Portland May[?] 12^th Sep^t 1788 Sir I wrote you on the 4^th Inst and the same day sailed for this place and had two & half days passage. I find M^r Howe's papers to be bulky, from this Inmate flunched on every appointment by the old papers of the old regiment, and shall not be able to force my way through them under a number of days: if my Innothications and provisions holds out, I hope however to accomplish it in about six or eight more. I have about 800 loose vouchers to examine, and from what I can conjecture M^r Howe will fall about 200 dollars in arrears; he says he cannot pay in, untill his pay arrives from the West Indies in Autumne, he wishes to pay it in Boston to avoid the expence of sending money by land to New York. I believe I shall advise him to purchase a bill of exchange in Boston for the Amount and send them enclosed to you whenever he is ready to pay it, will not that be the best way? — I shall write you more particularly on my next. Joseph Howell Esq^r W^m Caleb Swan Annapolis 15^th Sep^t 1788 Sir I received your favour of the 3^d Inst there must be some mistakes in regard to Col. Lee information respecting the clothing charged to him in your office — the [undecipherable] of his [undecipherable] were settled by M^r Tumcomb — and I presume it was from him the offer was made to deduct it from this account — I received a letter sometime since from the Col: on the subject and in my answer informed him that I had wrote to Cap^t John Hamilton who I believed could give some account of the transaction — to this letter Cap^t Hamilton made no reply — and all