Col. Eleazer Sproat, Marietta N. W. T[undecipherable] D of War Accountants Office July 26^th 1795 [undecipherable: Sir?] The muster and pay Rolls of the Militia of Marietta, Belpre & Waterford for the month of March and April, and of the [undecipherable: Town] of Gallipolis from the 1^st Oct[ober] 94 to 1^st March 95, together with the Powers of the individuals authorizing you to [undecipherable] those pay, have been duly received here. The hands of Mr. Chapman your substitute, and I have to inform you of the impropriety of transmitting you the Amount due them for the following reasons Viz: 1^st There appears no evidence of the [undecipherable] being a Magistrate before whom the Men acknowledged their Power; 2^d Very few of the Men have given you a Power of substituting a person in your Stead. 3^d The Powers appear to me in many respects to be exceptionable for it admits of little doubt upon inspecting the Signatures of the individuals that one and the same person has written the Names of several Men; also it appears some what singular that [undecipherable: during] five Months [undecipherable: service] of 72 Non Commissioned Officers and Privates no casualty nor circumstance worthy of Remark Should Occur and that every one of them Should be capable of Writing his own name. — Such examples, I believe Seldom [undecipherable: appear] in this Office. You Stand charged on the books of this Office with a very considerable sum of money which appears to be yet un-accounted for, and as it is my duty to call to account all persons who are charged with [undecipherable: Public] monies on the books of this Office and more over as your Account has been standing open for more than three years I insist that you will without delay transmit to this Office the Vouchers for your disbursements and the Balance which may remain in your hands immediately [undecipherable: referred] to the Treasurer of the United States. I am Sir Y[ou]r [ob't] William Simmons