[undecipherable] Sir Knoxville the 12^th March 1800 I now enclose a copy of the entries of my books for the month of December, as also abstracts for [strikethrough: the last year for] the last year for the Army and 2^d Masters Departments the first amounting to four thousand three hundred & Sixty three dollars forty three Cents the latter to one thousand nine hundred & Seventeen Dollars fifty two Cents which are sums expended for services performed; The Abstracts for articles purchased for the last year shall be spedily forwarded after which the whole of the abstracts shall be made out again taking the whole of the public business from the beginning under each head and therefrom stating the Account. My Reasons for getting on the Vouchers and abstracts partially & as spedily as possible is that in case of any accidents you may have evidence of the Expenditures of the public Monies and because I suppose the examination of them in this way may go on at your office & having surmounted the difficulty of the old business quarterly abstracts should be made out regularly at the close there of. I must beg your consideration to the Vast business that has been done by me & when I suggest that the payments of the Militia from 1793 to 1795 & 1797 was always interfering with my other business and was similar to the old continental accounts in the Offices that you have been acquainted with always interfering with the other business of the day it will be a reason to every candid mind for my not exhibiting the balance earlier. The delay in stating the account thereby shewing the balance has been a disadvantage to me both as to Interest and reflection. But having done every thing in the public Business with a conscious rectitude I am well satisfied with my own Conduct & in the hope that all I have done will be finally Satisfactory to the heads of the departments I shall proceed as soon as possible to close the Account. I inclose you an abstract of the monies advanced M^r Lewis agent for the Cherokees to the Amount two hundred & twenty dollars on account of his subsistence this is done by his request and by his informing that he had lodged a power with M^r Joseph Pemberton to receive one thousand dollars on account of his Salary the Sum of four hundred he received on account of [strikethrough: the Indian depart]ment he is ready to account for & he reports to me that he has like wise received three hundred Dollars from the Treasury before he left Philadelphia in advance of his Salary As he was very desirous to Refund M^r Pemberton the Sum of a thousand Dollars I have forwarded the whole of his report Submitting it to Your Consideration I am &c [signature] W^m Simmons esq^r