N York October 25^th 1785 Dear Sir Your Letters requesting the propositions you laid before Congress [damaged] in regard to the Virginia accounts have been considered by me It may be necessary first to offer an apology to you for interfering in this business, which was occasioned by the repeated remarks made on your letters at the Treasury and by the members of Congress and in particular by an observation of one of the latter, in the House, that such a fact thing ([alluding to] [strikethrough: the subject] the subject he was speaking of) would be clear work to the deluded mind of M^r Dunscomb On reviewing your letters I find two faults in their composition, the first is that you use words sometimes in a different sense than any other person, and the second is that you affect a style of elegant writing — whereas you would write well enough if your sense was conveyed in the most simple & common language, unadorned with any ornament and as near [interlinear: common] conversation as possible — all letters ought to be clear and plain and like our common discourse ought a little more correct — I delayed writing until this time in hopes the grand Committee before whom yours and all the Commissioners doubts and difficulties and delays had reported to Congress. some method [interlinear: to] removing them. but they seem so slow & [interlinear: among the members] there are such various opinions, that I believe the intire business will be left in about the same train as when it is — as far as I have been attended to your proposals I find them generally very just and have no fault to find with them — the language I have already taken the liberty to caution on, one thing further I would mention, that if you wrote again, make your proposals [interlinear: with minds by] [strikethrough: Assign your reasons] [interlinear: but] do not mention yourself as the Person to carry them into effect or your services or make any apology for intruding your opinion, let the [undecipherable] of the case [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] and the known opinion of others, do all this for you. [undecipherable] [seal] Oct. 25. 1785 [Andrew Dunscomb Esq^r.]