John Wallace Esquire Accountants O[ffice] Shell Castle Ocracoke Inlet December 6 179[7] near Washington, N° Carolina Sir I have received your letter of the [undecipherable] Ult. enclosing the receipt of Jacob Blount for two hundred & fifty Dolla[rs] the sum I advanced you from this Department for the purpose of mounti[ng] the Artillery on Beacon Island. I have in answer to inform you that before this amount can be entered to your credit, M^r Blount must rend[er] his account of expenditures to you, charging the particulars, and crediting t[he] Sum, and if any balance remains due to him it shall be paid, on the oth[er] hand, if you have overpaid his bill, you will receive the balance from and place it into the hands of M^r Polk Esq^r Supervisor of the Revenue Charlotte N° Carolina, whose receipt to you will be a Voucher for the D[ept] You will then state an Acc^t Current accompanied by the Account of M^r [undecipherable] Stating the monies you have received, and paid, which be pleased to forwa[rd the] Office for examination. It may also be proper that a Copy of your in[struc]- tions on which you disbursed the Money, should accompany them. Sam H[undecipherable] [undecipherable] Simms Act.