To Davis Henley Agent for the War Dep^t In the territory South west of the Ohio Sir, The objects of expense having been considerably increased by new occurrences in the territory of the United States South of the Ohio it has been deemed advisable with the approbation of the President of the United States to appoint you an agent of the War Department on that territory. And [it] will have a temporary aspect while other and more regular measures may be drawn by the Congress of the United States. All the supplies on the Quarter masters Finance, Clothing, Pay Commissaries & Provision Department or other objects within the general Department of war, will come under your cognizance. You are in all cases to use the highest vigilancy to prevent all abuse or injury to the public interest which may arise from negligence or design. All militia which have been or shall be raised or embodied upon entering and quitting the service. The regular troops are to be mustered monthly and all militia who shall serve more than two months are to be [undecipherable] before mentioned mustered at entering and quitting the service — also to be mustered or embraced monthly in all [undecipherable] cable cases. This duty if possible to be [performed] by a regular Officer on your [undecipherable] out of a regular Officer cannot be obtained you will [undecipherable] from some respectable character for the purpose. All returns of public property belonging to the Quarter Masters, Ordnance or Provisions Departments must be signed by the commanding Officer of the Battalion or Regiment and all deficiencies must be accounted for at each inspection. The payment of the regular troops and to be made according to the rules established by the Comptroller of the Treasury herewith enclosed one together with the information of the Accountant of the War Department. You are constituted as the aforesaid territory as vested with the Paymaster to the troops. David Allison is appointed a subordinate Paymaster and Storekeeper of all public property within your cognizance; and he is to show your orders in all things relatively to the duties of caring the stores and keeping of the accounts. M^r Allison is to make the actual payments when the persons having just claims shall appear for the purpose of receiving them. In all other cases you are to hold the money or provision unless it is to be paid to the person entitled to it. You have also herewith delivered to you the form of accounts for the Indian Department established by the Comptroller of the Treasury which must to receive them. The Indian goods are to be delivered to the written orders of Governor Blount and also all other forms debited for the Militia troops. The following mode of payment of the Militia in the territory south of the Ohio is to be followed as to the accounts made with the War office — The money to be advanced in the first instance to you as agent for the Department of War upon warrants of the Secretary of War — to be paid by you to M^r Allison subordinate Paymaster and Storekeeper upon warrants of Governor Blount countersigned by you, each of which warrants will be for the whole sum expressed on a pay roll of a Company or detachment. That the money is to be advanced to M^r Allison by you in parcels that is in sums upon account of each warrant in proportion as they shall be wanted for actual disbursement. These advances to be made weekly; receipt for each advance to be endorsed on the warrant. To allow then M^r Allison [undecipherable] will furnish with a statement of the sum probably wanted from period to period and when a further sum is applied for a statement of the disbursement of the preceding advance to be rendered to M^r Howell accountant of the War Department who will furnish [undecipherable] the [undecipherable]. In a difficulty of one unpackable to [undecipherable] from the different parts of your duty such details can only be from experience. But it is hoped to be [understood] that you are placed in the territory South of the Ohio as the public eye to regulate [expenditures] and establish a code for the books to prevent and correct every improper expenditure relatively to the Indian or Military Departments. The Government and [contend] that all stipulations or legal supplies shall be granted most punctually; but at the same time that energy prevails in every Department it is met it should be accompanied by discretion frugality and economy. You will therefore diligently endeavor to secure the public interest on all subjects that you take all means in your power to prevent or remedy every thing which may be done by making the necessary representations to the commanding officer and to this office. While you are correcting things in others you must be scrupulously circumspect with respect to yourself. For this purpose you will not hold any public money in your possession but deliver such as may come into your hands to the persons who have been or may be appointed to distribute them making all persons accountable to you on their receipt and expenditures. You will make monthly reports to this Office of all objects under your direction keeping each separate by itself. You may in this [undecipherable] need many require assistance which you will obtain upon [undecipherable] terms. All objects of reasonable expenditure connected with the dispatch of the public stores or the advancement of the public business will be allowed you. Given at the War Office of the United States this thirty first day of [undecipherable] in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety three. [undecipherable: H. Knox] Sec^y of War