12 August: In the morning, fog, as on all previous days, and the morning is also very cool. At eight o’clock, already warm. At twelve o’clock, temperature of 20°R [77°F, 25°C] in my room by an open, breezy window. Until noon, in very great heat without [a] sunshade, Mr. Bodmer sketched a general view of Bethlehem with a cross section of the Lecha valley and the canal, a most beautiful overview in which our living quarters are also very clearly distinguished. In the afternoon Mr. Iselin and his family arrived from New York, found no room in our inn, and therefore went to the English hotel. No natural history excursions were undertaken today, since in this country nothing of this kind may be pursued on Sunday. Today I wrote to Mr. Gebhard in New York and to Mr. Krumbhaar in Philadelphia to urge the expedition of the chests and cases that had been loaded on board the schooner Sun at Boston and were still missing. We still have to do without this indispensably necessary baggage, a most unpleasant, substantial loss for us, since many essential instruments, guns, books, etc., are in those cases.