New London Virginia April 28^th 1798 Sir I hastily embraced an opportunity which offered some days ago to write to you, and desiring it is possible to send off my waggons tomorrow to Alexandria, for the Store forwarded to that place from Philadelphia and also a quantity of Guns and Rambars this opportunity to write to you again — Agreeable to your directions I have Adjusted with M^r Clayton to continue to supply the workmen with diet as heretofore and the quantity of Rations directed by you I have entered into a contract with a workman for mounting the Cannon here — bad as it is here the wood work done. The out has been advertised and one hundred & fifty dollars this being seven Guineas, I am at a loss to know whether that price is reasonable or not and must beg you to inform me what the Cost would be in Philadelphia as I am yet at liberty to have from the plan If it is deemed unreasonable, I have however to inform you Sir that four or five Months will be required to Cannon the timber which is now preparing for the Carriages. The Iron work we can have done in the workshop — I have wrote to the the claimants at Norfolk to bring forward their accounts which shall be adjusted and paid off as soon as they arrive. The money which you sent to me by M^r Perkins was not received untill the 9^th Inst^t as I said, I therefore render you my Accounts & Vouchers to the 1^st Inst^t I will send them to you on the 1^st of May — A part of the workmen are Sober, attentive and industrious but I am sorry to inform you that the reverse is the character of some others, and that the Public may sustain a little injury or Expence by their Idleness and dissipation it is determined to halt them some stoppages in their wages and to subject them to pay for their Board while neglecting the Public business I wrote to you on the 19^th of March requiring to know whether the arms as they are repaired should be packed in Boxes or otherwise disposed of, this letter I hope you have received and will thank you for an answer to it, as soon as possible and shall procure the several Articles contained in the printed Inventory for M^r Perkins, as soon as possible — We have met with difficulties, and some delay in procuring a proper and convenient place to erect a Mill for boring and grinding Bayonets but have at length succeeded and the works shall be completed as soon as the nature of the business will permit. I have I have forwarded with this letter an estimate of the expenditures for March which includes a Pay roll of the workmen — I have also sent you a return of the Arms completely repaired and fit for service to 1^st Inst^t none are here included but those complete with Bayonets & ramrods. I have taken notice in my last return to the War Office of the whole of the Arms which have been under the hands of the workmen with the particular state of them, to this return I beg leave to refer you for a View of the whole work performed up to that period, and should you wish that my returns to you in future should be similar to that I shall give directions and shall comply with them. you in startreading this letter information was given and strongly corroborated and indeed officially confirmed that a large [undecipherable] stolen from the Armoury it is thought in a clandestine manner and perhaps in considerable quantities to pursue and to detect such practices — I took up the man and endeavoured to prevail on him to make a confession but without effect. upon consulting with M^r Perkins about the pay due to him which is six or seven months and upwards we — thought it best to direct his attention more to the manufacture, stating that as he has in general been inattentive to his business affairs as it appeared to have an understanding upon it when well wrote to you more fully on the subject. I believe I have given you information in a [undecipherable: former] letter [undecipherable: relative] to [undecipherable: remarks] upon me — I have not liberty to write to you again in ten or fifteen days, I very likely shall have wrote your notice I will give you advice of it. when seen incomplete as I am somewhat hurried I have the honor to be Sir your most Obedient humble Servant W^m Cobb [enclosure & express acquise] [Letter from Cobb Rec^d War Office 28^th of April New London Virginia]