Sir, You are hereby, and with the approbation of the President of the United States, appointed Paymaster and Storekeeper of all public property at the Armory, and Magazine, established at Springfield, in the State of Massachusetts. You are to regard the following Instructions, as the general principles whereby to regulate your conduct, in the receipt and expenditure of public money, and the receiving, safe keeping, and distributing of the public property, which shall come under your direction. 1. You will as soon as possible, enter in a Book under proper heads, every kind of property at Springfield, belonging to the United States, such as all Buildings, (annexing their dimensions and estimated value) Mills, and Machines, for the use of the Armory, Tools and Utensils of every description, Arms on hand, and Materials for the Manufacture, together with every article in the Arsenal, and Magazine. As soon as these entries are completed (in making which you will lose no time) you will transmit to the Superintendant of Military Stores Returns of the same. In the execution of this first part of your duty, you will be assisted, and have the necessary information given you by David Ames Esq^r. Superintendant of the Armory, and Captain Bryant. In the form of your Returns, you will be governed by that furnished by the Superintendant of Military Stores, herewith transmitted to you. 2. Your duties as Paymaster are pointed out to you, by rules established by the Comptroller of the Treasury, herewith transmitted to you. In acting in conformity to these, you will pay proper attention to any information given, or explanation made, from time to time, by the Comptroller of the Treasury, or the Accountant of the War Department. 3. All articles procured for the use of the Armory, are to be accompanied with Invoices, shewing their quantities, and prices, and before they are received, are to be examined by the Superintendant (or in his absence by the Chief Armourer) who, if he approves of them, is to express the same on the Invoice, and sign his name, upon which you will make payment. If the articles presented have been procured, and paid for elsewhere, you will receive them of course; but let them be inspected, and any defects noted and certified by the Superintendant or Chief Armourer, as aforesaid, if they are, or relate to small Arms, and by the Superintendant of Ordnance, if they are, or relate to Artillery. Accounts of all articles thus received, you will regularly transmit to the Superintendant of Military Stores. You will also receipt to the Superintendant of the Armory, for such articles as he may return into the Store, [underline: particularly noticing their state,] whether perfect, or damaged, repairable, or useless. 4. In the payment of the Workmen, or others, employed in the Armory, you are to be governed by the Pay-rolls signed by the Superintendant. 5. It is your duty to liquidate all accounts presented for payment, which may be due for supplies, or labour at your Post, by whomsoever brought forward, and see that all errors are corrected previous to settlement. Money will be forwarded from time to time, to enable you to answer all demands upon the Armory. 6. Monthly Estimates are to be made of all moneys necessary for the pay of the Men, and to support the Manufactory, and forwarded to the Secretary of War, in order that the amount may be remitted, or that you may be ordered to draw for the same, should the latter mode be found eligible. 7. For all property entrusted to your care, as well at the time of your entering into Office, as afterwards, you will receipt to the person delivering it, and make out, and transmit to the Superintendant of Military Stores, a duplicate of the same tenor and date. 8. You are to deliver no articles out of the Store, for the use of the Armory, the purpose of manufactory, or otherwise, without an order in writing, signed by the Superintendant, which Vouchers are to be transmitted quarterly, with your Returns, to the Superintendant of Military Stores. 9. You will deliver no Arms (except to be repaired, to the Superintendant of the Armory) without a written order from the Secretary of War, countersigned by the Superintendant of Military Stores. 10. Your Books must exhibit every article belonging to the United States, at Springfield, when you entered on the duties of your Office, and all articles received and delivered subsequent thereto, and from whom received, and to whom delivered; of course they must shew at all times, the articles, and quantities of each kind on hand. 11. To simplify your Store Accounts, it will be best to raise a general account, making it Debtor for all Ordnance and Stores received at first, and afterwards; and crediting it for all deliveries made. Your Waste Book and Ledger entries will give the names of all persons from whom you receive, and to whom you deliver Stores; and the difference of the sides of your Ledger Accounts will at once shew the quantities of each article remaining in Store. 12. You will receive no Muskets, or manufactured articles from the Workshops, or Superintendant into the Magazine, without a Certificate from the Superintendant, corresponding to the annexed form. 13. You will transmit quarterly Returns to the Superintendant of Military Stores, of all articles received, delivered, and on hand, within the preceding quarter, viz: on the 31^st day of March, the 30^th of June, the 30^th of September, and the 31^st day of December, in every year, together with the vouchers to support the Statements. 14. You will besides, transmit to the Secretary of War, a weekly State-[undecipherable] Superintendant of the Armory. 15. With regard to the arrangement and preservation of all articles in the Arsenal, and Magazine, you are to follow implicitly, the Instructions of Samuel Hodgdon Esq^r. Superintendant of Military Stores. 16. You will follow the annexed forms, regulative to keeping your accounts, and will forward quarterly your vouchers and accounts of moneys received and expended, for settlement, to the Accountant of the Department of War, viz: on the 31^st day of March, the 30^th of June, the 30^th of September, and the 31^st day of December, in every year. 17. You will reside at Springfield, keep your Office in one of the Rooms belonging to the Public, and deposit in the same Buildings, all property of a public nature, of which you shall have the Superintendance. 18. The Salary of the Superintendant of the Armory is seventy dollars per month. Your own Salary will be at the rate of five hundred dollars per annum, and one ration per day. Captain John Bryant is to continue Superintendant of the Ordnance, and to be the Assistant Storekeeper, for which he is to be paid four hundred and eighty dollars per Annum, and one ration per day. Given at the Office of the War Department this twenty eight day of August one thousand seven hundred, and ninety eight. M^r. Joseph Williams. A true copy. William Barton [undecipherable].