John Wilkins Jun.^r Esq.^r November 21^st 1799 2m^b. Sir The Secretary of War having directed me to pass to you the necessary Instructions relative to vouchers, & the form of keeping your accounts for expenditures on acc.^t of certain Fortifications & Barracks erecting at Loftus's heights by direction of Brigadier Gen.^t Wilkinson. I proceed to state that your accounts, for all expenditures incurred for the said Fortifications must be rendered to this Office for settlement, quarterly, distinct & seperate from your other acc.^ts, comprehending all payments made by you during the preceding quarter necessary to a final Settlement & I shall require on such settlement a strict compliance with all Instructions rec.^d from the proper authority & that your charges be accompanied with fair, regular explicit bills & receipts annexed, for the monies paid by you the whole of the Vouchers to be numbered in rotation according to the dates of payment, thus numbered arranged to the charges noting what the payments are made for, the amount of said acc.^t of disbursements to be entered in a General acc.^t Curr.^t distinguished by an Alphabetical letter commencing with A to be referred to in its subordinate Vouchers. All expenditures for materials and to Workmen & Laborers employed to construct new or repair old Works, & all payments to satisfy contracts for erecting any part or whole works you are to charge in your Books under the head of Fortifications all expenditures for Gun carriages, implements for Guns, Military Stores & Gun Powder, to be charged under the head of "Cannon Arms & Ammunition" - & you will render your acc.^ts accordingly— It is also necessary that you transmit the following Abstracts, Viz: All articles purchased— Pay of Laborers— Pay of Mechanics— Transportation Contracts for constructing or repairing any works, the compensation for which is not detailed in its component parts,— Contingent expenses embracing all such as do not belong to the preceding abstracts, the amount of each to be carried to one general abstract of expenditures, agreeably to the forms which I enclose for your government, as well as the acc.^ts abovenoticed— It is proper to observe that no advances on account whether on Contract or otherwise must appear in your acc.^ts transmitted to this Office for settlement as no