[Copy] New York, January 22^d 1787. Sir Your letter of the 2d of December last has come to hand & been considered. There are two points which are necessary for you to prove in your case. the first is that you held the appointment of Senior Surgeon agreeably to the Resolutions of Congress, and the second, is that you were deranged under those Resolutions. To prove the former of those points you produced a letter from Gen Lincoln that you were [underline: employed] as a Senior Surgeon and a certificate from Gen^l Elbert of your character as while you acted as a Surgeon. neither of which goes to your appointment or to the second question your derangement. Notwithstanding them it [remainder of text obscured/torn] in order to obtain my [undecipherable] of the com— mulation you request, it will be necessary that you procure evidence of these points from the records of the department, or from those of some one public Offices. I have searched for this information both in the War Office and in the Treasury, and can only find that you were entitled for in the latter as a Senior Surgeon; but the evidence for it does not appear, nor does it appear that by the papers of your settlement that you were deranged. on the contrary, the Comptroller has recorded you as having resigned your appointment. I am Sir Yours Obt Ser [D^r. Solomon Halling.]