Navy Comm^rs Office W^d York June 11^th 1785 [L^r] Your letter of the 20^th Ulti^o is received. The attestation of Cap^t Ballard ought to be accompanied with the certificates of the Officer who were knowing to the best of his prayers, and also of some of the Officers of the regiment^s certifying their knowledge of the accuracy, and integrity, with which he conducted the business. I do not require such corroborating evidence from the least supposition that what the Captain has alledged is not just, but from a general rule that in cases of this nature the whole evidence which possibly can be procured ought to come before me, and that the attention of disinterested evidence always has greater weight than that of a person in his own case, let his character be however just and unexceptionable. I have attended to his account, and find that he is charged with 29½ dollars received by him on the 13^th of April 1779 for 2 Months pay advanced on account of the Regiment, which since he ought to have deducted from his recept in another payment, but I cannot find that this has been the case, he is therefore accountable for this Sum over and above the regimental pay. I find also that he received from M^r Thomson on the 15 August 1781, 22.291^¾ Dollars on account, which I suppose ought to be charged