[Decem. 26, 1798. / The Secretary of War / Records —] T.D. Decem. 26. 1798. I have the honour to reply to your letter of the 22^d instant & to inform you that the sum of [undecipherable] forty five thousand four hundred & eighty six pounds Sterling has been remitted with directions to have the same applied in the following manner. For the purchase of Musquets with Bayonets compleat fittable for the Infantry service — £35.686— For Iron Cannon for the Naval service — 6.000— For Iron Cannon for the Land service —— 4.000— It may be expected that the above mentioned remittances will [strikethrough: be converted] purchase from Three to four hundred pieces of Cannon & from Fifteen to Twenty Thousand Musquets. Contracts have been formed for manufacturing about Thirty five thousand Musquets in the United States. About 116.000 lbs of [strikethrough: gunpowder] powder were purchased at New York & 32.000 pounds at Charleston in during the last Summer. A Contract has been also formed for the importation of Five hundred Tons of Salt Peter. Considerable advances have been made to the [undecipherable: Purveyor] for the purchases of arms & Military Stores; other purchases have been or I presume made by the agents of the War & Navy Departments [strikethrough: from] from the passage of the Act of 16^th of July 1798 transferring the duty of procuring Supplies from the Troops — I have the honour [signature] The Sec^ty War