Richmond January 10^th 1792. Gentlemen On the 12^th [undecipherable] instant I do myself the honor to inform the Board of the interference of the Legislature of this State in the business before the commissioners appointed to adjust the claims of Virginia on the Union for her expences in subduing & maintaining the Territory ceded by her to Congress. The Legislature having anticipated [undecipherable] certain resolutions on the subject wished to have enclosed them at this time but one application for a copy of them has not been attended with success. I have however received the report of the committee and resolves in consequence of this report, the substance of which as far as I can remember them appears to be, that the committee inform the house that an application had been made by them for their information required by the state of the House of Delegates and that they had received from M^r Polk and Henley certain opinions & determinations made by the commissioners related to, that M^r Jones on the part of Congress having refused to join with their Gentlemen in their communications the committee were thereby deprived of the information to be derived with from him that the two commissioners the one on the part of Congress and the other of the state could not agree on certain important questions on which M^r Henley the third commissioner was called on for his opinion and the committee find the negotiations now in such a state that unless the General Assembly shall interpose the State will be denied a credit which in justice and Equity is her due. The committee finding the business going on so unfavorably for the State they desired the commissioners to reconsider their determinations and had for an answer that they should proceed on the business until the parties mutually revoked their appointments. That the Committee find that the expences of Virginia in subduing the [undecipherable] Country are about $222000 exclusive of [undecipherable] a considerable part of which had been paid in specie since the [undecipherable] which by the determinations already had and then insisted on by the commissioners on the part of Congress would reduce the sum to be reimbursed Virginia to a pittance not worth her acceptance whereupon the Committee report That— That the Legislature of Virginia ought to protest against the preceding proceedings of the commissioners, to claim from the State a delay in favor of those who [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] further included to have reimbursed, and that all further proceedings in the Department of said accounts should be suspended until the proper communication can be made to Congress on the subject. That the Delegates of the State in Congress be instructed to urge Congress to take measures for doing justice to the State in the [undecipherable] affairs of the accounts on the principles of Justice & consistent with the expectations of the State and to inform Congress that the State would be satisfied with the actual sum paid by her for the support of the said Territory to be paid by Installments and that the State [undecipherable] and insist that a reasonable proportion of the same should go towards the present negotiations & Congress. That if the Governor of the State shall find that there is a reasonable hope of effecting a settlement on such terms as will do justice to the State then be authorized to give the council & permit the commissioners on the part of the State to proceed again in the further adjustment of the said accounts: either with the present commissioners or such as shall hereafter be appointed and that such settlement shall be made at the City of Richmond or when Congress shall not ask the Governor with the device of the Council shall seem most proper. There are probably some private resolutions directing the Governor & Delegates in their conduct and perhaps authorizing them to make some bargain with Congress for a round sum of money in lieu of their demand of the State. Having now arrived at this State and the State proceeded again on the Authority of the Legislature with [undecipherable] I am left in a deplorable situation. In the first place, in respect to the [undecipherable] of evidence which is my duty to persue on so important a business and in the second, to contend for my institutions, my truth, my love of Justice and my wishes to promote federal principles with the most prevalent [undecipherable] of the Union when sentiments declared by a solemn act of the Legislature are attended with every circumstance that will give them weight & Importance. On the first point, I have to request in the the most urgent manner, but my [undecipherable] conduct on this since [undecipherable] I will admit by your Humble Board at length when they [undecipherable] and in the second, I am long [undecipherable] you form to this Board a summary of circumstances and the causes which have operated with me to justify in this business in such manner as & continually give dissatisfaction to the State. When I first arrived into I found a disposition to enforce a [undecipherable] the Union against and conclusive settlement on our adjustments as had been made by the western commissioners and others that is the [undecipherable] to the Legislature of [undecipherable] any the legislation which required me [undecipherable] justified [undecipherable] the question last [undecipherable] by the House in which we determined our right to reject or renew such part of the settlement of the State as we should deem unreasonable. The next question of importance was decided the conformably to my opinion. I [undecipherable] satisfied such figures accounts as had drawn [undecipherable] or [undecipherable] Bills for [undecipherable] for particular purposes in which they have no Vouchers for their appropriation. By the first direction the State insisted to [undecipherable] all the [undecipherable] in settlement by the fund the figures [undecipherable] to such other monies should not be held accountable, lots of which the [undecipherable] held [undecipherable] on the State because she was deficient in power to the properly and justly [undecipherable] the settlement and those who held [undecipherable] had been entrusted with public monies were extremely deficient in their accounts of the distribution. To remedy inconveniences to which the State was thus subjected and to cover [undecipherable] justice would permit the expectations that the State ought to have made. I [undecipherable] upon [undecipherable] from the line of conduct which strickt [undecipherable] demanded and without a friend to help me or advice to advise with, I [undecipherable] for my own reason that the pay accounts to be as agreeable to the States that the State has no Vouchers to prove her payments, that the whole number of men should be allowed their full rations at the actual [undecipherable] a reasonable cost for the whole time of their service, that I will know from the Commissary Books that many times the [undecipherable] of this ration was allowed, that an ample allowance should be made for want of [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] spirits. That the Relative Clothing is allowed for the time they were in service that money they were not always so clothed, that the recruiting expences of the State should be fairly covered by the same general principles. that [undecipherable] attaching [undecipherable] during his command would appear reasonable to be [undecipherable] by the Union & that his [undecipherable] the only part remaining that [undecipherable] the State's frontiers [undecipherable] never a liberal as [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] with justice, to their Honorable Gentlemen I agreed that the [undecipherable] should [undecipherable] little [undecipherable] that of [undecipherable] by [undecipherable] the important [undecipherable] this Board [undecipherable] it is [undecipherable] that I do not see how [undecipherable] have [undecipherable] a share [undecipherable] to annihilate the demands of the State? & [undecipherable] does it show that my dependence on Congress has permitted my [undecipherable] that justice to the State? On the contrary, I am more apprehensive that I have found that the continued impressions will evidence this consciousness, of [undecipherable] with the business that have [undecipherable] obliged in all accounts of my own authority without the approbation of Congress who also have the power of the Union to [undecipherable] full [undecipherable] in doing proof and [undecipherable] principles which from their nature cannot be known, for as they will exhibit to [undecipherable] their consequences to what they may [undecipherable] upon my Character in proposing them and the accounts having the State in [undecipherable] would have been [undecipherable] when [undecipherable] themselves. The cause of this interference as far as I can conjecture is what I have [undecipherable] endeavor to [undecipherable]. During the course of our examination of the accounts on these principles I found in the first place that many of the larger areas in [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that some of the capital [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that General [undecipherable] in the year 1785 withdrew his [undecipherable] from this [undecipherable] of public troops from the [undecipherable] Territory and never afterwards [undecipherable] his [undecipherable] there [undecipherable] of any part of it, with this information I believe it was proper that I should institute an enquiry in my own mind if the advantages the Illinois Country received from this armament when employed for that purpose and whether it was equally so that I should propose the question to the Board whether this allowance. This I did in about last [undecipherable] and left M^r Henley to make up his opinion upon it [undecipherable] I was absent when I returned [undecipherable] that his opinion was that the expences of the fort ought not to be admitted but the Illinois Regiment ought, as it was just & necessary for the protection of the [undecipherable] Country. and might justly so continue the employment for that purpose on which it appeared to be the [undecipherable]. By in that some such movements might [undecipherable] and I [undecipherable] Bending. The next day to further our minds [undecipherable] they are not yet, and not yet found in [undecipherable]. M^r [undecipherable] that the State would [undecipherable] to interfere & authority, to which I answered that it was proper for me to explain what these things might be as I should endeavor to act conformably to my own, and finding at last that my opinion was not to be changed, he [undecipherable] his own expence among the Delegates of the State, who naturally warm & jealous of the State's affairs took fire immediately. The committee was appointed & the board [undecipherable] from this Board such information as they wanted in [undecipherable] of criticizing my [undecipherable] to them, through [undecipherable] a letter already transcribed in which they [undecipherable] upon the statement [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] there we met them upon their own propositions and divided [undecipherable] personal reflections from as the Commissioners on the part of Congress of the view of which they gave a [undecipherable] that my arguments are just and [undecipherable] and just that my dependence on Congress renders me not a partial character. This letter had no effect to intimidate me to alter my opinion, and the Committee was obliged to report to the House, and the House to act and has [undecipherable] already [undecipherable] mentioned. I have indeed received the whole Transaction as a plan laid to intimidate into a compliance of the wishes of the State and that even at this time there is some expectation that a change will take place in our sentiments in consequence of their measures. When I went through the accounts I was for [undecipherable] Virginia that from due Virginia [undecipherable] a revenue or amount of at least $[undecipherable]000 when but the question now in every debate would [undecipherable] it from [undecipherable] to [undecipherable] promises to perhaps $50,000 by M^r Henley's opinion which is perhaps the most equitable the not strictly [undecipherable] the amount the State may amount to $100,000 or perhaps $100,000 to $120,000 with which the State on every consideration of the case ought to be content as a sum both in form of [undecipherable] of articles and of spirits exceeding what she had a right to expect would have been [undecipherable]. I have to inform the Legislature has acted on this occasion from the Journals we have [undecipherable] of our opinions and on the