Pray give my former letter on this Subject, another reading, and write me again as soon as convenient. Joseph Howell Jun^r C. Richmond Annapolis May — 1788 Dear Sir I was so hurried I could not find time to write you by last post — the races having brought a large number of Officers to Town kept me employed in closing their accounts from sun to sun — M^r Dunscomb's meaning undoubtedly was the Agent of Maryland Dragoons who received the final Settlement certificates for that Corps — he wishes to know if the Agent will not be at Richmond in order to pay those Soldiers belonging to the State of Virginia who served in that reg^t and it appears he has settled with several under that description before he was apprised their accounts had been settled with the public by the said Agent — M^r Dunscomb you will note settles Individually & therefore great care becomes necessary that he does not give pay to any Inhabitants of Virginia who have served in a Corps and belonging to that State may have had their arrears from the Continent settled in said corps — There is a possibility the State of Virginia may have committed the same error as M^r Dunscomb has in regard to some of these Men but this depends on the principles of the depreciation settlements in Pennsylvania & Virginia, if your State gives depreciation to all of their quota, in whatever Corps they may have served — I think the State of Virginia must have been very remiss in examining themselves who & who was not Entitled to depreciation from them — Unless I misapprehend M^r Dunscomb entirely, his reference is to the final Settlements of that reg^t only otherwise if we are to understand him as meaning depreciation, Either Virginia or Pennsylvania have been much imposed upon by that Corps — I wish you to consider the matter and give M^r Dunscomb such information about the settlement of that reg^t as may be in your power — Inclosed is N^o 378 please to present it for payment and make use of the money [it] gives you — I thank you for your kind congratulations & am with much esteem your obedient [Ser^t] Jn^o White P.S. M^r Pierce's Trunk of baggage is on its way to Philadelphia by the root of Charleston Packet from Charleston it will cross to Newcastle, and from thence up the Delaware — It is directed [to] Joseph Howell Esq^r in Wall[nut] Street between Second and Third Street Philadelphia — If you have removed from thence, be so kind as to look out for it — the freight is paid — We are told that Pennsylvania has passed a law for the payment of the interest of the finals issued to their line do tell me the substance of the law — I am in want of more certificate paper — Captain Ham= =ilton began to issue on Wednesday next, and I have not sufficient to finish the general account, by reason of their being a greater number of gratuities than I apprehended — I shall want five or six quire more and beg you will if possible forward me some as the Gratuity account is left open, and certificates as far as they will go, must be filled individually, when the Soldiers apply until more paper arrives — As M^r Pierce is not reliev'd yet I am dissatisfied about it for [undecipherable] there may be none signed — I have so Calculated the business that no bad consequences or disappointments will ensue for two or three weeks I hope — but I beg you will use your endeavours, and take the earliest moment of sending some — I wish you to give me the earliest information about the arrival of M^r Pierce's Trunk — No private or safer conveyance than the present has offered and I am sensible he will want it as soon as he arrives — Pray rec[eive] the front of this letter I am drove to death John White Co[l]