stood on the deck dressed, combed and washed, in the expectation that the anchor would be pulled and the sails stretched to be in Galveston in a few hours; the stubborn pilot, alone, seemed to mock the expectation; he delayed until midday the command to weigh anchor.

Not until 1 o’clock in the afternoon did he suit himself to activate the ship’s crew and to allow the ship to be made ready for the entry into the nearby harbor. A Bremen ship named Hercules had already entered the harbor days before, with 200 emigrants. There were six more of the same, all of which, with the exception of the Washington, entered the harbor at the same time with us. Before we came into the harbor, we had to first pass a sandbank, called a bar. One can only pass this at the time of the highest tide, therefore, the delay of the pilot. Only such ships which do not go deep and only need at the most a 10 foot depth of water can pass over it. Therefore, the Washington, a large American three-master which brought 200 emigrants here from Antwerp for the Society, which required a water depth of more than 10 feet, could not go over the bar, but had to lay anchor before the same with its 200 passengers.

The other ships entered the harbor at the same time we did, where, after the passing of an hour, they laid anchor in sight of the city of Galveston. Oh, what a joy took possession of all of us who had to forego such a view for 7 weeks, and during this long time had to be satisfied with an extremely limited space, had over us the blue sky, under us the floor of the tossing ship, around us nothing more than the undulating waves of the immeasurable ocean! All ships had decorated themselves festively today with their national flags. Also, to welcome the arriving ships, a significantly large National flag of Bremen was waving from the consulate building in Galveston. The ships which entered the harbor with us today were all with emigrants to Texas for the Mainz Society, and all, with the exception of the Washington, came from Bremen.