Copy’s of letters of the 23rd & 30. december 1797 William Simmons | Copy | Accountants Office December 30th 1797 Sir The foregoing is a duplicate of my letter to you of the 23rd Inst. enclosing and extract taken from the Warrant Book of this office of payments made to Chisholm and others on account of the Indian Department from the 14th Sept. to that day. I now enclose you an extract to this day including the first period. _ You will therby observe the sums Chisholm has received on account of the Indian Department, which he is to be charged on settlement of his ccount which are refered to you; his charges being principally unsupported by any kind of Vouchers and the expenditures having taken place principally, as he says among the Indians where he could obtain none._ it has been thought most advisable to have the accounts refered to you for settlement._ you will be better able to Suage of the propriety of the charges than I can here. Bur it would not be improper to remark that you are to pay the strickest attention to the Interest of the United States in the settlement of them, so as, on a revision of the accounts, to prevent any objections to the passing of them to your credit here. __ From the payments to the Interpreters, you will bserve that they have received monies in advance, which they are to account for with you. From the abstract of Warrants Issued, which is enclosed you can see which warrants are to be accounted for by the person receiving it being held accountable to which you will pay due attention As I intend to make an examination of your accounts as early as possible, I have to request that wou will forward immediately or as soon as may be to this office an abstract of your payments from the commencement of your transactions in that Country to the end of the present year and an account Current agreeably to the forms inclosed for your government. _ you will observe that there are columns ruled for the number of the Warrants and number of the accounts on which the payment was made, as part of the accounts are here you may susped the number of them and only include the number of the Warrant. After the Warrants cease you will continue the numbering the accounts from the last number of the Warrant. _ after you have compleated the abstract of payments, you will proceed to from an account Current agreeably to the enclosed form and debit the United States whith the amount of the abstract of payments, and credit the sums you have received, having the ballance remainung in your hands unexpensed. You will be cautious in entering the payments, so as to include none, but such as are proper to be settled at this Office, and the Credits to consist of monies received from this Office, and such others which would be proper o tbe accounted for here _ When warrants are issued on account & persons are held accountable, it would be well to notice it in the abstract, so that at one view it may be seen who is the accountable person.__ Your attention to the forgoing is particularly requested. A frequent transmission of abstracts and accounts would be a desirable thing with each transmission of Vouchers, there should be an abstract & account Current accompanying them, showing the balance (if any)remaining) unexpended. Signed Wiml Simmons Acct.