Mount Prospect Near Carlisle February 22^d 1787 My Dear Howell, In June last I requested the favor of Col. Magaw to call on you for my certificate which was detained in your Office on presumption that I might be indebted to the United States: and I can assure you I had not the least doubt but he would get it in lieu thereof brought me an Account signed Joseph Howell for £322.16.8 and informed me that I could not have my certificate until I would account for that money this information put me much to a stand, believing that the Recits which I had taken for the payment of that money to be lost: but on examining my old papers found the greater part of the Receipts for the money I am charged with and will inclose them to you the Receipts of the men present are all sent you, but the absentees Receipted on seperate papers and those I can't find, but I do assure you on my Honor that I never receiv'd a farthing for a man of my Company but what they got the first oppertunity, and many of them got a great deal more from me than was due for them I would be much obliged to you to credit my account and send me my certificate by Col. Ephraim Blaine who promises to do me the favor. I am S^r Cap. Joseph Howell Alex. Parker Office of Army Accounts New York April 5^th 1787 Dear Sir, Your favor of the 22^d Ult^o. with the inclosures were duly received. the stoppage made from you was not in consequence of the money charged you by Cap^t. Montgomery but arose from the probability of your receiving monies from Colonel Grier for the raising of your company & as the Colonel has not settled his accounts there was no other method that could be adopted for the benefit of the United States than by making partial Stoppages from the Officers - you may recollect in a conversation with you at Philadelphia that I mentioned those circumstances and that as you had not settled any account for recruiting it was necessary either to procure a certificate from Col. Grier that