Philadelphia 28^th December 1798 Sir, I have received your letter of the 21^st Instant— thank you for the information relative to Governor Sargents business it will be unfortunate indeed if by the weather he should again loose his property he has suffered more loss by transportation than any person I have forwarded goods for— No promulgation yet of the doings of the great Council— the Secretary of the Navy with the Secretary of State, the Quarter Master Gen^l and a few other friends dine with me to morrow— tis possible some information may then be obtained on the Subject of your enquiry should that be the case I will communicate it— The Secretary of the Navy mentioned to me yesterday confidentially, that he should report for raising funds to Support our present Naval Armament and an addition of Twelve sail of the Line— I wish you to inform Major Kirkpatrick that I have received his letter of the 4^th instant this day, and that as soon as I have informed myself on the subjects mentioned in it, I will write him— The Quarter Master General has brought on Wilsons Account as certified by Major Kirkpatrick and I shall make an attempt to get it settled— In your next please to send me an account of Governor Sargents property forwarded by Judge Tilton or any other person and the time they went on— If I find these Articles may not have got to hand I shall send a Duplicate of them by a Ship about to sail for Orleans— A Contract may be entered into for sending Goods to the Natchez by that route, at the rate of forty Dollars a Ton— its probable we may make the experiment— adieu— I am Sir Your Most Obedient Servant Samuel Hodgdon Major Isaac Craig