Philadelphia 12^th March 99 Sir, In future, until otherwise directed, you will be pleased to render, three general returns of all stores, received, issued, forwarded or expended at your Post. These returns are to embrace distinctly, the military, quarter master and Indian Goods; and they should be accompanied with two Abstracts. The one, shewing the stores received in each department during the time for which the return is made, distinguishing those purchased or manufactured at Pittsburg; also noting the place and person from whom they were received, and the time they came to hand. The other will exhibit the account of your issues at the post with the vouchers, also those forwarded by you, with invoices, signed [by] the persons to whom they are addressed in case where it can be done, but in all and every instance by the persons in whose charge they are put to be transported and delivered; where losses happen by transportation or other circumstances previous to delivery you are to insist on Certificates being produced shewing the causes of the losses, that from full information they may be placed to the proper accounts. With respect to the Stores that are received by you only to forward entire to their destination; [interlinear: receipted by the persons having them in charge] the Invoices only will be required of you, and these must never be omitted, in them the stores of each department are to be kept separate and distinct; care must be taken that the stores of one department may not be blended with that of any other. A quarterly return, abstracts, invoices, and vouchers for issues in the first quarter of the year 1798, must be immediately sent to my Office. To that period an attempt has been made to adjust your account: by knowing the balance then actually on hand, we shall test the accuracy of the statement, and probably be able to make the settlement final. Returns with the required accompaniments, subsequent to the 31^st March 1798 must also be forwarded that such order as is found necessary may be taken on them. It will be proper once at least in every year, say at the close of each, to determine by actual survey the state of the stores on hand for the purpose of knowing whether they correspond with the returns made of them. In this way errors may be detected, and the books, accounts, and Stores all be made to agree a circumstance of great importance to the Public and all concerned. I am Sir, Your most obedient Ser^vt Samuel [undecipherable: Hodgdon?] [Wheeling Returns / 12. of March 1799] Major Isaac Craig Pittsburg