[James Bruff e Niagara date — 19 aug 1797 Rec'd — 19 [undecipherable] answered 20 Octo] Niagara. Sir. August 19. 1797 — It was an omission that a receipt for the money transmitted by M^r Lewis did not accompany my last. be pleased to hand him the inclos'd a duplicate of which he may expect in my next. With this you will recieve my Mustering Rolls for July — Also receipt Rolls for April, May & June amounting to [undecipherable] sixty nine Dollars fifty seven Cents — since the above, a [undecipherable] is 12 [undecipherable] As few of the officers will reinlist here, [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] the detachment order'd to Detroit have most of them three — [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] some six months pay remaining in my hands; I have and shall continue to pay up the discharg'd soldiers — this I consider just & expedient; it has always on the 15 of them to return to their former homes in the states, when after seeing their friends, most of them will enlist again. The terms of nearly the whole of the artillery here, expire in the course of the present year. Receit Rolls they have signed — will be forwarded in rotation as they are completed; some of them are not as fair as I could wish, occasion'd by my [undecipherable] calculating a days pay too much on each discharg'd man's time — it was too late when I discovered the error, to make out other rolls — two had already gone, and two others will have lost their paper (which they [undecipherable] paid for) if I had detain'd them; So I [undecipherable] this [undecipherable] to scratch out the wrong, & insert the proper sum in each case — but in doing which, he has been rather clumsy — the paper, he alleges, would not bare scratching. A variety of hurry has prevented my comparing your statement with my account & the vouchers still in my possession — as soon as I have time, I will do it & transmit you the result. Some time ago, I forwarded an account of money expended by a party in pursuit of deserters — in which they were successful; Receipts for which, I now inclose you — I am just now informed by Major Rivardi — that he is to supercede me in command of this Post — & that he may be expected in a few days. — Altho' I expected to have been superceded over since I was informed of double rations being added to officers who commanded Posts. Yet I must own soon, that I expected to have been continued some little time to indemnify myself — by way of double rations — for the expence attending on [undecipherable] this to a command unincumbered as this is: — Violent curiosity is [undecipherable] abated in our neighbours; since it is discover'd, that American Officers are not so much unlike themselves, as they expected. — I also solaced myself that a field officer would not importune much for the command of 50 or 600 men — and that if I was superceded, it would be by some old war-worn officer — whose services in the field, had some claim for indulgence. I am Your Obedient Servant — [signature] William Simmons Esq^r Accountant. War Office N.B. Letters unacknowledg'd — one June 8^th with Mustering Rolls for May July 26. with Muster & Pay Rolls for June — & a Receipt Roll for January Feb^y & March — by M^r [undecipherable: probable reading "Nipkins"] amounting to 2,605 dollars 75 Cents —