Elizabeth Town March 1^st 1785 Sir I have only time to acquaint you by request of my father Gen. Dayton that in the settlement he made with you in Philadelphia you made a mistake in the delivery of the notes. You will find on consulting the Continental & New Jersey scales of Depreciation that there was no Depreciation allowed at the time you dated his notes by those scales when you have actually computed it about 2 for one. You would have been informed of it before this, had not General Dayton expected for a long past that Col. Ogden would go to Philad. and among other things settle this. The settlement was had Jon: Dayton September 17. 1784 To Howell Jun. Annapolis April 1. 1785 Dear Sir I had the pleasure of receiving yours of the [undecipherable] and thank you heartily for the trouble you, and our Friend Howell have taken – I will do myself the pleasure of visiting him shortly on the subject of the matter; however, I shall say in the mean time, it was well chosen, and well bought. I have now to address you upon a very serious subject – When we were concerned about allowing the Muster Rolls of the German Regiment, it was upon a suspicion that several Frauds had been committed upon the State with respect to depreciation – but before I describe them, I will inform you that the State of Maryland passed an Act of Assembly granting Depreciation to all Officers and Soldiers of the Quota of that State, who had served three years in the Continental Army – consequently, that part of the German Regiment, which was called the four Companies of Maryland, having faithfully served, became entitled to receive the same. The event of an Examination of the Muster Rolls for 79 & 80 has shewn, that our suspicions were not without foundation – for of two Hundred and sixty, who have received Depreciation, there are forty seven, as by the list enclosed, who are not upon the Maryland Musters. Twelve of the forty seven, are on the Pennsylvania Musters, and the other thirty five, not on any of the Musters of 1779 – for the thirty, however, discharges were produced, purporting that the persons mentioned in each of them, served three years faithfully, and discharged for the most part by Cap^t Gen^l Banner in the month of July 1779. I have enclosed one of the discharges, which has the appearance of having been written at a much later date, than what is expressed in it – We can trace out the Persons who presented them here, and obtained the Certificates, but we want to find out whether Cap^t. Banner, whose signatures are to the greatest part of them, really did sign them, or not. There has been a most vilainous combination somewhere, and it has been excited by a knowledge that the State had no Muster Rolls, and generally found upon Discharges. Now if Banner is within your reach, I shall esteem it a favor, if you will take another Man of Credit along with you, and enquire of him, whether the signature on the discharge now sent is his – if he avows it, then I shall be obliged to you for your Depositing, and that of the person with you, that the acknowledgment, which Depositions with the necessary forms of Office, please to transmit to me – if on the contrary, Banner denies it to be his, please to inform him of so much of the Transactions, as you may chuse to disclose, and obtain his affidavit setting forth, that he did not sign the same or any of the Discharges in the names of those, or any of them, on the enclosed List. I need not caution you, about using your utmost address in endeavouring to lay open this scene of Iniquity – your own love of justice, and the public station you fill, will I dare say be sufficient incentives to your exertion in this dark Business. – Pray has the State of Pennsylvania