Treasury Department, Comptroller's Office, June 22^d 1798. Sir, I received a letter this morning from the Secretary of the Navy informing me that Lieutenant Maloney is charged with the sum of three thousand dollars on the books of your office for the recruiting service, and requested me to give directions to have the accompt adjusted in order that the balance, if any, might be refunded. — I informed M^r Maloney verbally that I supposed no doubt could exist with respect to your authority, and requested him to refer your attention to my predecessors letter of the 24 December 1795 and to mine of the 18 of December last. I have since seen the Secretary of the Navy who expressed an apprehension from something he had heard that your doubts were still not removed. In order that the public service may not be further delayed I have to request that you will be pleased to communicate to the Treasury your objections to the settlement of this accompt, and the reasons which have induced you to suppose that money placed to the debit of an individual on your books should in the ordinary course of business be accounted for elsewhere. — I am, Sir, very respectfully Your Ob^t Serv^t W. S. Steele Compt^r William Simmons Esquire —