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room assigned to me, and was requested to consider myself as at home, during the time I should find it convenient to stay in exploring this part of the country!

TO MR. THOMAS CRICHTON, PAISLEY.

Philadelphia, Oct. 28, 1811.

DEAR SIR, I received your kind letter of May 31, with a copy of the Library, both extremely agreeable to me, and interesting to one, who for seventeen years had heard nothing concerning you, but who had neither forgot you, nor the many friendly acts he had experienced from you. I have read your poem several times. It embraces a wide range of subjects, and contains much excellent sentiment, with several well drawn sketches, among which that of Chloe, the novel reader, is conspicuous and just. To the prayer of the last eight lines I most heartily say-amen.

I thank you for the information you have given me of my old friends, Neilson, Kennedy, Picken, &c., and am glad to find that amidst the deaths, disasters, and convulsions of domestic life, your merit continues to meet its reward. The contrast between your life and mine, during the last twenty years, has been great; yet I much question whether, with both in perspective, I should have been willing to exchange fates, and I am sure you never would; so neither of us ought to complain.

While every letter I receive from Britain acknowledges the general desolation of trade and the sufferings of its manufacturers, I see nothing around me in this happy country but peace, prosperity, and abundance. Our merchants indeed have experienced great embarrassments, but, generally speaking, the country is flourishing. The census of our population amounts to upwards of seven millions, nearly double

to what it was when I first landed in America. What nation on earth can produce a parallel to this?

My dear Sir, I cannot recall to my mind some of our social interviews without a smile. You found me in early life an enthusiastic young man, pursuing what I thought right without waiting to consider its expediency, and frequently suffering (and that feelingly too), for my temerity. At present I have the same ardour in the pursuit of my object, but the object is selected with more discretion.

If you see my old friend David Brodie, (for I understand that he still treads this earth, in propria persona,) present him with my respects. He and I mutually studied each other's characters for some time, with the laudable design of telling each other all we knew ridiculous and contemptible of each other. My report was made first, and in full detail; David's never made its appearance, and so I lost a very favourable opportunity of knowing my own faults. I suppose he found me so heterogeneous and contradictory-so confounded bad, and entangled, that he did not know at which end to begin.

My dear Sir, I shall be always glad to hear from you, when you find convenient to write, and beg you would convey my sincere respects to the surviving friends you mention, particularly to Mr. M'Gavin, and believe me with great truth,

Dear Sir,

Your most obliged friend,
ALEX. WILSON.

ORIGINAL PREFACE TO THE ORNITHOLOGY." THE whole use of a Preface seems to be, either to elucidate the nature and origin of the work, or to invoke the clemency of the reader. Such observations as have been thought necessary for the former, will be found in the Introduction; extremely solici

a The first volume of our poet's great work, was ushered into the world with the above beautiful and exquisite address to the reader. The other volumes had also prefaces of nearly equal beauty, and from these and the Introduction we need make no apology for quoting the following splendid passages, to which, with the original preface, can scarcely be found finer passages, for elegance of language and graceful ease, in the whole range of English literature. In the Introduction he thus explains his praiseworthy motives :

"A wish to draw the attention of my fellow citizens from the discordant jarrings of politics, to a contemplation of the grandeur, harmony, and wonderful variety of nature, exhibited in this beautiful portion of the animal economy, are my principal and almost only motives in the present undertaking. I will not deny that there may also be other inclinations. Biased almost from infancy by a fondness for birds, and little less than an enthusiast after them, I feel happy to communicate my observations to others." From the preface to the third volume :-" Books on natural history, calculated to improve the mind, to enlarge the understanding, and better the heart, as they are friends to the whole human race, are generally welcomed by people of all parties. They may be compared to those benevolent and amiable beings who, amidst the tumults and mutual irritations of discordant friends, kindly step in to reconcile them to each other, by leading the discourse to subjects of less moment, but of innocent and interesting curiosity, till the mind forgets its perturbations, and gradually regains its native repose and composure. So comes, in these times of general embarrassment, dispute, and perplexity, the graceful and unassuming pages of the American Ornithology.' With little to recommend them but the simplicity of truth, in some faint imitations of a most glorious and divine Original, they may, nevertheless, calm for a time the tumult of the mind, communicate agreeable amusement, and suggest hints for instructions." The following is from the Preface to the fourth volume: -"Is it possible for a rational being to contemplate these scenes without interest and admiration! Innocency has charms that arrest almost every beholder, and can we survey the sportive and endearing manners of these with indifference? Men join with reverence in praises to the great Creator, and can they listen

tous to obtain the latter, I beg leave to relate the following anecdote:

In one of my late visits to a friend in the country, I found their youngest son, a fine boy of eight or nine years of age, who usually resides in town for his education, just returning from a ramble through the neighbouring woods and fields, where he had collected a large and very handsome bunch of wild flowers, of a great many different colours, and, presenting them to his mother, said, with much animation in his countenance, "Look, my dear mamma, what beautiful flowers I have found growing on our place!— Why all the woods are full of them! red, orange, blue, and almost every colour. Oh! I can gather you a whole parcel of them, much handsomer than these, all growing in our woods!

Shall I, mamma?

The good woman

Shall I go and bring you more?" received the bunch of flowers with a smile of affectionate complacency, and, after admiring for some time the beautiful simplicity of nature, gave her willing consent, and the little fellow went off, on the wings of ecstasy, to execute his delightful commission.

The similarity of this little boy's enthusiasm to my own, struck me; and the reader will need no explanations of mine to make the application. Should my country receive with the same gracious indulgence the specimens which I here humbly present her; with contempt to the melodious strains, the hymns of praise, which these joyful little creatures offer up every morning to the Fountain of light and life! Who can contemplate unmoved the distress of a fond mother for her dying infant? And has that tender mother no claims on our sympathy, who, unprotected herself, prefers death rather than her young should suffer? Is tenderness of heart, fidelity, and parental affection, only lovely when they exist among men! Oh, no! It is impossible. Those virtues that are esteemed the highest ornaments of our nature, seem to be emanations from the Divinity himself, and may be traced in many of the humblest and least regarded of his creatures."

should she express a desire for me to go and bring her more, the highest wishes of my ambition will be gratified; for, in the language of my little friend, our whole woods are full of them, and I can collect hundreds more, much handsomer than these.

ALEXANDER WILSON.

Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 1808.

THE WHITE-HEADED, OR BALD EAGLE.* This distinguished bird, as he is the most beautiful of his tribe in this part of the world, and the adopted emblem of our country, is entitled to particular notice. The celebrated cataract of Niagara is a noted place of resort for the bald eagle, as well on account of the fish procured there, as for the numerous carcases of squirrels, deer, bears, and various other animals, that, in their attempts to cross the river above the falls, have been dragged into the current, and precipitated down that tremendous gulf, where, among the rocks that bound the rapids below, they furnish a rich repast for the vulture, the raven, and the bald eagle, the subject of the present account. He has been long known to naturalists, being common to both continents, and occasionally met with from a very high northern latitude to the borders of the torrid zone, but chiefly in the vicinity of the sea, and along the shores and cliffs of our lakes and large rivers. Formed by nature for braving the severest cold, feeding equally on the produce of the sea and

a As illustrative and explanatory of our vignette, and as a specimen of the " American Ornithology," we extract for the benefit of the reader, who may not have in his possession that splendid work, the complete description of this beautiful and noble bird. Wilson seems to have had a particular love for the bald eagle, for we find him writing as follows to Mr. Lawson ;-" I hope you get on courageously with the eagle; let no expense deter you from giving it the finest and most masterly touches of your graver."