[Private] Head Quarters No. 9. Gr: noVille 28^th July 1796 Sir I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your two letters of the 9^th Instant, & thank for the friendly hint; It however does not require any great degree of penetration to discover the real object of those malignant & groveling charges attributed by that worst of all bad men, to whom I feel myself as much superior in every Virtue as Heaven is to Hell; The fact is — my presence with the Army is very inconvenient, to the nefarious machinations of the Enemies of Government; & may eventually prevent them from Deceiving the Union; As a small instance of the truth of this idea I take the liberty to enclose a Copy of a letter this moment received from M^r E. W— who probably may have set out for Philadelphia, before Major Swan can reach Lexington, altho' I have not lost a moment, in sending him forward agreeably to the request of M^r W— as you will observe by a copy of my letter of this date to that Gentleman In addition to this I have address'd a blank Letter to His Excellency Gov^r Gayoso, & order'd a flag with a twelve oar'd barge well mann'd & appointed to descend the Ohio, under a Confidential & judicious Officer, to look out for & seize the boat on board of which the Royal Chest & papers may be found; & to proceed as far as Massac, in case he don't meet her sooner or before he reaches that place, with Orders to communicate the Contents of [undecipherable: probable reading Nouvelles] from W— to Cap^t Pike, & to act as a guard boat, to prevent the Chest & papers passing that port in the night, & to secure both; be so oblig^y as to communicate this business to the President as soon as convenient, & permit me to suggest the expediency of an interview with M. W— in Philadelphia — he is a relation of Parson Jones's, & trades between Kentucky & New Orleans very largely. I am with great Esteem & regard Your most Ob^t Hum^l Ser^t Ant^y Wayne The Hon^ble James McHenry Esq^r Secretary of War [Endorsement on verso: no. 9 wd. Aug 28. 1796. from. Wayne. [undecipherable]]