War Department, April 2. 1800 Sir, I have received your letter dated yesterday, exhibiting a list of the names of the Clerks employed in your Office and requesting that I will affix the Sums, to which each shall be entitled, for the present year. "An Act to regulate and fix the compensation of Clerks" passed the 2^d March 1799, certainly does give exclusively to the Secretaries of the Treasury, State, War, and Navy, the power and authority to vary the compensations of Clerks, in their respective departments, in such manner as the Service to be performed, shall in their judgement require — With a proviso that the whole amount of such compensations, shall not exceed certain specific Sums for each department, and dividing the aggregate sum in departments which have branches in given portions among them severally. For the Department of War the aggregate Sum is fifteen thousand three hundred and forty Dollars — divided among its branches it gives for the Office of the Secretary thereof, Six thousand three hundred and forty Dollars, for the Office of the Accountant Eight thousand five hundred Dollars, and for the Office of Purveyor of Public Supplies Five hundred Dollars. This act commenced its operation from the date of its appro[val] and the appropriations of last year, being predicated upon it, gave it a reference back to the commencement of that year. It is understood to have been immediately acted upon in the other Departments, especially throughout the numerous branches of the Treasury. No application from you, under this act, (within my recollection) has been presented before the present one. For the whole of the last year, you fixed the compensations for your Clerks by your own authority. — Now, if the law is to be literally complied with — and I am to vary the compensations to your Clerks, it was highly proper to inform me what they have been, which you have not done. The Secretary of the Treasury it is understood last year devolved upon the Gentlemen who conducted each separate branch of the Department, his authority so far as respected the Clerks employed in their respective Offices, to fix or vary their several compensations, confining them only to the amount by law apportioned to each particular Office. I am disposed to take the same course in my Department. You are therefore authorized for this current Year, to vary if you think proper the compensations of your Clerks, and to affix to each, such compensation respectively so that the whole shall not exceed the amount apportioned for your Office by law viz: Eight thousand five hundred Dollars. You will send me a list so made out for my signature. It is thought proper to mention to you, that the rule for apportioning compensation to your Clerks, should be derived from the practice of other similar Offices, as that of Auditor of the Treasury, and not from that of a Head of a Department; whose business is more varied, important and confidential than any of its branches. — I am Sir, Your obed^t. Servant James McHenry [The Accountant of the War Department.]