[147] the receipt of your letter to him on the subject of John Watts claim for the pay stoped from deserters - and joins you in opinion - he mentions you [undecipherable] by the Resolve of Congress [undecipherable] of the whole war and general orders for detaining such pay, and thinks that the case of John Sullivan is in point — Mr [undecipherable] wants Copies of Major [undecipherable] Receipts for monies charged to him in the [undecipherable] on to Mr Hopkins in Virginia - which money [undecipherable] disputes the receipt of, shall I send them [undecipherable] you or shall I inclose them from here and with my self I shall naturally decline either untill I hear from you — I am Dear Sir yours Sincerely C. Lewis Joseph Powell Esq. Richmond May 18^th 1797 Dear Sir Your letter of the 7^th Instant with its inclosures is arrived. I am so much engaged in the State business that I have not attended to Doctor Bonds claims sufficiently to form an opinion on it. I am doing some other business for him with the State and will execute to him on both when I have accomplished this