The sun., 1907-03-31

lands. She attributed hsr habit Of accu-
rate observation to her fathers converse
tionAl questioning upon everything which
they passed. So abe learned to measure
distance and space with her eye. to note
each seasons signs and labors and to look
for changes In the crops. Her brain was
never stunted by rebuff nor stultified by
baby language. Her mother taught her
mainly by conversation, but OF course it
was not possible to prevent her from read
ing when she had once discovered the key
TO knowledge In books. We add that fear
she hardly knew; indeed, her fearlessness
was at times disconcertlng.
As her nervous strength seemed to have
been sapped by the operation performed
In 1850. a sea voyage was prescribed for
her, and four years later she sailed for
Halifax, whence she nRd0 q tour of the
Maritime Provinces and Canada, together
with some Of tho United States. Tho
record OF her observations and impressions
was set forth in a book called The English
woman in America" published by Murray
in 1883. The first edition was very soon
exhausted, and the work had the honor OF
q eulogy in the Times. 1t was both a sue
ces ddT0ent and a success d'eStime. Her
health again declining, she was advised to
make a second journey to America, and
now spent almost a year in the United
States and Canada, visiting the slave
States and going up the Upper Mississippi
to the Falls Of Minnehaha. Subsequently
she sailed up Lake Huron and ito the eK-
treme end Of Lake Superior from which
point she entered the Hudson Bay Territory.
On her return she published book through
Sampson, Low a Co. on Religion in
America"
During the next ten years Miss Bird
wrote a great many articles for the Leisure
Hour and other periodicals. while in 1890
appeared her Notes on Old Edinburgh ,
which directed attention to the appalling
conditions Of life in the tenement district
Of the Old Town. Early in 1872 she en-
gagged q berth in a steamer bound for New
York. and chartered to go up the Mediter-
ranean on its return in order to visit ports
in Italy, Algeria, Spain and Portugal before
making for Liverpool. She was at this
time too i'll to make much use of her oppor-
tunities. In July of the same year. how
ever she left Edinburgh for Australia on a
journey which was to be prolonged eighteen
months. In the course Of it she visited
not only the Australian Colonies and New
Zealand. but also Hawaii, an account OF
which was given In her book six Months
in the Sandwich Islands" This work,
which appeared in 1875. was exceedingly
successful. Her extraordinary power Of
observation had grasped so much Of the
natural history Of the Hawaiian archi-
pelago, and particularly such an infinite
number OF minor details concerning it's
active volcanoes. that the islands were
for the first time made Ineligible. Nature
reviewed the book with warmth not un-
mingled with astOnishnent, and members
Of scientific societies sent her admiring con-
gratulations. Apart from its contribution
to the current knowledge Of the physical
geography, mineral products and botanical
OF Hawaii, the record had
charm Of narrative very rare in books
Of travel. 1t is due to the vividness Of the
authors style that the book is read to-day |
with nearly as much pleasure IA when it |
was first printed.