New York, June 8th, 1786.
Sir:
It may perhaps be necessary to apologize to your Excellency for not having written since my arrival for any instructions or commands you might have to communicate. One cause which renders me less ready to trouble you with my letters is that very little worthy of your attention is in my possession; moreover, I expected you would be informed of every Circumstance you would wish to know by a Gentleman in person who is going, and who is Master of every information.
In obedience to your first direction I wrote to you on my way to Wilmington; the letter, I make no doubt was delivered by the person to whom I committed it as he appeared desirous of waiting on you. Perhaps it may now be my duty to mention that I learned from Col. Blount, he being much better acquainted with that Gentleman's Character than I was at that time.
I must acknowledge that on my arrival at Congress I received Official Papers respecting the Indian Treaty. It gave me infinite uneasiness as nothing in that business could be done by us to any effect, every thing respecting it was transacted before we arrived and I am now to inform your Excellency that those Treaties require nothing further than to insert them on the Journals without any ratification here. This was done before my arrival from Philadelphia, where the Necessity of providing for my Subsistence here had called me. If anything can be done at this time, to Counteract the
Evil we have to complain of in the Indian Treaty, and you will please to suggest it, our Duty will be to comply with it.As nothing will compel me to leave this but the difficulty of Subsisting in the way we are supplied I flatter myself you will not be averse to giving an Order for the Remainder of my Salary, if it can be paid here; that will be a relief demanding my Acknowledgments, and from what I understand of a resolution of the legislature in May Session 1784, that mode will be inconsistent with their Intention.
Your Excellency's very attached
And Faithful Servant,
P. S. If it is not practicable to make an order for the money payable here please give an Order for it to Col. Blount on account of my Salary.