[N. York] [John Pierce Esq^r Pay Master General to the Pay Master of the United States at Philadelphia at Annapolis] [to the [undecipherable] of Mr. [undecipherable] Pierce is from] New York, 11^th [undecipherable] 1784 Dear Pierce I presume once more to trouble you with a third letter on the Subject of a Certificate of the Pay I have received as Deputy Master Master General between the 25^th Sept. 1776 & the [undecipherable] of January 1780. It is a Matter of such interesting Moment to me that I trust You will excuse the trouble of my Petition & shall readily defray any Expence that may be incurred — I informed You before that the legislature have passed a law in my favor, which however requires a Certificate, as the [undecipherable] will require a Certificate of the amount [undecipherable] specified by the Continental Debt (which is adopted by us) I have received. Our Commissioners are [undecipherable] about 16 or 18 days from home in this City, when I have the Certificate I can have my Accounts [undecipherable] adjusted & fill my Notes at [undecipherable] at 6 pence [undecipherable] at 2/6 in the Pound upon the face of the Notes, bearing date 31 July 1780 [undecipherable]. • If my Notes should not be then Adjusted they will in 5 weeks be worth [undecipherable] them [undecipherable] in the [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable], will be equally good. I have the [undecipherable] Confidence that Your friendship will not permit me to incur so considerable a loss as at least 2000 Doll[ars] I have not Copies of my three letters to You and [shall] therefore make a Sum of a Certificate, let the three letters may not have reached You. If the found [undecipherable] You at Annapolis & You had leave Your Books with Your proxy sent by Post to Philadelphia I have the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] convenience, [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] for Your [undecipherable] Calculations, or if my [undecipherable] [undecipherable] in your Office ask him to do it for Me, the [undecipherable] many Names is [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] Certificate: I do certify that Lieut Colonel [undecipherable] acted as Deputy [undecipherable] to the Master General in the Army of the United States from the [undecipherable] of Sept. 1776 till the 1^st of January 1780 & that during that time he received pay to the Amount of [blank] [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] in Specie Valued [undecipherable] more as appears from the late Pay Master & Deputy Pay Master Generals Books, Given under my Hand and Seal Day of June 1784. [undecipherable: probable reading Jno Pierce M.G.P.] 3 [undecipherable] this favor you'll oblige Dear Sir Your Friend & [undecipherable] Serv^t. Rich^d. [undecipherable: probable reading Baruth] [paraph] John Pierce Esq^r P.M.Gen^d