In Council
November 15 1790
Gentlemen,
We think proper
to inform you that in
consequence of a resolution
of the last Session of Assembly
Mr. John White was re-appointed
agent to attend
the settlement of accounts
between this State and
the United States--upon
his death we appointed
Mr. Christopher Richmond
who appears to us to
be well acquainted with
the business--the letters
which we have the honor
to enclose, will inform
you of the situation which
it is in.
We have endeavored
to procure information
of the confiscated property
to be sold, and make
arrangements for the sale
of it, but have not been
able to obtain such satisfaction
as, we could with-
In many instances suits
were commenced against
persons who did not bond,
and injunctions have been
granted by the Court of
Chancery to pay the Proceedings;
in other instances petitions
have been filed in that Court
praying to be discharged
from the Contracts--applications
have been made to the Attorney
General and his late
Intendant of the Revenue,
but the former Gentleman
has been for some time engaged
with the Courts, and
the other from whom we expected
much information has
long been unwell ~
We have settled
upon all the debtors
to the State, upon the Auditor's
& late Intendant's Books,
in consequence of which
many of the accounts have
been settled but a greater
number still remain open-
In many cases the debtors
offer amounts in bar but
for want of regular vouchers
the Auditor cannot
allow themx --and
from the confines that have
been generally made
to our demands we have reason
to apprehend that
some of the State's claims are
eroneous [sic],
which consideration has prevented us from
ordering such as
we intended ~
Two instances have
occurred which we
judge of sufficient importance
to authorize our
drawing money from the Treasury
and we
doubt not but to the necessity
of the case will justify
us; The one accidental fire
in the
Government house which would
have become a
ruin if we had not taken
it upon ourselves the
repairing of it--the other
making a Stair case
to the top of the Dome in
the Stadt House which
we judged necessary in order
the more easily to
examine some leaks in the
roof and as a
greater security against
fire ~
We are S
J E Howard