
          to sleep in the open air when I was attacked
 by unfriendly insects and rascally mosquitoes
 Under such circumstances I have passed many
 a sleepless night gazing at stars fighting
 mosquitoes & wishing for daylight. In my
 excursion to Fort Gatlin my boots from frequent
 wettings became dry & hard & hurt my feet
 so that I was obliged to pull them off & go with stockings
 & finally I walked 18 miles barefoot through
 scorching sands loaded with specimens. Nearly
 exhausted reached Fort Mellon at Lake Munroe
 & crossed the lake to Maj. Taylor's where I sat
 up nearly all night arranging specimens & next 
 day started in a row boat for this place
 with 4 others. In an evil hour I consented
 to row or take my turn at the oar my turn
 came about 1 P.M. when the [crossed out: such] [added: sun] was [crossed out: scoch]
 schorching [scorching] so that it blistered my back through
 my shirt & thus I rowed 12 miles. Well we continued
 on all night to avoid the mosquitoes
 & next night reached Drayton island in 
 Lake George where One Hamilton resides formerly
 a florist or gardener in the Royal Garden
 at Kew, England [crossed out: & a resident]. He has also been
 in the employ of Thorburn N.Y. he appeared to have
 considerable bottanical knowledge of that neighborhood
 & showed me some new plants. Here we slept on 
 the floor with a blanket apiece. Next morning
 continued on for Palatka when it began raining

        