M^r Isaac Halsted, late Contractor, Portsmouth N^o Jersey Sir War-Department Office March 6^th 1800 I have received your letter dated the 24 Ulto relative [to] Three accounts against you as Contractor for [undecipherable: rations] and supplies furnished by directions of the [undecipherable] Government [of] the U.S. [undecipherable]. I would gladly to [undecipherable] those claims [on] his account which was transmitted to this Office for [undecipherable] and [approve?] the [undecipherable] of them in [undecipherable] forms which I [annexed?] – as some of the expenditures were of a contract nature with those you present I return the accounts to you that they may be [undecipherable] to hand and such part of them as come within my instructions to [undecipherable] may be included in his account & presented to this Office. It may be necessary on the [undecipherable] to inform you that expenditures in the [undecipherable: Quarter Master] & [undecipherable: Hospital] Departments are of a nature which require the strictest scrutiny & the best authenticated Vouchers [undecipherable] will be required here not examination. The Bills of particulars & [undecipherable] of the parties will in all cases be [undecipherable] [undecipherable] for procuring the articles most [undecipherable] them, which will consist of the order of the Colonel or other Commanding Officer. Sam^l W^o [undecipherable] Sam^l Hodgdon Esq^r [undecipherable] N^o March 6^th 1800 Jersey For settlement of the account of John [undecipherable] [undecipherable] of Transportation at the [undecipherable], he has [undecipherable] to hand out the Books of this office for the following articles – Viz: [undecipherable] 4[undecipherable] from August [undecipherable] - 2 sleighs [undecipherable] - [undecipherable] [undecipherable] – [undecipherable] 1.49 1 [undecipherable] 7[undecipherable] / [undecipherable] Book S[undecipherable] 4 [undecipherable] / 2 [undecipherable] 1[undecipherable] - 7 7 6 [undecipherable] / [undecipherable] [undecipherable] / 2 Pack [undecipherable] 2.114 1 [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] land [undecipherable] [undecipherable] 19[undecipherable] 1 hand [undecipherable] [undecipherable] / [undecipherable] hand [undecipherable] 1 [undecipherable] 41 [undecipherable] [undecipherable]