Devereaux Brodie Esq^r Charleston S^dC. Sir Accountants Office May 20^th 1800 I received this day yours of the 16^th inst: enclosing Your acct & vouchers for your supplies to the Troops in & around Charleston for the month of April last. Your accounts for February & march 1800 remain unanswered for want of your account & vouchers for January which have never been received. As you made no mention of them in any of your letters, and as the letter which I wrote to m^r Brodie upon that subject has never been answered I must request you to forward them immediately to this office for settlement. Sam &c [initials] James Watson Esq^r New York May 20^th 1800 Sir I have received your letter dated the 21^st April and on application at the War Office I received the accounts you mention to have lodged there. They are of a nature not to be settled at this office. Several applications have been made to me for the payment of similar accounts, and they have been referred to the Treasury Department as the proper one to [undecipherable] the accounts they have however been refused settlement upon the principle that the United States were conscientious or not liable for this payment. I believe from what I am [undecipherable] of the subject that no firm principle is established to govern in the case. No settlement has ever taken place, and it would appear from that circumstance that objections exist to their settlement, yet ready to be removed. Of this however I cannot speak with certainty, as