[docket on outer cover: [undecipherable] / [undecipherable] Octo. 99] West Point, Oct^r. 13. 1799. Sir I inclose you returns of military & quarter masters stores, issued & received by me at this garrison from the 1^st of July to the 1^st instant— I also inclose you a list of military stores I lately carefully examined. The various kinds of public business I have had to transact, since I have been at this garrison, put it entirely out of my power to minutely examine myself all the public property in my charge. I assure you I have devoted to the minute examination of military & quarter masters stores all the time I have had, from what the several Secretaries of War informed me were of the first moment, namely, purchasing materials, hiring workmen, teams &c. at the very lowest rate, paying the workmen in general weekly, & superintending the whole, so as to be confident that full justice was done to the publick. What were called in the returns of military stores, good French Musket Cartridges, you will perceive by the inclosed list of articles I have lately examined, falls very considerably short. In an abstract I sent to General Knox when Secretary of War, of ordnance of military stores, sent in different vessels to the address of Cap^t. Baudin at Albany by order of Gen^l. Knox, which abstract was dated the 9^th of November 1793, is mentioned, "120 boxes containing 151.400 musket cartridges — these cartridges were made before the peace — but on taking out of each box of a part of the boxes 2 cartridges, and 3 such out of each box of the remainder, I found the strength of powder in each cartridge, on proving with muskets, equal to the same quantity out of barrels of full proof powder — still I recommend a further trial to be made of their strength." On the 28^th of November 1796 Cap^t. Baudin returned to me 126,768 of the aforesaid musket cartridges. After I had finished last summer exposing to the action of the sun the powder in the magazine, fixed ammunition, slow match, & several other articles to be first attended to, I directed M^r. [undecipherable: probable reading "H. Spring"] to have the whole of the musket & pistol cartridges taken out of their boxes & sufficiently sunned, & then to carefully examine every cartridge, & with pistols to prove two cartridges of every sort of powder, so as not to pass for good any he should not be certain of being full proof powder. The result of which examination is contained in the inclosed list. He has now a part of the ordnance detachment, emptying the condemned musket cartridges — I intend to fill them with powder of full proof out of the magazine. The remainder of the said detachment are employed on the fixed ammunition, out of each cartridge of which I take a small charge to prove with pistols. The whole of the fixed ammunition remaining here was made last war, & considerable of it appears to be old campaigners. There is now no employ for three horses here belonging to the United States — They are the horses Rochefontaine brought from Philadelphia, & are now in good order for use. Its a pity they should remain idle here, & be an expense to the publick to keep them through the winter. The other horse mentioned in the quarter masters returns, died a few days ago of old age, being no doubt upwards of 25 years old. Lieut. [undecipherable: probable reading "Dransy"] & myself, on examination, are of opinion the barge I mentioned in my quarterly return of Alterations from the 1^st of January to the first of last April, was very much damaged in a violent storm at night & rendered unfit for further service until she undergoes a thorough repair by a boat builder, could be completely repaired for about thirty dollars. As she received the damage when in charge of Cap^t. Ingersoll, I expected he would have reported to the Secretary of War or to you her situation. I have not yet been able to get a boat builder to look at her. I recommend her being repaired. I am, with the greatest respect & esteem Sir, Your most obed^t. serv^t. Geo. Fleming [address:] Major Sam^l. Hodgson