Surveyors Office Philad^a 4^th July 1800 Sir It was my intention to have waited on you in person soon after [you] should have commenced your official Duties at the City of Washington having at the request of the Heads of Departments undertaken to [char]ter Vessels, hire waggons & generally to superintend the removal of [P]apers & furniture of the Public Offices and of the Persons attached [t]hem from hence to that place, which is not yet compleated, it [nece]ssarily detained me here — Indeed the purchases for Indian [trea]ties &c directed by the late Secretary of War could not be compleat[ed] [ow]ing to the late arrival of the Spring Vessels until now, and having [re]ceived directions from the Secretary of State to load a Vessel for [India]ns, I foresee it will be a considerable time before I can compleat the [pub]lic business so as to leave this place — during the derangement which [una]voidably took place while the office of the department of War was [mo]ving, & before it was opened again at Washington, or at least previ[ous to] [y]our taking charge of it — Col. Hodgdon Superintendant of Military Stores [was] induced from the circumstances of the case, and as I understood in [part] from conversation held with you here on your way to the City of Wash[ington] [in] to request the purchasing & providing of sundry articles, as follows — June 16^th four pieces Hessian Wrapper 17^th twenty Orderlybooks & four large claw hammers 18^th A boat for the use of the Garrison at Fort Mifflin 24^th Sundry tools &c for the use of the armoury at Harpers Ferry [Copies] of his letters to me of the above dates are inclosed, the necessity of [the] case & the evident Propriety of procuring the articles induced [me] to purchase those that could be immediately obtained & to take measures [for] procuring the others — but as the Laws of the United States requires the au[thor] ity of the Heads of Departments to make purchases (except for such [artic] les as may come under the head of incidental expences) I take Liberty of laying the foregoing before you and if approved by you I request you will be pleased to signify it by letter in order that it may be a voucher for me in the Settlement of my accounts — I have the honor &c Hon^ble Samuel Dexter Esq^r Secretary of War