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Philadelphia February 17, 1784

Sir

In Order to guard against the admission of improper claims of individuals on the Public Stake the Liberty to request you to furnish me with a List of the Names of those Persons who have been authorised to make Contracts, receive Supplies, and issue Certificates in behalf of the United States within your Department.

I am Sir Your most obedt Servt Benj Stelle Commrs of accounts for the state of Pennsylvania


Sam Hogsdon Esq

This document is more interesting than would at first appear. Stelle was appointed one of the commissioners under a congressional ordinance Feb 20, 1782, to review both the claims of the States, and of those who spent on behalf of the states. This set of commissioners was separate from the commissioners charged on Feb 27, 1782 with settling the accounts of those who acted as federal agents. The accounting process in which Stelle took part was supposed to determine those items that should be credited to the accounts of the states in settling their obligation to Congress under the requisitions.

I am not sure what the instructions mean about user and timestamp. ccrane@law.northwestern.edu