N York Jany 24 1786 Sir, If I understand the [undecipherable] of your demand, it consists in the last place for yourself, that the promise of Congress to of bounty to recruits being made in 1776 it ought to be consider’d and that at [undecipherable] to the public. if the men [undecipherable], a [undecipherable] it [undecipherable] was given to the Soldier - and [undecipherable] you recruited 34 men in 1778, 1789 & 1780, that you ought to receive from me the full species [undecipherable] of twenty dollars for each recruit _ if you feel is thus your [undecipherable] determined to [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that is [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] did not receive the full agreed amount of twenty dollars, that he has now a right to claim it. In these I have given a request to the [undecipherable] that as you prove the Continental money from your own Pockett whes- it was greatly appreciated that you can have no further claim upon the public. Then, the real value of the money at the time [undecipherable] when you paid it which I [undecipherable] allowed in your account willing to allow, and to the second I answer that this bounty given in an arrangement [undecipherable] was [undecipherable] by you to the men in the old [undecipherable] when you recruited them, thirty dollars [undecipherable with Old S[undecipherable] - that [undecipherable] have received their money must [undecipherable] operate as a full satisfaction for the same — the money at that time being considered as legal tender and received [undecipherable] full discharges in every transaction- & that as the resolves of Congress what have granted a compensation for the depreciation in the old money in several instances do not include the bounty, of congress. I have am to consider myself as having an authority that granting it - and [undecipherable] & cannot therefore without the discretion of Congress admit the your claim of [undecipherable] on your own [undecipherable] or that of your recruits should they apply personally for it on this subject. To Major Roskrans Jan: 24, 1786 [3 NY] Copied [inscribed in an oval]