[N° 4. Fort Wilkinson March 17. 1800 Draft of a letter to M. John Harris K. of M. S. Phil[a]] Sir, Fort Wilkinson March 17^th 1800 I rec'd y'r favour of the 3 d ult: with its inclosures. Mr. Elliot left here the 13^th of Feb'ry for Augusta, from thence he expected to go to the falls of Ohio by the way of Knoxville, and did not expect to be at Phil'a till some time next Winter, I paid him his Salary from the time of his App't to the 31^st of Jan'y inclusive. Mr. Elliot was an agreeable Gent: but I want prefer an Ass't who [strikethrough: stud] un[undecipherable] Acc'ts better than he appeared to do, & I discover the most important situation in this business is behind the Counting, where I shall generally be if I have health, when its necessary for any one to be there. I will thank y'r sir, to try to send me an Ass't as soon as possible, I hope he will be a man of good Moral Conduct, and well acquainted with Acc'ts — My factory is in good condition, but I am sorry that from the great falls of rain, and the flatness of the Country through which the Roads goes to Savannah from this place; the [strikethrough: Waggons that] Roads have been to difficult [strikethrough: that the] Waggons can. have been prevented from travelling for some weeks, however, if the weather keeps good [strikethrough: and] but a few day longer, I expect to send off three Waggon loads more — I shall write M: [undecipherable], if they permit them to send them to a European Market it can with propriety, send them to Phil'a or to, John [undecipherable] Market, as the Expence of attending [strikethrough: to them] in the [undecipherable] to them in a proper Manner, through the Summer Season, with him, must consume a great part of their Value, I have wrote him already that I shall prefer keeping the things here, to sending them to him [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to be there in the Summer as my fatigues, at most, cost, the publick, not more than one quart of Whiskey p'r Day. at the [undecipherable] of which I get to [undecipherable] him. I was so unwell all the Month of [undecipherable: probable reading Nov] that I could not attend to the packing my Skins or I should not have any on hand at this time [strikethrough: worth] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] I shall do every thing in my power to re-trieve, in some manner, the losses which this factory has so evidently [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] sustained by a great in-attention to its Interests — I wrote you some time since by Mr. Wm. Hawkins, inclosing a list of articles which Colo. Hawkins thought would be wanting for this factory the [strikethrough: next] ensuing Summer — — I am sir y'r ob'd H'ble Serv't [undecipherable signature] M. John Harris K. of M. S. Phil'a