[American Service.] In the course of the last year we have made provision for the Institution of a Military Academy, if we wish to commit its formation to your experience, and its future government to your care. It is not necessary at this occasion to send you a detailed account of our military Establishment which indeed would be best explained by a reference to the laws upon which it depends; these are in my possession, & shall be put into your hands if you desire it — In addition to the superintendance of the Military Academy, I am authorised to offer you the appointment of Inspector General of the Artillery of the United States, and we shall moreover be disposed to give you such rank & emoluments, consistent with existing provisions, & with what has already been settled upon the former of those [undecipherable: hands?], as would be likely to afford you satisfaction & to secure to us the advantages of your Services. If your engagements will allow of your entering into our Service which I sincerely hope may be the case I will ask the favor of you to take an early opportunity of signifying the same to me in order that we may be disposed to give you a more particular [undecipherable] upon the Subject. With the greatest Consideration I have the honour to be [signed] R. King [endorsed: Rumford to Mr. King] Brompton 12. Sept^r. 1799. Dear Sir I am to acknowledge the rec^t of your Excellency's most flattering letter of the 8^th instant the perusal of which has filled my mind with sentiments much more easy to be conceived than expressed. I am deeply sensible of the honor that has been conferred on me by the Government of the United States by the kind invitations they have sent me to come and reside in my native Country, and also by the other distinguished & most flattering proofs of their Confidence & esteem with which that invitation has been accompanied. Nothing could have afforded me so much satisfaction as to have had it in my power to have given to my liberal & generous Countrymen such proofs of my Sentiments as [undecipherable] evinced in the most public & ostensible manner [undecipherable] evinced, not only my gratitude for the kind attentions I have received from them, but also the ardent desire I feel to assist in promoting the prosperity of my Native Country — but engagements which great obligations have rendered fixed & inviolable, put it out of my power to dispose of my time & Services with that unreserved freedom which would be necessary in order to enable me to accept of those generous offers which the Executive government of the United States has been pleased to propose to me. But altho' it is not in my power to dissolve the ties by which I am bound, yet I have no doubt of being able to obtain permission to visit America; & should that Permission (which I shall certainly solicit) be granted, I shall take an early opportunity of crossing the Atlantic in order to pay my personal respects to the President of the United States & to return him my thanks for the distinguished honor he has been pleased to confer on me. I cannot finish this letter without requesting that you, Sir, would accept my best acknowledgements for the many Civilities I have received from you, and more especially for the very polite manner in which you have been so good as to communicate to me the favorable Sentiments of the Government of the United States with respect to me. With the most sincere wishes for the prosperity of the United States I have the honor to be Sir Your Excellency's most obt. Servt. [signed] C. Rumford His Excely Rufus King &c &c &c