The Officers can receive the amount due them on making a statement of their accounts charging the United States with the whole number of Rations due them for their services and deducting therefrom the rations or money drawn in lieu of the same to which accurate their abstractions must be annexed agreeable to the enclosed form — The claims of the non commissioned Officers & Privates for [undecipherable] Rations cannot be admitted as there are no documents in this Office by which the number can be ascertained, neither is there any law or established regulations for paying Soldiers in any cases which they have not drawn. [signature] W.L. Lieu^t [undecipherable] S. [undecipherable] Fort Niagara Accountants Office March 27^th [undecipherable] Referring to my letter of the 11 Feby [undecipherable] your account has been stated by which there appears a balance against you of four Dollars 9 [undecipherable] which will be placed to your debit on the Books of this Office — you likewise stand charged with the sum of Three hundred eighty one dollars 1[undecipherable]/100 transmitted to [undecipherable] from [undecipherable] for the pay of [undecipherable] & the troops at [undecipherable] for April & May 1797 — for which you will please to forward the Receipts signed by the [undecipherable] in order that your accounts may be finally closed on the Books of this Office — The [undecipherable] mentioned in your letter of the [undecipherable] February last in favor of M^r David Thompson for his services as [undecipherable] at [undecipherable] Niagara [undecipherable] the case of [undecipherable] has been [undecipherable] before [undecipherable] at [undecipherable] it will be necessary that it is approved of by the Commanding General & sanctioned by the Secretary of War — [signature] W.L.