Detroit 18^th July 1797 Sir, There arises a considerable difficulty about the allowance of forage for officers entitled to forage money — the law passed the 30^th of May 1796 provides that the officers herein after described Shall whenever forage Shall not be furnished by the public, receive at the rate of the following enumerated Sums, per Month, instead thereof, to wit, a Major General 20 dollars, a Brigadier General 16 dollars, Lt. Col^t. Commandant 12 dollars, Major 10 doll^s., a Cptⁿ. of Dragoons 8 dollars, Lt. Horse and 6 dollars Surgeon 10 dollars, Surgeon's mate 6 doll^s. Principal Artificer pay, Master, Adjutant & regimental 2 brat^s. each 6 dollars, 2 M^r. & D^r. Pay master & Inspector Generals each 12 dollars. Officers entitled to forage money instead thereof under this act have applied to me for forage, offering to relinquish their forage money in proportion to the forage they draw, but the Difficulty which arises is from not knowing the quantity of forage that each officer is entitled to receive — there is no law that you find where the number of horse that an officer is intitled to receive forage for is fixed — Consequently I do not know how to apy horses the apportionment of the forage money will intitle them, making the officer next to receive per month — I Conceive it will rest with you to obtain what forage each officer is intitled to, apportion and apportion to their forage money — I am &c &c Jn^o. Wilkins J^r. 2 Br^d. Gen^l. Gen^t. Wilkinson [underline: Commander in Chief] —