130 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 
collections in Natural History, particularly of insects, which 
later were sent back to Germany and acquired some note. 
After a time, however, the brothers, Otto and Eduard Fried- 
erich, purchased plantations, while Lindheimer managed a 
distillery on the sugar-plantation of Sartorius and Lavater, 
but after about a month a chance fire destroyed the cane- 
fields, and the works in consequence had to shut down. 
Lindheimer then formed a close friendship with a Mr. Griind- 
ler, who had a coffee plantation not far distant, and the two 
lived pleasantly for some time in their bachelor quarters on 
the estate. f 
It was about this time that the Texas uprising came and 
the Mexican papers were filled with bombastic articles against 
the Americans and the short work Santa Ana, “the Napo- 
leon of the West,’”’ would make of them, when once he should 
get his army there. Lindheimer was already disgusted with 
the unsettled conditions of Mexico and the consequent inse- 
curity of life and property, and convinced of the inherent 
incapacity of the Latin races to develop a strong and lasting 
civilization, while his Teutonic blood drew him to his cousins 
of the North, so after some sixteen months in Mexico, though 
several good positions were offered him there, he again set 
out for Vera Cruz and took the first vessel for New Orleans, 
after refusing a commission in the artillery in the Mexican 
Army of Invasion, offered by his friend, Colonel Holzinger. 
So crude was the knowledge of the sailing masters of those 
days that this particular ship was wrecked off Mobile, Ala- 
bama, while the captain confidently believed he was beating 
off Matamoros, and Lindheimer was compelled to swim to 
land. Arriving at Mobile, he enlisted at once in a company 
of volunteers forming to aid the Texas revolutionists. This 
company was composed mostly of Irishmen under command 
of Captain Robertson, and on its arrival in Texas was sta- 
tioned on Galveston Island, as a kind of coast defense in case 
Mexico should undertake to land troops at that point. This 
company was ordered by General Houston to join him, when 
he was concentrating his army for the battle of San Jacinto, 
but the battle was begun earlier than was expected and it did 
not reach him till the day after the battle, April 22, 1836. 
