New York September 30^th 1799 Sir [W^m Simmons] New York Although our personal acquaintance has not been such as authorise this step, yet the knowledge I have of your character leads me to indulge a hope that you will liberally condole the motive & the end — I mean this introduces Sir, I take the liberty of troubling you in a private capacity on business of a public nature — I have by several letters endeaved to obtain from the Secretary of War the pay & forage due me & information what course to pursue that's not secure are the [undecipherable] I have faild to obtain from him any satisfaction on this subject — on the 22^d Inst^e he informs me "I could not suppose it possible you should have remaind three years in the army, and not know how or where to obtain your pay & emoluments" "Had I known how or where to obtain them I should not have thus long wanted instructions whose attention could not be considered as a letter requiring him to decide ought either by forwarding my pay or instructing me how [strikethrough: I might] obtain it" So far from instructing me how to obtain my dues his attention to the stile of wisdom & manners the subjects Secretary appears to suppose requires his advice for the improvement of mine While at West Point without any seeking of mine I recularly received my pay from the pay master of the Regiment at Governors Island from Cap^t Frye Since my arrest I once applied to you for pay & was politely informed that when the muster of Cap^t Fryes detachment took place my pay as usual would be forwarded this was satisfactory & I soon obt ained my pay — as honor being one of the army I [strikethrough: did] would not expect it necessary I should be musterd to obtain my dues and thought proper to apply [strikethrough: first] to me Sec^y who had informd me thro Gen^l Hamilton my pay & emoluments ceased on the 9^th of august — M^r Secretary as [strikethrough: is] usual [strikethrough: with] has made obscurity [strikethrough: his] clear saying "the laws of the United States and well known regulations relative to the pay of the army have prescribed the course to be followed by officers in service or having left the service who conceive the public to be in their debt for pay & emoluments" — these laws & regulations I am ignorant of and he and Duty has given no clue by which I can develope their mysterious secrets even those officers at Governors Island who have been six years in service are equally ignorant with myself of any mode [when not musterd] but by application to the Secretary of War to obtain pay [strikethrough: or after by] [strikethrough: muster or pay master] Having faild to induce the Secretary of War to give the information which it appeared to be his duty [strikethrough: dictated] and which could have been conveyd with half the efforts it's [undecipherable: sufficient] [undecipherable: the work] must have exercised in [strikethrough: produces] his letter of the 26^th inst^t I am [strikethrough: lead] [strikethrough: to] to request of you Sir the information necessary and shall feel obliged by your pointing out the course necessary to be pursued to draw pay & forage due me from the 1^st of June to the 9^th of august —