
          Kansas on the 13th of July, in the course of which night
it began to rain violently & towards morning the
river which was 100 yards wide suddenly broke over
its banks, becoming in less than 5 minutes more than
half a mile in breadth. Everything we had was
throughly soaked. We were obliged to move
camp to the Bluffs in a heavy rain which
continued for several days and our fine collection
was entirely ruined. I have never had a 
severer trial of my fortitude. I brought
them along and such as they are I send them to you.
They are broken up & mouldy and decayed, and today
I tried to change some of them, but found
it better to let them alone. Perhaps your
familiarity with plants may enable you to make
something out of them. You will find them labelled
with numbers which correspond to the numbers of notes
in my books, which I will copy & send to you in
case you can do any thing with them. I shall
probably be in New York soon & could indicate the
localities of such as are not labelled. From
the wreck of our fossil collection I saved some in
which the vegetable impressions seem to me very
plain & beautiful. Could you aid me in decyphering 
them? If so I will send or bring them.
        