew and bats, some of which I have in rum. The People are very kind, and I see many Quakers; more indeed than elsewhere in America for the amount of population. No less than 8 churches! and of course every person a saint! The wealthy portion of the population know little more than the value of Dollars, but I have met several exceptions, and a few persons of real talents and merit. "I have seen the greater portion of the Island, on which are several fine large fresh water ponds with fish and eels, that are said to be good, but none of which have I had the luck to taste. Indeed the only fish I have eaten was Sword Fish, but it has a fishy taste, and I do not like it. You would be surprised to see the people riding through the streets in carts standing up like Draymen, the females seated in chairs and trotting along merily. Ten thousand Dollars are paid annually for Blackberries, and Bilberries! the only fruit I have seen here, and that is imported from the Continent by the steamer. A very few peaches are grown in Green houses, but nothing properly called fruit in the open air. During hard winters, the communication with the Main is sometimes stopped for 3 to 6 weeks. I have had given me many teeth of the Sperm Whale, and some fine shells for the little ones to play with on the carpet. Almost every gentleman or lady has a fine collection of Shells, principally from the shores of the Pacific and the south Sea Islands.

•30

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

"I have written all this stuff to amuse Maria with, and I hope that it may please both her and yourself. Do you go on with the small drawings? I hope you do whenever your spirits are sufficiently good. I was very sorry to read of the death of Mr. Pringle, of the Custom house; his illness must have been very sudden. I hope my dear boy that you take excellent care of yourself, for the month of August is a dangerous one at Charleston. I cannot expect to hear directly from you while I continue rambling about, but wish you to acknowledge the receipt of my letters when you write home. I hope all the friends around you are quite well, and I wish you to remember me most kindly to every one, not forgetting good old grandmamma Davis.

God bless and protect you my Dear Boy. "Your Father and Friend, "John J. Audubon "I will leave here on Wednesday for New Bedford again where I expect to sell about one dozen pictures."

In one of the letters from Nantucket published in Vol. II of his "Letters," Audubon mentioned he had sold several "Nos." of his prints to a number of Nantucketers, including Charles G. Coffin, Daniel Jones, Jr., James Macy, A. W. Starbuck, F. W. Lawrence, George B. Upton, F. W. Mitchell, George Cobb, Francis F. Hussey, George F. Folger and Jared Coffin. The Atheneum had also purchased a set.

Writing from New Bedford a few days later, Audubon mentioned he had 20 subscribers "on that truly curious Island." Among new names to add to his list were: Andrew M. Macy, Thomas D. Morris, Nathaniel Barney, Charles P. Chase, David Joy, Geo. Myrick, Jr. He also mentioned that Andrew M. Macy and Daniel Jones, both booksellers, had offered to act as his agent, and "neither of these gentlemen will hear of a commission. They have assisted me greatly."

Displaying the well known sense of humor which characterized him, Audubon also mentioned that there were no hotels on the Island, "and I went to a Boarding House, 3 beds in a room, and $12 per week! Pretty severe! One gent there was so honorable as to propose to take a copy of the large work paying down $100 and one hundred dollars annually without interest for nine years to come! by Which he would have had that copy for nothing."

Besides sperm whale's teeth and shells which Audubon sent "for the Darlings to play with, and ornament the chimney mantle," he forwarded a copy of Obed Macy's History of Nantucket, with the admonition, "which read." — E. A. S.