War Depart 26^th Oct^r 1781 Agreeable to your Letter of the 8^th Inst Lord to have two thousand Powder Casks made. Contracted with M^r Oliver M^c Kinstry and William Crisp of Ball Skill to make One thousand, at the Shillings P^r Cask. The Exhibitors of Agreement as p Cloze, when the delivery of the whole, that One half of the money funds be paid at the War Office in New York, and the Other half at the Same please in Thirty days from that date — For one thousand hundred Cords around that will Gor Sain fifty pounds of powder each, at the Shillings for Cask, you Will please to pay unto the Said Oliver McKinstry & William Crisp or either of them, the Sum of fifty pounds Currency upon Application, and fifty pounds like money in thirty days from that date, agreeable to your directions in the Letter above mentioned. I am p. The Honorable William Price Major General Knox, Dep^ty Com^r Affairs Secretary a Man — [New letter begins] Sir/ War Depart 31 Oct^r 1781 — I have Considered the Refitting and Altering the Provision to the Garrison Arms when returned to Fright Barrels. I take Nearly one and half Sheet that in No good Condon — but [strikethrough: for the damaged] agreeable to the return before thus. But to the Damage it Grows some forty One which makes in the whole thirty One and half more than was returned — then was three hundred and fifty Barrels taken out was thus that first Returned, which it took to fill the Barrels agreeable to the Report Returns, as every Barrel taken not fill Short of having give they Condemned from one eighth to one fourth, and four to One half — Enclosed is the Returns of the Ordnance Military I receive monthly Store for the month of October 1781 — there was five hundred and fifty Stores Repaired and Cleaned during the month, which makes in the whole Eighteen hundred and thirty four which has been done during the Paper — agreeable to your Orders the Armourer & Coprey is Discharged the day before — I am Sir William Reed The Honorable Dep^ty Com^r of Mil. Aff^rs Major General Knox, Secretary a Man —