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Mr. Haywood, Dear Sir, Wednesday

When I left Fayetteville my intent
was to go to Virginia & return in about a week, but
contrary to my expectation I was there detained so as not
return until last night at which time I received two
Letters from you relative to the Business of the Presid-
ents House, wherein you requested an answer & an explain-
ation of the propossials left with you; as you have been
So kind as to put yourself to the trouble of writing to
me with respect to the work I feel a degree of plea-
sure in sending an express answer, not finding any
chance of conveying a Letter without Sending on purpose.

The plan you first gave, I calculated on, as doing the
the work in a creditable manner, the way in which I
proposed doing the said work I did suppose could not be
executed, So as to give ample satisfaction to the employ-
ers & gain credit to myself for less than 1,000 pounds;
this was the House 36 by 26 with a cellar under the
whole of it & the Garret finished off into bedrooms,
(perhaps this I did not communicate to you) However after
this it was proposed to omit a part of the cellar & the whole
of the Garret rooms, ading to the length of the House four
feet, this as I observed required an abatement, I then
agreed to undertake for [British pound symbol] 950. lastly in case of being
underbid I concluded to say 850. which appears
to be the proposal you thought was the first I had made

This was truly a mistake but not on my part, you being
so full of business at that time & none of the other commissi-
oners present it could not be attended to so strictly as was
necessary: Now Sir, the fact is this, the commissioners shod
have first made out an exact method in which the work was
to be done & have given to each candidate a copy of the form.