New York 19^th April 1796 Sir Your claim for stoppages made out of the pay of the non Commissioned Officers and Privates of your Company has been considered — I have no desire to refuse the allowance of any demands made by a Gentleman of honor, but I must prefer the admission of this for the following reasons — That the Account having arisen so long back as 1776 is attended with all the disadvantages arising from so long a period — and therefore impossible to have such lights thereon as it might have been the case, had it been presented and stated earlier, and at this time it is unknown how many demands of this is admitted may be produced of the same nature, nor what circumstances they may be attended with, indeed when this account shall be examined it appears to me that it will be necessary for you to show if possible by certificates the amount of clothing and other which ought to be charge the same, and the accounts and acknowledgments from the of the monies you have paid to them on account, or a [undecipherable] orders for the respective balances which may be yet due from