U.S. Navy Yard Philadelphia
4th June 1834

To
The Hon[orable] Levi Lincoln
Dear Sir:
I have the hon-
or to acknowledge (under cover of your frank) the receipt of
the bill and report relative to the pay of the Commission-
ed and Warrant Officers of the Navy, and beg leave
to return you my thanks for your polite attention.

I shall
be very much gratified if this bill passes into a law
and particularly so, if that clause contemplating a
reservation of 3 percent, as a fund for the support
of the widows and orphans of the officers should
be recognized as a part of it.

The pay of the officers
of the Navy is not adequate to their support, and of
course those who have not acquired a fortune by oth-
er means, generally leave their families in necessitous
circumstances. Should this arrangement, however, become
a law, the government will be entirely exonerated
from all claims, and the officers rendered indepen-
dent of the necessity of making humiliating appeals
to the charity of their country.
I have the honor to be Dear Sir
Very Respectfully Y[ou]r Ob[edien]t Servant
James Barron

[page 2]

To
The Hon[orable] Levi Lincoln
Member of Congress
Washington

Com. Barron
4 June 1834