[Address: [undecipherable: Col.?] [undecipherable: Samuel?] Hodgdon Philadelphia] [Received from State De[partmen]t [undecipherable]] [Lower right notation: undecipherable] Detroit 27^th Sept. 1796 Dear Sir I have for Two months last past been [undecipherable] So much engaged by my [undecipherable: Secretary?] and [undecipherable: Governorship?] to write to any of my friends but in that time not a single Line from you to apprize me [of his/of the?] [undecipherable]ness or indeed upon any other Subject — in a few Days however I [undecipherable] my Fears renewed and hope to receive letters from you when this [undecipherable] — what is the News — will the President Decline and if so who is to succeed him — will the [undecipherable: matter?] [undecipherable] or those Faction I [undecipherable] your [undecipherable: begins?] the [undecipherable] Wellco of [undecipherable: Congress?] — Scarcely any thing worth your [undecipherable] from this [undecipherable: Quarters?] all the Country I have Traversed over [you?] here in [undecipherable: Transportation?] I dare say [fewer?] [undecipherable] had before me — nothing I [undecipherable] has been very [undecipherable: never?] to me but [undecipherable] of the great [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] is quite an Ocean, for [undecipherable: Four?] & Twenty hours having a [undecipherable: gale?] of Wind was [undecipherable] [undecipherable] by the Waves, and [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] — Dead Lights in [undecipherable] and Top masts [undecipherable] [undecipherable] as upon the [undecipherable: stormy?] deep — no Bottom [undecipherable] [undecipherable: Seventy?] Fathoms — The finny Inhabitants of this Deep are un= [undecipherable] — the [undecipherable] from [undecipherable] to Sixty [undecipherable], between the [undecipherable: Speckled?] [undecipherable: Twenty?] in [undecipherable: better?] Clusters [undecipherable] you with a Line to my [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] letter is under [undecipherable: Cover?] to our worthy [undecipherable] [undecipherable: Secretary?] of State which I [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] [undecipherable] — my best wishes and respects [undecipherable: attend?] M^rs H— [undecipherable] and Families W[undecipherable: signature]