[Docket, top right:] Colonel Williams / &c &c / 1800 [Stamp:] Received from / State Dep. / Nov 24. 3[undecipherable] / R.P.O. 401310 [Address:] February 22 / Samuel Hodgdon / Commissary of Stores / Philadelphia Springfield May 22 1800 Sir, In your letter of the 12^th. you observed that you had failed of closing the contract for Coals for the Armory as you expected, owing as you suppose to the rise of that Article — I have had a proposal made me this morning by [undecipherable] of this Town — to contract for the necessary quantity of Coals to be delivered at the Works, for two Shillings & eight pence this money per bushel this will bring them one penny per bushel higher, than at the price you proposed — but four pence less than I could contract for at the time I first wrote you about them — If nothing better can be done with you, on the first intimation, I will close the Contract here — I am Sir Most respectfully Yours Ob^t Ser^vt Joseph Williams Sam^l Hodgdon Esq^r