New York October 19^th 1786 Dear Sir Inclosed is a copy of a letter received Yesterday from the Board of Treasury relative to M^r Shelton. I thought it most prudent to keep the Original least you should not receive this at New Haven. nothing particular has transpired since your absence. Yours &c J Howell J^r John Pierce Esq^re Annapolis October 19. 1786 Dear Sir I received your letter of the 19^th instant informing me that a mistake was committed in the settlement of George Winchester's account, and shall endeavour to get the matter rectified; but I am at a loss as to the nature of the entries made in the Pay Master General's Books in those cases, especially in the extracts sent me as advances against the Maryland Line; if you will refer to some papers filed in the cupboard over M^r Pierce's table, I believe you will find an account that was delivered me as charges against Maryland Prisoners and by which I was governed in the settlements made with them — in this paper if I mistake not is inserted a column for the New Emission and a column for the Specie payments and having no knowledge of any entries in the books by which it appeared that a sum of New Emission had been received which when reduced to Specie would be equal to three months pay and Subsistence it occur'd to me that the sum transmitted was the amount received in new Emission, and Nominally equal to Three Months pay and subsistence and consequently agreeable to Justice reduceable to its real value by the scale — however this may be but intruding on your time only for being with the books you best can tell how the matter is. I hope nothing will interfere to prevent M^r O'Hara's going on with entering my accounts as more errors may possibly appears and the sooner I am apprised of them the better of per hurity, there will be to get them rectified. you will observe that my estimate of Specie (as mentioned in the letter that inclosed it) was founded on the papers in my Office only; and among them