[Administrative endorsements: 148 / rec 47 / from [undecipherable: Lew.] Nichola / d July 2[undecipherable]. [17]84] [circular stamp] [rotated address panel, undecipherable] [undecipherable] as soon as I gave into, [undecipherable] him the Pay [undecipherable] of the reg. [undecipherable] the clothing account but ha[ve been] much perplexed in the forms [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] in the Muster Rolls, such as spelling names [undecipherable] variously as to give room to think [they] belonged to different persons; [undecipherable] different men [undecipherable] names to the same man, omitting men [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that had left the reg.; in the [undecipherable] without [undecipherable] this time or manner, I began by making as compleat a list of the men in the reg. from [undecipherable] January [undecipherable] to December 81, correcting all the above errors from Transfer and [undecipherable] regimental book, with remarks on each [undecipherable] as I [undecipherable] required them to make matters as [undecipherable] as possible to the person who is to examine the account; to this I have added & complicated the following columns, time of service, & amount of clothing allowed, when each man commenced, & when [undecipherable]. I then proceeded to examine the [undecipherable] to the reg. I found myself gravelled from the following causes, in part of 78 at [undecipherable] then [undecipherable] Mr. [undecipherable] & [undecipherable] cloth [undecipherable] to the officers commanding companies, [undecipherable] their re- ceipts, but there is not any thing to show how that clothing was [undecipherable]. I have a book of clothing issued to the [undecipherable] of one comp[an]y but tho it shows the Days & months of it is [undecipherable] as to the years [undecipherable] in one [undecipherable] where it is [undecipherable] [undecipherable] When Cap^t [undecipherable] [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] No. was [undecipherable] clothing about October 78, he kept a [undecipherable] [undecipherable] the time of his death in October 79 but on comparing this with the charge made by the [undecipherable] gen'l for that [undecipherable] it appears [undecipherable] to a considerable amount. On Cap^t M^cShallen being appointed Pay M^r I gave him the [undecipherable] books but do not find he has made any use of it for more than the first year when any clerk answered the [undecipherable] fashion, which are likewise very [undecipherable] from his own account of receipts, further than this I have not any informations to proceed on. Cap^t M^cShallen is still in town but I cannot [undecipherable] the only method I can propose to remedy all these [undecipherable] [undecipherable] is to procure, if possible from West Point, such [undecipherable] [undecipherable] as Cap^t M^cShallen may have kept, which I shall write to Cap^t McLean about by this post, likewise to get the [undecipherable] gen'[undecipherable] charge against the reg^t when thus [undecipherable] to charge every man with what shall appear against him, then [undecipherable] the surplus of the charge among the men in proportion to their times of service. I request you will inform me [undecipherable] you ap- prove of this expedient, or if not favour me with your Direction. which will much oblige [Your] most ob^d Serv^t Lewis Nicola Agent Pa Reg^t