Pittsburg 20^th January 1799 Sir, Your letter of the 19^th instant accompanied by the Pittsburg News Papers is come to hand this moment, at the same time I am favored with a letter from the Secretary of War of the 15^th instant which relates entirely to Business that must be transacted in Phila. I have enclosed you a Copy of it and have to request your immediate attention to that Business, Viz to obtain a deed in the name of the President of the U. S. for Lots N^o 37 & 38 at Fort Le Boeuf from the Town of Waterford County of Allegheny. You will please to observe that an unhappy choice of ground on which to erect the Public Buildings. [undecipherable: Counsel?] necessary to occupy a part of those lots and therefore at the [undecipherable] Sale in Pittsburg on the 15^th of August last Humphreys them for the United States before the Secretary of War of it I expected that an Application to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, this ground together with an adjoining Public Square would have been ceded to the U. S. that for reasons assigned by the Secretary of War this has not been done it is therefore necessary that you be pleased to make application to [undecipherable] Biddle &g who is empowered to transact the business respecting the Sale of these lots and you will find by the amount of Sales now in Col. Biddles possession that Lots N^o 37. was sold at 135 dollars & N^o 38 at 150 dollars [undecipherable] in my name. As soon as you have obtained a deed you will be pleased to transmit it to me in order that it may be recorded in the [undecipherable] County. The fee is not yet [undecipherable] from any appearance of it. You will find this accompanied by an abstract of [undecipherable] at this post from the 1^st of April to the last of September 195 inclusive. Be pleased to send the letter addressed to Col. Pfeifer. I believe it covers one for you. I am Sir Your Mo. ob. Hble Serv. J. C. Sam Hodgdon Esq^r Philadelphia