[XXII-41 5566a] [duplicate 2.] New York 16 June 1790. Dear Sir Your servant has applied to me in your behalf to know whether I have heard any thing decisive respecting your son. I sincerely wish I could relieve your anxiety upon so interesting a subject — [undecipherable] upon my first hearing the report — I wrote you the enclosed letter by M^r [undecipherable] [undecipherable: Ryden?]. And I believe it was not delivered lest it should excite in your breast fears which might be groundless. It is now upwards of one [undecipherable] since [undecipherable] more now than they were then, as I have not received any official information whatever of the truth — My last letters from Gen^l Harman were dated the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] — and the troops [undecipherable] said to have been about [undecipherable] [undecipherable] — if the fact [undecipherable] of your sons being killed as has been reported, I think that without doubt Gen^l Harman would have sent me an express [undecipherable] as he must have heard all that we know by the 16^th of April [undecipherable] at [undecipherable] — and in [undecipherable] My conjectures at present stand thus — 1^st That the boat your son was in was fired upon as going up he Tennessee River on the 21^st of March, but as he was [undecipherable: made de prisoner?] with [undecipherable] the probability is that no person therein was hurt — 2^dly That the Major on [undecipherable] the fire [undecipherable] out into the river, and out of the [undecipherable], and [undecipherable] that he [undecipherable] down the Tennessee, [undecipherable] the Ohio; and down the Ohio into the Mississippi and down the Mississippi to the [undecipherable] bluff in order [undecipherable] [undecipherable] Chickasaw & Choclaw [undecipherable] [undecipherable] not where he was charged The [undecipherable] distance [undecipherable] [undecipherable] by land [undecipherable] from what [undecipherable] here [undecipherable] to the Chick[undecipherable] bluff [undecipherable] more than forty miles, whereas by water in the manner I have described, [undecipherable] must be 500 [undecipherable] — As he had [undecipherable] hours [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] This conjecture is [undecipherable] more [undecipherable] — I am anxious[ly] [undecipherable], which as [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] I receive shall be forwarded to you. [undecipherable] the news [undecipherable] I pray you hope for the best, as [undecipherable] [undecipherable] — Also, and [undecipherable] the probabilities are as 2 [undecipherable: signature]