War department 26 June 1799 Sir In answer to your letter of the 25 you have inclosed a copy of a letter to Lieut Manning & Birchei which contains his authority for repairing the waks and Barracks at Fort Oswego and incurring any expence that might be indispensible for those purposes — By the twelfth article of the Contract with Mr James O Hara it is agreed that at such posts, or places where the issues shall not exceed fifty Rations per day it should not be incumbend on the Contractor to employ a Commissary for the issuing of Rations but that Rations might be delivered in Bulk &c. If the issues at Oswego exempted the Contractor from issuing at his own expence, the Officer who acted as Commissary must have a reasonable allowance made to him. This allowance has been in some measure already settled by the following extract of a letter to Major General Wayne dated War Office 26 June 1796. "As Mr. O Hara is only to deliver to the Army in the quantities and at such posts as you may direct, it will be necessary that a qualified person should be appointed at each post to receive the Rations and issue them to the Troops." "The business of issuing it is thought may be conducted by Subaltern Officers you will therefore appoint one for each post with an extra monthly pay graduated from eight to twenty dollars according to the number of troops to be supplied." You will fix upon such compensation for Seut [undecipherable: probable reading Vicher] within those sums as will appear to be equivalent to his trouble in issuing the provisions — I am Sir Your obedient Servant James McHenry [The Accountant of the War departments]