Edw^d Carrington Esq^r October 24^th 1799 Supervisor Richmond Virginia — Sir I have just received your letter dated the 14^th Inst inclosing one from C.M. Thruston Contractor — On the Subject of arrears of Subsistence or forage due to Officers I will state to you my ideas, and the practice proper in my opinion to be pursued. Officers having retained rations or forage due they are by Law entitled to receive the former at the contract price where they became due, or the rations complete in kind, as set forth in the contract. It is understood here that Contractors are not to pay money in lieu of Rations & therefore when Officers prefer receiving the former instead of the latter, application must be made to the pay masters of their respective Regiments. a statement must be furnished by each Officer to his pay master of the period for which he claims arrears, accompanied either by a Certificate of the Contractor that he rec^d no rations for the time charged, or the account must be certified by the Officer on honor to that effect — The accounts to prevent irregular settlements, should all be Stated up to a given period, say the end of the present month, They being all rendered to the Pay master in this form it becomes his duty to form one General Statement of the whole, & transmit the same to the Pay master General, for payment, who will on receipt thereof take the proper measures. These statements to prevent as much as possible difficulty & frequent payments, should be periodical — say once a month, or two, or three months — as may be most Suitable & convenient to all parties — You will collect from these circumstances that Contractors are only to furnish rations, and such other articles as are provided for in their Contracts, in their component parts, & that when Officers prefer receiving money in lieu thereof that application must be made as I have pointed out — As far as you have given directions for the payment of the Officers rations of 7^th Reg^t, no difficulty will arise here if the accounts of the Officers for arrearages are Stated in the mode prescribed above, — That is to say if each Officer has Stated his separate account & certified the same, from which the Contractor in this Instance is to form a General Statement to accompany the accounts properly receipted. As respects the forage due Officers entitled to receive the same by law. I have always discountenanced Contractors, making any payments on that account, preferring that to