The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, July 1980 - April, 1981 Page: 260

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

reactions of Texans associated with national and private banks at the
time of the passage of the state bank bill.
While this book is more an introduction to its topic than a thorough
study, the authors' penchant for keeping one, and sometimes both, eyes
on East Coast banking and federal developments may lead to some
confusion among the readers. National events no doubt greatly influ-
enced state banks, but the number of pages devoted to histories of Wall
Street panics, the Federal Reserve System, federal insurance for de-
posits, and other subjects whose origins were mainly outside the South-
west give the book a misleading distortion.
On balance, however, The Development of State-Chartered Banking
in Texas, limited somewhat by the lack of reliable records for banks
that failed in Texas, makes several contributions to the reader's under-
standing of the historical development of the state during the 192os
and i93os. An index and a bibliography would have improved the
book; but twenty-two tables hold the reader's attention. Actions of the
State Banking Board are, in most instances, clearly described, as are
many of the steps of the state's banking organizations. It is to be hoped
that this introduction will be followed by other Bureau of Business
Research books on this important subject.
Baylor University THOMAS L. CHARLTON
The Cypress and Other Writings of a German Pioneer in Texas. By
Herman Seele. Translated by Edward C. Breitenkamp. (Austin:
University of Texas Press, 1979. Pp. xii+217. Illustrations, index.
$12.95.)
This fascinating, posthumously collected hodge-podge of Hermann
Seele's writings long merited translation, and Edward Breitenkamp, re-
tired professor of modern languages at Texas A8cM University, has now
provided that valuable service for students and buffs of nineteenth-
century Texana. Included are Seele's brief history of the German set-
tlements in Texas and Comal County; his absurdly romantic venture
into fiction, "The Cypress"; and his recollections of life in South-
Central Texas between 1843 and 186o.
The value of the book, in my estimation, lies almost exclusively in
Seele's recollections. In these vivid, varied vignettes, which collective-
ly make up about three-fifths of the book, Seele shares with his readers
some early experiences in Texas: his Christmastime homesickness as a

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