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
December 17, 1832
Early, overcast sky but looking better than yesterday. At seven thirty, 1°R [34.3°F, 1.3°C]. After nine o’clock some snow, which did not continue long and also did not remain on the ground long, since everything was wet and the snow was mixed with water. It began to snow again. At noon, 2°R [36.5°F, 2.5°C]. David [Dreidoppel] had gone out and did not return before noon. Our landlord returned from Albion and brought me a nice skunk, the delightful odor of which soon spread throughout the entire house. I made a description of it and thereafter bore the smell with me for a long time.
In the afternoon in the printing office, we prepared wax paper on the stove to pack my seeds for Professor Treviranus in Bonn. Beautiful sunshine with brisk wind. Russel, the hunter, arrived with another ragged companion, and they brought ten wild turkeys, two of which I kept. Dreidoppel returned toward dusk with nothing except a Picus pileatus. He had gone through the hills along Cutoff River and near the Cutoff mill had roused a powerful buck from its lair; [it] was sitting near him, but [he] had been unable to shoot at it. He had been away from morning until evening. During the evening we worked at home.