[Office of Army Accounts May 5, 1786] Gentlemen Agreably to the direction of your honorable Board they beg to state on the petition of Patrick Bennett praying a depreciation [undecipherable] in the Forage Masters Department. — That the paper money being a tender and considerate when paid, as a compleat discharge of all debts and contracts during the period of its circulation, it remains only with Congress to point out such characters or departments as they please to except from this general rule, and as there is not any provision of this nature for the Quarter Master Department, the executive Officers of Congress are not at present at liberty to make any such allowance. — That M^r Bennett, having left the service agreeably to his own desire on the 17 March 1780 cannot be intitled to his depreciation, supposing that the Quarter Masters department are eventually to receive it and on the same principles with the Officers of the Line, because the Act of the 10 April 1780 granting the same, and the several subsequent resolutions of the 8^th Day of August 1780 and the 15^th of May and 15^th of August 1780 have declared it to be the uniform intention of Congress, to exclude all such as were not in the service on that Day, I am therefore of opinion without a examination into the justness of granting the same to the Quarter Masters department, that M^r Bennett is clearly precluded from his depreciation. The Board of Treasury New York, May 8^th 1786 Dear Sir This is to acknowledge the receipt of the two Loan Office certificates mentioned in yours of the 24^th Ulto amounting to nine hundred Dollars. I have not had any further communication with M^r Monier since my last nor has he I believe yet received the original Note from Canada, when the business is compleat I will inform you. M^r John Winslow New York May 6^th 1786 Madam— The certificates for the arrears due your late Husband are delivered to Cap^t Friend, who received them from me some time last Month. M^rs Eleanor [undecipherable] New York, May 6^th 1786 Sir I do myself the honor to enclose you a stating of the accounts of Major Captaine as settled between him and the United States. The certificate for the balance due him on his first settlement amounting to One thousand five hundred Dollars was delivered by me to Colonel [undecipherable: Gimat?] who I suppose carried it with him to France. This certificate is not yet placed on the same footing with the dues of the other French Gentlemen, that is, to draw Interest &c in France, as it is essential in order that this be done, that the certificate itself should be produced at the Treasury — The other Balance of Four thousand one hundred & four Dollars 9/90 which was found due on his last settlement, together with the sum of Thirty eight Dollars 9/90 for Interest was paid into the hands of M^r Arch and Piters in Cash 933 9/90 dollars, and in a Certificate bearing Interest &c in France 3 202½ Dollars, being the amount of the whole demand of Major Captaine against the United States. The Sieur Otto New York, May 6^th 1786 D S Your favors of April 22^d, 23^d [undecipherable] your letter of the 14^th March [undecipherable] and are answered — in respect to the Specie subsistance still due to the Maryland [undecipherable] other Southern Officers, I am at a loss how to conduct myself, but as there is no money in proof of any I presume there is necessity at present either to admit the whole on the attestation of the Officers respectively, or totally refuse the allowance, we have met with so many instances of deceptions that I should rather wish not to admit claims which may be made by such considerable numbers without some further check than an attestation. I have already informed you that M^r Mifflin will not come on to Annapolis, I wish you therefore to forward your papers to M^rs White. The Forage accounts are settled with the Forage Department or rather the Quarter Masters, that is, [undecipherable] that acted at the time and place where it ought to have been drawn, as the knowledge of the quantity drawn and of the settlements made can only rest with them. I have charged Gen Baker with the advances made by the State as you requested — John White Esquire