Philadelphia May 30^th 1797 Dear Sir Your favor of the 28^th Ins^t reached me this day — it makes me unhappy to be absent from the Office when my presence appears necessary — the documents necessary to be forwarded to M^r Price in the Prosecution of M^r Alexander I now enclose through to — as the transaction [undecipherable] in the Pay Office of [undecipherable] the business should be transacted by M^r Huddleston as all the papers relative to that business must lay with him — I expected M^r Price had informed the Board of Treasury of the arreareages due the N. Carolina line but suppose from what you mention that he had forgot it — we have no other evidence than M^r Jacksons above — this whom you have been guided by and I suppose is the best that can be procured — my anxiety to be here prevented me from closing the Accounts — I now wish they had been done as it is very uncertain when I return — Believe me Your J Howell: [M^r [undecipherable]]