[165] War department Feb^r 28^th 1800 Sir M^r Silas Dinsmore late Deputy agent to the Cherokee nation is to be settled with for the necessary expences which he incurred in the discharge of his trust as Dep^t Agent aforesaid from the 25 June 1794 to the 23 February 1799. The charges which he can claim will chiefly be comprised under the head of the hire and keeping of Horses; necessary in his agency; the support of his Table during the occasional visits of Indians at his usual places of residence; his necessary travelling expences in the nation and his own rations; or an equivalent equal to his daily maintenance. If it is impossible for him to detail the items for the whole of these expenditures, you will have the accounts substantiated by his oath. I am Sir Your obed^t Serv^t The Accountant of the James M^cHenry War department— The foregoing claim it appears has recently been exhibited to The Secretary of War and it seems is made the foundation of his letter authorizing the amount to be admitted to the Debit of The United States, on M^r Dinsmoore's substantiating the same by his Oath— I have accordingly considered the claim of M^r Dinsmore and have examined the several settlements he has made at the Treasury Department, as well as those made at this Office, and am of opinion that the same is inadmissible, and should not be allowed on the principles stated by The Secretary of War: for if final settlements can at any time be revised and additional allowances granted by The Secretary of War for the time being, for services performed at a Salary fixed under the appointment of his predecessor in Office there may be no End to Settlements, nor will the Accounting Officers know when an account is to be considered as Settled. It would also be subverting [166] and established rule heretofore observed of revising no Settlements which have been considered final. In the present case it appears that Silas Dinsmore was appointed on the 25 June 1794 at a Salary of 1000 dollars p^r annum that he was instructed to render his accounts to the Department of the Treasury for examination and settlement which was accordingly done from time to time and his accounts finally settled up to the 30 Sept^r [undecipherable] that for subsequent services and supplies he was directed to render [interlineated: where he was paid his salary by several settlements] his accounts to this Office for settlement, up to the 1 Sept^r 1796; and from that period to the 31 Dec^r 1798 he was settled with for his Salary by David Henley, agent for the War Department at Knoxville Tennessee. That in February 1799 he exhibited at this Office an account of sundry disbursements including his salary up to the 23^d Feb^y 1799 the date of his resignation, shewing a balance of Doll^s 229. 97/100 which he attested to on the 5 March 1799, as justly due to him from The United States. This account was submitted by him to The Secretary of War who admitted the same by inserting thereon "admitted, James M^cHenry." Besides the said balance, M^r Dinsmore claimed the sum of 34 25/100 dollars for a case with liquor delivered by him to the Commissioners appointed to hold a Treaty with the Indians previous to the arrival of their stores, which was also submitted to the Secretary of War and was in like manner admitted by him; a Warrant on the Treasurer was accordingly issued for the amount thereof and which I conceived to be a Settlement in full up to the day of his resignation, no reservation having been mentioned of the claim in question and which appears not to have been brought forward until near one year after the above mentioned Settlement— On inquiry at the War Office it appears that on the 29^th Aug^t 1796 the Secretary was informed M^r Dinsmore by the