New York 11 April 1796. Dear Sir A Letter rec^d the 5^th inst. intimating that one of my little Boys was ill of a Fever occasioned my sudden Departure for this Place. The Child is, happily, recovered and runs about as usual. It is high Time that my little Boys went to School and I wish if possible to have them under my own Eye but how to effect that Arrangement is the Question. If I was to remove them to Carolina and either of them to sink under the Climate I should never forgive myself knowing the Climate there to be very unfavourable to Children. To settle in the Country might not be agreeable to a Person accustomed to converse with Men of good Information and my Finances on the present Scale of Prices are not quite equal to a City Establishment. So as to find additional [undecipherable: Delight?] per annum would answer my Purpose but I cannot [undecipherable] me to any Subordinate Station and inferior ones are generally Objects of much Competition. There is a Bill now before the Senate for opening a Land Office. It contemplates a Surveyor Gen^l I have not heard what Salary he is to have. I am informed that Ellicot will be appointed to run the Line between Spain & the U.S. viz the boundary of Florida. The Surveyor Gen^l ought to be fully acquainted with Geometry. Tho I should not greatly overrate my Abilities in supposing that on the mere Question of Capacity to execute the Office I should not have many Rivals. I should not, if the Place if it was offered and presume you could with a safe Conscience before the President has fixed on any Person, intimate that I might be considered capable of executing such an Office. I know that of th. Salem, a respectable Mr. Davs from the several States will be pressing th. [undecipherable] of some of their Confidence to. The North Carolina Members are I believe without Exception desirous to do any thing that in their Opinion would be profitable or acceptable to me, but as they are at present every one in Opposition to the Measures of Gov^t I know my wanted not willingly ask favours: Where fore I have never intimated to one of them that I would accept of any Employment. If the President, when the Object is fairly presented to his Views, does not make the appointm^t he ought not to be solicited; but as he probably may never have heard that Geometrical Calculations had formed part of my Study, you probably will have no Objection to mention to him what you take to be the general Opinion on this Head. I find People here very anxious concerning the Determination of Congress on the Subject of Treaty appropriation. I have no Pretensions to Prophecy but believing that things will happen as they usually have happened and having read from History to be informed how they have resulted, I am under strong Impressions that if French Obstinacy or Fondness of conquest produces another Campaign, the Republican Government of that Country will be in great Danger. French Arms have uniformly proved unfortunate across the Rhine. I am Sir with great Respect Your most Obt Serv Hu Williamson [Honble James M^cHenry] [11 April 1796 Hugh Williamson] [Honble James M^cHenry]