Anfang März 1846 in Indianpoint
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ground and consists, in some distance from the sea, almost completely of mussels in considerable depth and contains very bad salty, almost undrinkable water; therefore, one drinks almost no water here but rather always quenches one’s thirst with lukewarm coffee. Woodlands are non-existant 1n the vicinity of Indianpoint, but much brush consisting of those with green leaves in winter and summer, shrublike, a type of' tree similar to the homeland elder, which we Germans call boxwood and which now at the beginning of the month of March blooms a very pretty blue, something like the Turkish elder; only with the difference that the flowers have the form of garden beans, but the blossoms are very similar to those of the proud Henry, hanging down in bunches like grapes, and smell still much more strong and pleasant than the flowers of the Turkish elder. Further, there is an innumerable variety of thorn types, whose branches of 5 to 10 ells long are so tightly entwined that it is difficult to separate the stems when one has cut them off at the ground. All of these thorn bushes are interbraid with innumerable wild grapevines whose runners are up to 20 or even more ells long, now at the beginning of the month of March have already broken open and are adorned with innumerable blossoms, which seem to promise a rich yield. Also other types of wood unknown to me grow under the thorn bushes and adorn the mussel rich ground with the attractively formed leaves and blossoms, only a pity that for the distance of a German mile all of these types of wood have been almost entirely cut down and burned by the German immigrants camped here. They even lay their destroying hand upon the great quantity of type of cactus-tree which are found here in the height of six to eight feet , of no use at all to them, with very long reed-like pointed leaves which already at the beginning of March has a very beautiful blossom on its head. This blossom has the shape of a large crown on which individual flowers of a white color with red-striped veins hang by the hundreds, yes by the thousands, which have the size of a lily. It is a true heartlifing splendor to took; upon such a flower crown! But the Germans destroy them without sentiment and |
