[Sec^y of War Phil^a April 23] [4y 136] [130] Philadelphia April 23 1799 Sir, Upon a careful inspection of the Articles of War I entertain doubts, whether I can act upon, by approving or [strikethrough: disapproving] [strikethrough: referred to me] sentences of Courts Martial [strikethrough: received] from the Department of War, in cases in which the Courts have been [strikethrough: ordered by] [strikethrough: that it] instituted by that Department through organs other than myself. As there is peculiar delicacy in inflicting punishments upon [undecipherable] authority, I shall be glad to be exempted from the embarrass-ment which references of the above mentioned kind [strikethrough: accumulated collected] will occasion. * With the greatest respect I have the honor to be Y^r Ob^t S^r * I have written provisionally Col Strong to abstain from the execution of Martial law at Detroit till further order, as I defer maturely to reflect on the subject before a definitive— [N^o 6248] the Sec^y of War