New York July 25^th 1788 Sir M^r Joshua Dawson in his Letter of the 12 Inst. informs me that you are employed by John Havy Martin and John Whitman, John Ingles & Abraham Nanna to receive the Certificates for their claims on the United States which were laid by me before the Accomptant for Liquidation. I have frequently made application and endeavoured by every possible means to have the claims of those Gentlemen finally adjusted, and feel myself unhappy that my endeavors have been fruitless— the Accomptant informs me that those claims are of so general a Nature that at present they cannot be admitted, but that he supposes some mode will be adopted at a future day to satisfy the Citizens of the United States for the supplies rendered by them, one principal objection to those claims, I find, is that the United States had not a party in the Appraisement of the Articles, and untill a person is appointed for this purpose I am of opinion that claims of a similar nature will not be Liquidated — I have therefore withdrawn the accounts of the afore named Gentleman and agreeably to your request of this day inclose them to you to be forwarded to the parties — there is an Act of Congress that forecloses all claims on the United States that are not presented by the 23 Inst. to obviate this and to give the Claimants an opportunity of receiving their just dues, when proper persons are appointed; I have been carefull to have each of the Claims noted by a Clerk of the Accomptants Office for presentment previous to the Act being in force I am &c Joseph Howell M^r Rob^t Roberts --- New York July 25^th 1788 Sir I have at last obtained the information required in your letter of the 26^th of May last; on examination of the [strikethrough: accord] of Certificates issued by M^r Stella the Commissioner for Pennsylvania I find that on the 27^th of October 1786 he issued a Certificate N^o 8863 to one M^r Mumford for the sum of 28 24/90 dollars being the Specie value of 2,257 30/90 dollars old Emissions, which was for the Amount of the certificate granted by John Mitchell to James Rue; a Copy of the receipts is enclosed and certified by the proper Office — I am informed that the person who received the Certificate was a Clerk to M^r Stelle perhaps he may still be in Philadelphia if so you may be informed from what Authority he received the Certificate, for I find none among the Vouchers, not even an Assignment appears. I remain W. Ob't Jun.t Joseph Howell Note, you inform me that you gave Rue the Original Certificate granted by M^r Mitchell, if you gave it him at the time of writing your Letter, there must certainly be a fraud committed somewhere, as a Certificate appears on file of which the one sent me (& now returned) is a duplicate. M^r Thomas Shute