Springfield April 29^th 1799 Sir Enclosed are the Returns of the Military & Armory Department, with the necessary vouchers of receipts and deliveries since January 1^st. I wish they may meet your Ap- -probation. As all the Military & Quarter Masters Stores in the several Arsenals at this Post, stand charged to me in your Books; will a Quarterly Return of receipts & deliveries be [undecipherable] stating the Articles on hand in said Return? The Multiplicity of business arising from the duties of my Office as Paymaster, is my apology for this request. You will find by the Armory Return a large proportion of Musket Stocks unfit for use, some of them rendered so by the fire — the rest are Shakey & warpt — the Superintendant has reported them to me, as unfit for any use in the Factory. I have receipted to him for them in that state, shall I in future bear them on my Military Return & forward you a receipt for them, make no further account of them? — 2 or 3 hundred of those returned on hand — the Superintendant is doubtful of the propriety of making use of them, as they are a little shorter than his pattern. Will you be so good as to direct a Number of Gunstocks to be forwarded for this Department, in the course of a few Months we shall be inti- -rely out — The Factory is in a progressive state — very soon they expect to finish seventeen Muskits a day — The Iron expected from Philadelphia, has not arrived — The Superintendant has made application to have me dispose of one of the public Horses, which he says proves vicious, and otherwise unfit, for the use of the Department — This same Horse as his particular Choice, and at his pressing request, I purchased for him last Fall at one hundred Dollars — Will you be good enough to say what must be done with him — Convinced as I am, that a Good Yoke of Cattle, say worth 60 Dollars, with one Horse, will be of much greater utility than two, or even four Horses. I would offer it as my opinion that he had better be disposed of at the best market; and the proceeds appropriated for one Yoke of Oxen & Cart — I have paid more money for team keep subsequent to the last of September than would have paid for three yoke of Cattle & their keeping — the remaining Horse will occasionally do for the Horse Cart, Saddle, and Harness — If Your Ideas of the utility of this measure comport with mine, may I request Your [underline: particular] and [underline: decided] instructions how to proceed. — I am with great respect Your humble servant Joseph Williams S. Inspr [Cover address: Samuel Hodgson Esqr / Superintendent of Stores / Philadelphia] [Docket: Joseph Williams / April 29. 1799 / Quartermaster to the / [undecipherable]] [Stamp: Received / State Dep't. / Nov. 24, 189— / R.O. 401810]