[Copy] [August 21. 1784] [To [undecipherable] Dunscomb] Philadelphia August 21 1784 — Sir ...By this conveyance you will [undecipherable], an account of all monies [owing] in this office against many individuals of the Virginia Line — the [undecipherable] of M^r Stokely [undecipherable] M^r Dart, for [their] payments [have] [undecipherable] a delay in sending you this [undecipherable] in Office, [undecipherable] of your [undecipherable] [undecipherable] before this [year] — I have now M^r Dart's papers, from [which] and from other [returns] I [hope] to ascertain with tolerable certainly [where] money has been [overdrawn] in 1782 & 1783 and [procure] from the [Superintendent] of Finance the balance [yet] unpaid of the months in [three] years that [was] to [be] in money. The State of Virginia have represented that very considerable impositions have [arisen], from [their] mode of [individual] settlements, and I feel from a fear that unless we use great caution, we shall incur the same inconvenience — The [undecipherable] great points to be attended to [in] [the] [undecipherable] to bring the accounts into one aggregate view — to prevent two settlements of the same demand — to ascertain the persons, and times [undecipherable] of the claimants — and to [undecipherable] that any [undecipherable] [undecipherable] for [undecipherable] — of our duty to the public [requires] of us, to [undecipherable] [their] [respective] points in view, and whether [our] [undecipherable] [of] [individual] [agreements] in [local] settlements, [undecipherable] by [some] [system], [against] the [errors] which have [arisen] with the State, and which may affect our new [departments], and this [undecipherable] is [undecipherable] — I feel so much confidence in your good sense, you have [undecipherable] of [business] [undecipherable] [particular] [requirements] with [undecipherable] of this line, that I need in no [way] [concern] yourself — but the difficulties you have to [surmount] from every quarter, I am [fearful] by all your exertions [cannot] be overcome — and yet I rely that your [powers] [and] the [majority] of the case, will open some, unknown and [unexpected] [undecipherable] of [utility] [undecipherable] serve us from the dangers [of] [which] [we are] [undecipherable] — I have now also to [undecipherable] you [undecipherable] [returns] for [number] 12,390 [& 79,849] — [dated] [the] first — I shall send you the [undecipherable] [numbers] every [week] by post, [they] [undecipherable] [each] [other], in the numbers, [the] and states, [that] is to say the most [undecipherable] [commence] with [number] 78,840 and [undecipherable] August 2^d — and so [undecipherable] if you do not [receive] these [remittances] regularly, [you] must be [undecipherable] to [discover] [whether] it [came] from accident or not, and if necessary [undecipherable] [immediately] [write] [undecipherable] — as this will [need] be [undecipherable] with the same [stock] or [assembly] to [assist] any [persons] into whose hands they may have fallen, and [undecipherable] — you will please to [acknowledge], for this purpose [also] their receipt, as soon as [possible] as they come to hand — I have [enclosed] the form of a register to be kept by you of this [undecipherable] — on [undecipherable], to [undecipherable] [present] [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] — what you particularly [aim] [undecipherable] — in case you shall [undecipherable], that it will be [undecipherable] to [show] it, [say] it [lay] as a voucher to yourself you being [chargeable] with this [whole] [undecipherable] to you — it will be well [undecipherable] to make it in such [manner], that if it falls into [improper] hands [it] cannot be [read] [undecipherable] — it will be best to [send], weekly or as often as [you can], a state of [such] accounts you [make] on [undecipherable] and a copy of your [rights], which will [give] [me] [idea] of the [undecipherable] and [enables] us to [make] the [items] in the [public] books — I [lately] [informed] you that you might go on the [suggestion] that all the [offices] of the [line] had [received] this same money as [those] of the [N— Army]; [undecipherable] few who [need] had [drawn] [twice] — and in the former part of this letter that [I was] [undecipherable] to ascertain what has actually been paid — I find on a [general] [survey] that [besides] the [clothing] [received] from M^r Hamilton and [the] [charge] of [undecipherable], that many [undecipherable] of [this] Army [undecipherable] in the Southern Army, have [received] their money from Stokely — 2 months from [undecipherable] in [Bills] on M^r [Morris] (M^r of M^r Dart in [Bills] on [one] and [undecipherable]) of [this] [undecipherable] have [undecipherable] on [undecipherable] [Month] by [order] of General [undecipherable] to [prevent] [them] on [undecipherable] with [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable] Army — [when] the [same] [undecipherable] this [month] [undecipherable] [received] by [those] [undecipherable] — by this [office] of the [undecipherable] Army — M^r Dart [undecipherable] [having] [undecipherable] [received], and Stokely [undecipherable] [nothing] have not been [transmitted] to you — and without such [undecipherable] I do not perceive how a settlement can be made — M^r [Lovell] of [Boston] having [advanced] a sum [undecipherable] for his son who was an [officer] in his [legion] [desires] one to [keep] [after] his [undecipherable] [undecipherable] has an [opportunity] to [undecipherable] [need] [enrolled] for [these] — which I wish you to attend to — I have to [acknowledge] your [undecipherable] of the 16^th 22, & 30^th of July — It appears to me almost impossible, [to] comply with your request of [sending] you a copy of [each] every [undecipherable] that [states] [recommendation] — [when] you not [undecipherable] — [not] [there] [of] the [rank] of the office, and have no [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [being] [undecipherable] of his [continuance] to the end of the war, or [where] [undecipherable] the [account] [being] so great it is [better] & [undecipherable] for [undecipherable] [more] [information] [undecipherable] from [one] of this War Office — I will [attempt] to get [this] [undecipherable] for you — [you] [undecipherable] [also] [undecipherable] that [undecipherable] to the 15^th [of] [undecipherable] — [when] I was [at] [undecipherable]. This was [according] [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] [some] [account] [some] [charge] [undecipherable] — [then] [undecipherable] — [undecipherable]; [this] [certificates] will [probably] not allow as they [follow] [the] [undecipherable] [system] as [undecipherable] [devised]. I have [enclosed] a [list] of [these] of M^r [Webb] [this] [undecipherable] will [deliver] you [the] [monies] [due] to you and [undecipherable] in [favor] of M^r [Morris], for [one], I will [undecipherable] this [draft] to get it [answered] [here] — this will be a good way to have & [undecipherable] the money and [oblige] you — as [Morris] [cannot] get [undecipherable] to give you an order on the [reserve] — but as [undecipherable] [undecipherable] if [undecipherable] you do not [show] [him] [anything] I and [how] [undecipherable] [account], the money hard for [some] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] The act of [bearing] what [applied] to [him] be [insufficient] to [discharge] you from the [Burden] of my [letters] [found] by you — in this case the Post Master will [exchange] it to the Post Office [undecipherable]. I will [speak] to M^r [undecipherable] [undecipherable] the [Postmaster] [undecipherable] with [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [written] to — It is [highly] [undecipherable] that you should [leave] the [certificates] in your [undecipherable], [also] is this [undecipherable] and [ready] for [settlements] — as you [cannot] [refuse] [undecipherable] this [amount] of [applications] — it appears to me that you are [not] [now] [as] well [prepared] as you [wish], and [that] these [certificates] [now] [undecipherable] will [precipitate] upon you [undecipherable] — [when] I [wrote] you it was not [requested] that you would [undecipherable] [immediately], but [intended] that [undecipherable] — and [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] the [business] [undecipherable] so that you may [observe] both sides of the account or the [application] of every individual — I am [extremely] [unhappy] that [you] [undecipherable] has [permitted] you from [pursuing] that [satisfaction] which you must have [observed] [undecipherable] is so pleasing and elegant as nearly as you have described — the reflection however that you have the object of your attachment [present], that you, are no longer, like myself, without one who is more interested for your welfare than any other person can be, and [undecipherable] [which] you [undecipherable] in her [bosom] [undecipherable] [concerns] you; and [have] [undecipherable] [participation] [in] your [joys] and [undecipherable] prize [every] [some] of [her] present enjoyment and [sacrifice] almost every thing to obtain [her] [undecipherable] — Your Friends are well at [undecipherable] — they [enquire] after you — Mrs [Boudinot] particularly [undecipherable] [felicitates] you [undecipherable] [so] [happy] that you have [placing] your affections, on a person who will, probably so will [ensure] your happiness [through] this life — — I am with [friendship] & [Esteem], [Your] [Obedient] Servant John Dunscomb Esquire.