[Outer cover/wrapper: Center: Major H[undecipherable] Lower left, docketing/postal notation: [undecipherable] Lower right: 56 [undecipherable]] Sir Herein we take the liberty to give you an Extract or two from a letter of M^r [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable] on the subject of your letter of the 28 [undecipherable], which he has been enclosed to him — "If any damage was done to them (the arms) while in "our Care, this I must protest, it ought to be proven, and "clearly established, before any allowance can be made "and until that is done I cannot conceive They can "with propriety ask any. — I have already p^d for the "transportation of said Store, to Thornton and the Men "whom I employed to cart them will not refund me "any part of the money paid, unless I can prove they "injured the same there their neglect. — I [undecipherable] state "to you the intention of the [undecipherable] of Arms when on "board of the [undecipherable] which [undecipherable] them to York — "from the information of the Cap^t of said Boat and "Cap^t Surydam who seems to have been [undecipherable] in "[undecipherable] the public Stores), [undecipherable] appears that a "[undecipherable] on board the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] the Boxes "were not secured and exposed to the rain [undecipherable] "water; but Cap^t refused to take them in that "condition and requested Cap^t Surydam, to have "Them secured, which was done, in a very [undecipherable] "manner and in that connection They were placed "on board the [undecipherable] Boat. Now the probability "is that if any damage was done, it must have been "been before they came in our Charge." The part "of the Arms lying in that Condition before they came "in our Care can be proven by indifferent People. "If M^r M^cLean, had retained the Stores in his hands "until the freight was paid then difficulties "would not have arisen and if M^r [undecipherable] rightly "considered the matter, the cheapness of the Charge "a^d all the Circumstances attending the transporta- "tion of the same he will not hesitate discharging "the whole Am^t" — The Circumstances above stated lead to a very probable conclusion that the Arms about which you Complain were damaged before they came into his Possession at New-York. — We are Sir your very Obed^t Serv^ts, M^cLean & [undecipherable] Water Street N^o 113 [undecipherable] Feb^y 9. 1795 Major [undecipherable]