Isaac Craig Esq^r Pittsburg Sir Accountants Office June 22^d 1798 I received your letter of the 15 Inst.; the receipt You therein mention for two thousand eight hundred dollars transmitted you for pay of the Army has been handed me by Samuel Lewis don^r which will be entered on the Books of this Office in the usual manner — Sam^l W Simmons Acct^. John Steele Esq^r Comptroller of the Treasury. Accountants Office June 23^d 1798 Sir I received your letter of the 22.^d Instant requesting that I would communicate to the Treasury my objections to the settlement of the accounts of Lieut^. John Mallowney of the Navy, and the reasons which have induced me to suppose that the monies placed to the debit of the Officers of the Navy on the Books of my office should not be settled by me, to which I must beg leave to submit the following as some of the prevailing objections, for my wishing to suspend the settlement or adjustment of the accounts of the Naval Department — In the first place it was never made my duty by Law to adjust the accounts of the navy but on the principles and under the impressions contained in your letter some of the 15 of December 1797 — I readily acceded to it until the proper Officers or agents whose duty it might be made by law to perform that service, should be appointed, & did continue to exercise that duty until the Act passed, establishing an Executive Department, to be denominated the Department of the Navy. By the 5.^th Section of this Act all the powers before given to the