
          Washington City March 11th 1843.

My dear Sir,

Your favor of the 27th with the enclosure came
safely to hand. I think that it would be unjust to you
were I to write a preface to the catalogue of plants
and would be assuming for myself a knowledge that
I do not possess. I claim no other credit than what
I may be due to having collected them under circumstances
of considerable hardship and privation. From the
mouth of the Kansas river to the Red buttes, I had with
me a number of carts which afforded means to
transport the plants conveniently, but from that place
our examination of the country was made on horseback.
To accomplish the exploration on which I had been sent
required very rapid movements and it was impossible
for me to give to the plants the time necessary to arrange
them properly. We were in a savage and inhospitable
country, sometimes annoyed by the Indians and frequently
in great distress from want of provisions, and when
you join to these things the various duties which were
constantly claiming my attention, you will readily 
make an allowance for the bad condition of the collection 
I sent you. It was made under very unfavorable
circumstances, and in the intervals of very pressing duties.

Casting your eye on the small sketch I
sent you, you will see that our line of road is 
generally along the bottoms of the Kansas tributaries
and sometimes over the upper prairies. The soil of
the river bottoms is always rich, and generally
well timbered, though the whole region is what is called
a prairie country.
        