Supervisor's Office, Boston 26^th December 1798 — Sir, Enclosed you have Captain Bela Blanchard's bill of lading for the eight hundred Gun Stocks you shipped to my care by the Sloop Portland Packet. Upon the counting them here they turned out four short, as reported to me; and Blanchard said they were 3 short when counted in to his Vessel. I have enclosed also to you a duplicate receipt from Mess^rs Kinsley & Pickens for the said Gun Stocks as I was directed to do in a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury dated the 18^th of November last. — I lately received a letter from M^r Joseph Williams dated at Springfield the 14^th instant in which he desires me to write to those persons who had contracted to fabricate muskets for the United States, and to whom had been delivered the Charleville Muskets he had sent me as patterns, that a defect in them was to be remedied in those now making, by fixing the Nub which holds the Bayonet on the face or upper part of the barrel, and also that the upper Ramrod pipe should be a little bell'd — informing that they must attend to this alteration, and that no inferior muskets [strikethrough: should] be received for inspection — I passed this information accordingly under date of the 18^th instant to Mess^rs Kinsley & Pickens and to M^r Daniel Gilbert. — I am Sir, y^r most obed^t Serv^t J Jackson, Supervisor Samuel Hodgdon Esq^r Superintendent of military Stores. [Boston, Care. Samuel Hodgdon Esq^r Superintendent of military Stores. Philadelphia] [J Jackson 6 January 99 R^d January 99 answer'd in return]