Shortly after his return to London in the spring of 1831, Audubon sent Swainson the following letter with a copy of the first volume of his Biography of Birds, but his one-time friend was not the author of an extended and impartial review of the work, which appeared in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal in the same year.[105]

Audubon to William Swainson

London April 28th 1830 [1831]

My dear Mr Swainson,

We arrived here last evening & I found your favour of the 17th instant for which I offer you my sincere thanks—I had began to think that I was erased from your list.—I have now the pleasure of sending you a copy of my first volume of ornithological biography which I hope you will accept as a small memento of the high regard I have for your self & your talents.—My inserting your name was not a matter merely of duty but of great pleasure and believe when I say that I never will be ungrateful to anyone who has been kind to me.—

We are going to Paris on Friday week & will be absent about a month—on the first day of August next we sail from Liverpool to America where I intend to beat the bushes once more—my peregrinations will extend in all probability & God willing to the Pacific Ocean into California etc—After my return I wish to settle in England somewhere, but where is yet undetermined.—

I have felt much grieved at reading the article of yours respecting French Naturalists. I say grieved, because I am always so when I see men of superior talents employing their pen time and mind at sparring instead of peacably giving to the world those results of their investigations & experience at all times so desired by everyone bent on studying the wonderful laws & beauties of nature. I do not wish to read a lecture to you but from my heart I am sorry you should be à la joute [?] with any one & will conclude by sincerely hoping that you will have no more of this sort of warfare.—

I am over head in business as you may well suppose after an absence of 8 months but will be most happy to hear from you. Have you heard from C. Bonaparte lately? Is he still at Rome? it is now two months since I heard from him.—

Present our united kind respects to your good Lady, accept the same yourself & believe me your friend

J. J. Audubon.