[430] Lieut John Steele D.W. Accountants Office Carlisle - Penn^a October 17^th 1797 Sir You will receive herewith a receipt Roll for the pay of the Troops under your command (made out from a Muster Roll handed me from the War Office) calculated from the dates of Inlistment to the 30^th Ultt. inclusive, including your pay from the time you was last paid to amounting together to the sum of Four hundred twenty nine dollars & thirty three cents, which you will have remitted to you by M^r Samuel Lewis Clerk in the War Office, in this amount the pay of Robert Young & John Smith is not included, you will therefore pay them and add their receipts to the roll and your account will receive a credit accordingly. You will observe in future that it is necessary for Officers who have recruits under their command to transmit to me a muster roll attested to before a Magistrate accompanied with a Pay Roll setting forth the sum due to each person and the total amount of the roll, as this has been omitted in the present instance, it is requested that you examine with great care the receipt roll now enclosed as well as the demands of the men, and any difference you may find you please correct and note on the roll. In the accounts rendered to the Treasury by Gunkle & John Contractors for supplying the Troops with rations (abstracts of which are transmitted here) I find you have received double the quantity you are intitled to for the month of July last. This mistake has arisen I presume from your thinking yourself intitled to double rations after the 30 June which by act of Congress is only allowed to Officers commanding separate posts (by which is meant a place where Troops are stationed for the defence of a particular part of the continent) and not to Officers recruiting, the amount of rations which have been overdrawn you will therefore settle with the Contractors for in any subsequent settlements which may take place after the receipt of this letter & forward a certificate from them certifying that it has been done to exonerate you from the charge at this Office. — When the receipt roll is compleated you will enclose the same to me, and be carefull where the men are not able to write their names to have a respectable witness to their marks. I am &c. W^m Simmons Acct^t