T. D. Feb^y 25^th 1797 Sir An accident has delayed my reply to your letter of the 17^th instant. It will in my opinion be proper that the proceeds of the Peltry forwarded from the Store at Tellico should be placed in the Treasury of the Department of War, by your Warrant — If placed in [strikethrough: the Treasu] the General Treasury, the monies cannot be redrawn without my Warrant which must be predicated on some Act of Appropriation. — This would [strikethrough: not] either occasion a diminution of the Fund, or render the interposition of Congress annually necessary, contrary to what [strikethrough: should] appears to have been the intention of the Act for establishing the Houses [strikethrough: of] for Indian Trade. The superintendance of this business being properly with the Dep^t of War, it appears to be proper that the accounts of the [strikethrough: not] expenditures of the Funds should pass under the formalities established for other monies subject to your disposal, especially as this course will be most favourable to [strikethrough: di] dispatch & method. I have &c The Sec^y of War