Samuel Eddens, Cap^tn Accountants Office 2 Reg^t A&C. August 23^d 1799 Richmond V^a Sir Your letter of the 16 Instant came duly to hands and am sorry to observe the false construction you have placed upon my conduct respecting some of your claims conscious of having acted consistent with the duties of my Office I must still adhere to my former decision; but as I am anxious to give perfect satisfaction to every claimant whose accounts come under my notice. I shall once more go over the subject of your demands — You say privileges have been granted to Cap^t Blackburn & Lieut^t Claiborne by permitting them to draw rations for their Servants, which has been denied to you, this position is foreign from your claim their Servants were duly inlisted men, (or if not it was at least so understood) & of course they were intitled to draw their rations provided they had never been included in any other returns — but your demand is for a Servant which you acknowledge was not an Inlisted Soldier, consequently by the rule laid down, the ration drawn by you for him must be absolutely placed to your debit on the Books of this Office, — unless the Sec^y of War should see fit to adopt some general rule to supersede his former directions — you intimate that I have shewn a partiality to Cap^t Blackburn & Lieut^t Saunders, by granting to them house rent and will not allow you the rent of a room — here, Sir, you are again misinformed — no such thing has ever been allowed to those Officers at this Office — tho' I believe there were some Officers doing Garrison duty at Fort Norfolk who were allowed the rent of their Houses, in a settlement of the Contractors account last Year at the Treasury — this was done by express orders of the Secretary, in consequence of a representation from the Officers, that there were no buildings in the Fort of any kind, particularly for the reception of Officers some of whom had families — representations of this nature will undoubtedly have considerable weight with the Secretary of War & should he deem fit to establish general principles for allowances of the nature of your demands, I shall have no hesitation in granting it — The next grievance you mention is the rejecting from the Contractors accounts so much paid by him to you for the unadvanced fuell due to you, Lieut^t Pope & Cadet Carey, the following quotations from a late letter of the Secretary of War has I conceive fully authorized the rejection of the claims — 'The practice relative to fuell not drawn by Officers from any cause whatever has never been settled, I believe however that few demands have ever been made for payment of this kind & that it has never been allowed but under peculiar circumstances — I incline strongly to the opinion that it would