Pay Office Philadelphia April 12. 1791 Sir Indisposition added to a multiplicity of busyness has precluded me from giving you the confirmation suggested in your letter of the 15 [undecipherable] last — I have now made the [undecipherable] examination into the claims of Captain John Watts Wheeler Field and of Lieut Philip Clayton & Robert Green [undecipherable] This examination [undecipherable] it appears that Captain Watts has been fully paid to the [undecipherable] August 1783 [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] — it appears Capt Fiel[d]s 31 [undecipherable] dollars to [undecipherable] Clay[ton] [undecipherable] & Green 27[undecipherable] — it [undecipherable] account appears by the [undecipherable] of the official these Gentlemen made on making a claim — consequently it is not in my power to report in their favor and I am of opinion that nothing but an act of Congress can authorize [undecipherable] to pay a fragment — the Gentlemen of the Treasury are very tenacious how they admit claims and with this [undecipherable] of [undecipherable]ing them in the [undecipherable] is not [undecipherable] the claim is considered foreclosed — your letter of the 27 March came to hand a few days ago — agreeable to your wish I referred to the account of Percy's detachment when it appears Capt Joseph Betts was only settled with to the 10 Sept 1782 and from the Returns of the [undecipherable] Corps he appears to have deserted on the 3 [undecipherable] July 1783 — consequently there appears three months & 20 days pay still due him — this claim if [undecipherable] were [undecipherable] considered in the same [undecipherable] with the others — however I will take the [undecipherable] of the detention of the Returns [undecipherable] the Payroll and give them from the hands of all — why there are several claims of officers & soldiers of the [undecipherable] line that were immediately lodged but I consider it unnecessary to lodge [undecipherable] any of them until application is made by the parties — if any should apply to you let me know the matter of their claim & [undecipherable] then the accounts [undecipherable] be settled — I am Sir [undecipherable: & Nourse?] [M^r And^s. Duncomb.]