Four-and-a-Half Months’ Stay in New Harmony
Description of the region – Natural history – Messrs. Say, Lesueur, and Owen – Hunting excursions in Indiana and Illinois – Wabash, Fox River – Illinois prairies – Albion – Black River – Mr. Bodmer’s trip to New Orleans
November 30, 1832
At daybreak, dreary sky; soon heavy rain. At seven thirty, temperature of 10°R [54.5°F, 12.5°C]. The fires in the rooms are almost unbearable. Today I made my first attempt to drink a cup of coffee again. This morning Russel, the hunter, sent a raccoon and a female opossum, which they had caught during the night with their dogs. Once again I ordered all kinds of animals. At nine o’clock the rain had again stopped. The weather was warm and humid. We got our baggage ready for moving. During the night Mr. Bodmer had had such a strong nasal hemorrhage that he became quite exhausted. He is very prone to nosebleed. Before noon I visited Mr. Lesueur and found him better. At twelve o’clock, temperature of 14°R [63.5°F, 17.5°C].
Today the town was filled with a large number of individuals—planters or farmers from the vicinity, some of whom looked extremely wild and ragged. There is an election today for a member of the municipal council. The costume of the local country people is not characteristic as it is for our peasants in Germany. Rather, they wear all kinds of clothes, as they do in the cities (round felt hats, caps of all colors, frock coats, overcoats, plaid coats, and the like), but all of them [are] extremely dirty and disheveled in appearance, with long beards and hair hanging wildly from their heads. In short, they look very bad. Horses are tied up in large numbers everywhere, because here everyone rides and one rarely sees pedestrians. Negroes are seldom seen in Harmony. Only one such family lives here in town.
Dr. Sexton asserted with regard to the opossum obtained here today that we would not be able to find the internal female reproductive organs. Therefore, I had these parts prepared especially carefully. He, however, came and mistook the bladder for the uterus, even though the latter was very clearly laid out. Mr. Bodmer’s newly purchased hunting dog acted very shy all morning. Suddenly he tore loose and jumped through the window from the third story, taking all the panes with him; he fell at least twenty feet, but he was not badly hurt and was caught again.
Mr. Say frequently sends me all kinds of things, especially books, through his young Mexicans. He has two of them, Cavallos and Lopez, both of Indian descent but no longer of pure race. Their color is a dark olive-brown, but their hair is somewhat curly and coal black. They have practically forgotten the Spanish language; on the other hand, they speak English well. One of them occasionally works in the print shop and already does well at setting type for Mr. Say’s work on shells. They are to be sent back to Mexico, where Mr. Maclure, who brought them here, is now staying.
Unfortunately, during my entire North American journey, I have not yet seen one native Indian or any of their descendants. Now one already has to cross the Mississippi to find them. During the course of this winter, they even want to drive across the Mississippi the last settled remnants of these nations, the Cherokees, Choctaws, and other peoples—an act of sheer brutality! Such is the vaunted liberty of America!
A stroll in the afternoon with Mr. Say. It was so warm that we were quite lethargic. From Mr. Say I received small pieces of flint, sharpened very much lengthwise on both sides and slightly curved, which were dug out of the earth here in New Harmony.
They have, it is asserted, served as knives for the Indians. The edge cuts sharply. Very similar knives, but made of obsidian, are still found in Mexico, and Mr. Say also gave me one of these. They have exactly the same shape.
The night grew very dark, and it rained heavily. Mr. Twigg visited us in the evening.
