[Docket: Copy of [undecipherable] / 23[undecipherable] [undecipherable] / William o Simmons] [Copy] Accountants Office. December 30^th 1797 Sir, The foregoing is duplicate of my letter to you of the 23^d Inst. including an extract taken from the Warrant Book of this Office of payments made to Chisholm and others on account of the Indian Department from the 14^th Sept^r to that day. I now inclose you an extract to this day, including the first period. — you will thereby observe the sums Chisholm has received on account of the Indian Department, which he is to be charged on settlement of his Accounts which are refered to you; his charges being principally unsupported by any kind of Vouchers and the expenditures [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] 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 judge of the propriety of the charges than I can here. But it would not be improper to remark that you are to pay the strictest 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 observe that they have received monies in advance, which they are to account for with you. From the abstract of Warrants [undecipherable], 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 you will forward immeately, or as soon as may be to this Office an abstract of your payments from the commencement of your trans=actions 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 co=lumns [undecipherable] 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 suspend the number of them, and only include the number of the Warrants. After the Warrants close, you will continue the numbering the accounts from the last number of the Warrant. — after you have completed the abstract of payments, you will proceed to form an account Current agreeably to the inclosed form and [underline: debit the United States with the amount of the abstract of payments,] and credit the sums you have received, shewing the ballance remaining in your hands unexpended. 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 as it would be proper to be 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 [undecipherable] is the accountable person. — Your attention to the foregoing 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, shewing the balance (if any) remaining unexpended. Signed W^m Simmons Acct [Copy] Accountants Office. December 23^d 179[undecipherable: probable reading 7] Sir I received your letter of the 12^th Ultimo. Col^t Hays has had his account settled upon the same principle as the former. In future however if any claim is presented for subsequent services, the account will be refered to you. I have been of opinion that accounts relative to services in your Quarter should be referred to you for settlement; as you no doubt must be possessed of more information on the subject than I can be here. There has been a claim presented here for services of Major Farragut as Muster Master by M^r Jackson in Congress from your State, charging at the rate of Pay &c. as was allowed to Col^t Hays amounting 612 dols. he received from you this claim I find on examination you have paid at the rate of compensation allowed by the Sec^t of War — Viz: four hundred dollars per annum — I shall therefore disallow the account. — he has informed me he will apply to Congress. If he does I can produce his receipt in full for these services. Enclosed I send you the the deed for the land the Barracks stand on agreeably to your request. The Indians and their attendants have received monies here in advance & other payments of which I enclose you a list for your Government — as there are still some remaining in this City — should any further payments take place previous to their leaving here I will inform you of particulars. — the accounts of Capt. Chisholm as well as others for expences conducting Indians will I am of opinion be refered to you. Of this however I will inform you by Post in due time. For a Copy of the deed enclosed see Signed W^m Simmons Col. Henry's Accounts & Vouchers N^o 14 Acct. Indorsed "Deed for the [undecipherable] purchased of "Col^t White" —