New York 11^th April 1796. Dear Sir A letter rec^d the 5th 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. 600 to 800 additional Dollars per Annum would answer my Purpose but I cannot sub[mit] my[self] to any subordinate Station and higher 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. I think I should not greatly overrate my Abilities in supposing that, on the meer Question of Capacity, to execute the Office I should not have many Rivals. I should not refuse 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 if the Salary is respectable Men from the several States will be pressing the Interest of some of their Constituents. 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 Gen^l [Washington] I know they would not willingly ask favours. Wherefore I have never intimated to one of them that I would accept of any Employment. If the President, when the Object is simply presented to his View, does not make the appointment 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 that head. I find People here very anxious concerning the Determination of Congress on the Subject of Treaty appropriations. 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 existed, I am under strong Impressions that if French Obstinacy or Pride 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 D^r Sir with great Respect Your obed^t & hble Serv^t Hu Williamson Hon^ble James McHenry