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Mays Lick, Ky., 
Sept. 26, 1885.

Prof. Chas. Rau, 
Washington, D. C. 
Dear Sir:

Yours of 19th received.

It will give me great pleasure to have your opinion in regard to the cupped stones from Ripley, Ohio, as well as the peculiarly pitted granitic rock from Miss. The arrow-heads I sent in from the latter place are nearly all of a red jasper, pebbles of which are very abundant in the soil in some places. Is it probable that they were transported by the waters of the Missouri in tertiary times, from its head-waters?

Do you not think my work in Miss. of value, as giving some definite indication of the comparatively recent construction of the mounds?

I hope you can arrange some way to keep all the specimens I have sent in from Flint Ridge, together; and, it may be that I can hereafter add to the collection still further. 

I shall be here until June, teaching; so that I can do nothing in the way of archaeology for some time.

Have written to Prof. Baird for your work on Fishing.

I have changed my initials because, in traveling, there is a multiplicity of Chas. Smiths; e. g. in one P. O. in this county mail arrives for [[underlined]] nine [[/underlined]] of the name; in another place where I have worked there were four Chas. M. Smiths, two Chris. M. Smiths, and about 20 "C." Smiths. All of which I consider sufficient reason for now subscribing,

Yours truly, 
Ky. Q. Smith.