14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1898. 



occasionally there would be a reference to a genus or family of 

 plants exhibiting more botanical knowledge than Captain Lewis or 

 any oue in his command was known to possess. The plants are 

 in the original packages as presented many years ago. The paper 

 on which the specimens were placed had been in botanical use 

 before. On one of these was written the following expense bill : — 



May 26. Books and paper $2 00 



Stage fare 3 00 



Expenses that night 37 



May 27. Expenses on the road to Easton 1 00 



May 28, 29, 30. Easton, including breakfast 31, and 



supper 29 4 37 



May 31. Richmond dinner, supper, lodging and drinks 1 00 



It so happened that I had the pleasure of giving to the public in 

 the Gardener's Monthly of 1869, what was believed to be Pursh's 

 diary of his trip to the Great Lakes. It commences by saying May 

 26th, '.'prepared myself for the journey," and 27th, "at 4 

 o'clock this morning we left Philadelphia, the stage being remarka- 

 ble full of passengers" — "arrived at 10 o'clock at Easton." On 

 another sheet was found written, as if trying the virtue of a new 

 quill pen, "Frederick Pursh, his hand." There could be no doubt 

 about these being Lewis' plants, and that they had been through 

 Pursh's hands. It was still a mystery how Pursh came to make all 

 the memoranda incident to the collecting of each specimen, on each 

 of these labels. 



With the freedom of three-quarters of a century the museum 

 beetles had made sad work in the bundles. In a few cases the speci- 

 imens had been wholly reduced to dust, and only fragments were left 

 in other cases. Generally, however, they were in fair condition. 

 The Philosophical Society wisely accepted a proposition to deposit 

 these and other collections with the Academy of Natural Sciences, 

 where they would be properly cared for. 



The collection was, as Pursh stated, made for the most part on the 

 return trip. Many specimens, as the labels show, were collected 

 and saved between the Rocky Mountains and Fort Clatsop, their 

 winter quarters near the Columbia River. 



While in doubt as to the authorship of the labels attached to 

 the specimens, note was made of an entry in the minutes of the 

 American Philosophical Society under date of Nov. 15, 1805, that 

 a box of plants was received from Captain Merewether Lewis. The 



