For^m Williams Esq^r fol^r under 3 p^gs (No) Accountants Office March 3^d 1800 I have received your letter dated the 1^st inst^t and in reply have to inform you that the vouchers you mention'd before advanced to Lieut. M^cPherson have been returned here by M^r Ott. He appears to me on examination of the different Items of expenditure stated from the accounts of the North Western Expeditions that no additional allowance to the pay & emoluments of an officer provided by law can be admissible, without the interference & express direction of that authority which voted those allowances. Before this exception I have considered the claim of Lieut. M^cPherson as inadmissible without such authority, and have offered my opinion to the Secretary of War to that effect. You will therefore foresee that the monies will continue charged to your acct unless expressly authorized by law — Yours &c. [initials] Sam^l Hodgdon Esq^r March 3^d 1800 Sir On settlement of the accounts this day of Joshua [undecipherable] Instructor of Harrisburgh [undecipherable] the following articles have been admitted & are noted on the Books of this Office — Viz: to allowance Cap^t Joseph Brock at Harrisburgh — 4 October $ 1/2 dollar — . . . . . . . . . 6 — Sept — 7 Jan Kellar & 21 Jan Bucks . . . . 10 56 June 27 rations Inf^t [undecipherable] Thornton at 2 2 blankets for 4 dolls. to one for 4[undecipherable] [undecipherable] & 3 Brocks . . . . . . . . . . 1. 20 Oct. 17. [undecipherable] Inf^t Sam^l Adams at [undecipherable] & gun hand cuffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 — Amounting to . . . . . . . . . . 27