Report, Office of Army Acc^ts Aug. 25 1786 The Commissioner for Settling the Accounts of the late Army, to whom was referred the Petition of John Leseur, Begs Leave to Report That Ebenezer Stores the Paymaster to the regiment in which the Petitioner belonged drew from the Military Chest in 1778 & 1779 the Sum of Two hundred [strikethrough: twenty one] seventy one dollars as the Balance due to Leseur. That the said Stores made a Settlement of his Acc^ts as Paymaster with William Bedlow &c. in August 179 and returned unto the Military Chest the Sum of one hundred and Twenty Eight dollars 83/90 as the Balance then due Leseur. That M^r Bedlow passed to M^r Stores Credit the remainder of the said Sum of Acc^ts 771 dollars as paid to Leseur. tho. no Voucher can be found to that M^r Leseur had received it. That the above mentioned sum of 128.83 Dols was again drawn from the Pay Office on the 3d day of July 1780. by the said Stores, and advanced by him to other persons for their pay when money was so much depreciated as to Answer on the Settlement made with him by your Commissioner to no more Value to the United States than 60. for one. That a Resolution of Congress of the 27 day of May 1778 has directed that the Regimental Paymaster be Chosen by the Officers of the Regiment who was to Argue their pay in his hands. Whereupon Your Commissioner begs leave to remark That the United States cannot be Answerable for the repayment of the balance carried to M^r Stores Credit by M^r Bedlow, who being a Public Officer and a disinterested Person could not do it, without a proper Voucher as the time which is most probably mislaid. That the United States also cannot be answerable for the depreciation of the money in M^r Stores hands as he was the Person who legally had an Authority to receive it and whose receipt was the Same to the Public as if M^r Leseur had received it himself. That it appears to your Commissioner that the United States are only holden to pay to M^r Leseur the Sum of 128.83 Dollars at 60 for one being the Value of money when it was last received from M^r Stores — [S.P.] Charles Thompson Es^q. Secretary of Congress