Cincinnati November 30. 1798. Sir, Brigadin General Wilkinson went from hence to the Natchez on the 16^th of July last. — He [strikethrough: afigned his place to] assigned this place to me, as being most Convenient for Collecting money on bills, and the most eligible for distributing it to the several garrisons. — he left with me a letter of instruction, a copy of which is herewith enclosed. In pursuance of his letter aforesaid, I have made payments to the amount of 3346. ⁹⁷/100$ for which I am possessed of all the requisite rolls and receipts, and have complied with all the forms prescribed in my original instructions from the Comptroller of the Treasury of the United States, dated the 26 July 1792. excepting that of the signature of the commanding officer to the warrants, which was not in my power to obtain. The want of this signature to the said warrants, render my vouchers incomplete, for which cause, the punctual quarterly transmission of them to the accountants office, is retarded. In conformity to the last clause of my original instructions, It becomes my duty to state to you the foregoing difficulties, that have occurred in the execution of the system therein laid down for the payment of the troops. And under present circumstances, to suggest that I be permitted to dispense, either with the signature of the commanding officer to the warrants, or with the injunction of a punctual quarterly transmission of my papers and vouchers to the accountants office. and to observe that a rigid adherence to every part of my original instructions, under the present extensive dispersion of the troops, will be incompatible with the object of the law of the 7^th June 1794 for paying the troops every two months. I have the honor to be very respectfully Sir your most Obedient Serv^t C. [undecipherable] P.M.Gen. The Honorable John Steele Esq^r Comptroller of the Treasury of the United States.