I have advanced to Lieutenant Wyatt Coleman, of the 1st Virginia State regiment, eight hundred dollars, on account of his pay and subsistence, by a warrant from the Board of War, which he, or the Paymaster of the regiment, is to repay into your hands. You will please receive the same and place it to the credit of the United States. I am your obedient servant, J. BURRALL. BENJAMIN HARRISON, Esq., Dep. Pay. Gen. in Virginia. MORRISTOWN, March 18, 1780. GENTLEMEN :-The military chest in the main army being almost exhausted, I have to request a further supply of 1,500,000 dollars for the purpose of paying the months of January and February, which are now become due. I could wish to have this supply as early as possible, and shall do myself the honor to wait on the Board this morning on the subject. I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, Honorable Board of Treasury. (ENDORSED.) JOHN PIERCE. At a council of war, March 17, 1780-Resolved, That Jonathan Burrall, Esq., Assistant Paymaster-general, do immediately attend to the duties of his office in Walnut-street. PAY OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, March 20, 1780. GENTLEMEN:-Mr. Pierce, Deputy Paymaster-general for the main army, informs me 1,500,000 dollars is wanting for the payment of the troops for the months of January and February, which he requests may be forwarded to him as soon as possible. I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, Your obedient servant, Honorable Board of Try. J. BURRALL. PAY OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, March 20, 1780. SIR-I received your favor of the 29th January to Colonel Palfrey, acknowledging the receipt of 2,000,000 dollars, and my letter of the 22d December, which accompanied it, and inclosing your returns for November and December. I have since written you twice; one on the 27th of January, by express, inclosing two warrants in your favor, and the other on the 29th, by post, which I hope you have received. I now inclose you three warrants of Congress, which I have endorsed to you; one of George Webb, Esq., Treasurer of the State of Virginia, for 1,200,000, another of the Governor of North Carolina, and the third on the Governor of South Carolina-the two latter for 900,000 dollars each. The Board of Treasury inform me that it is not expected that either of the States have sufficient money on hand to discharge the warrant immediately; but it is their intention that the money which is raised in those States for the use of the United States, should be applied for the use of your department as soon as collected, for which purpose it was necessary that you should have warrants ready; but it will be useless to send for it until you can obtain information of its being ready, when you will take such methods to get it forwarded as you shall judge most expedient. I shall write to the Governor of North Carolina and the Treasurer of Virginia, advising them of such warrants being sent you, and request them to give you the earliest notice when the money may be obtained, and I should advise you to do the same on your receiving the warrants. If any money is advanced by you to officers or others, who are acting in another department, on account of their pay, it is expected you will transmit an account thereof to the Deputy Paymaster-general of the department to which they belong, that he may make the necessary stoppage. It is undoubtedly expected that you should be accountable for the conduct of your assistants and clerks who are appointed by you. As to the pay that will be allowed them, I can say nothing, as no pay is yet fixed for any person in the Paymaster-general's department. As soon as Colonel Palfrey arrives from Boston, I expect I this matter will be adjusted-I hope, to the satisfaction of all who are employed in the department. In the mean time, you can advance your assistants some money on account of their present necessities, but not include it in your monthly returns until the pay is known. I inclose you a letter from the Deputy Paymastergeneral of the main army, with his account of money advanced to the Virginia troops, who are gone to your department. It is not probable that many of the persons charged in his account will settle, or be included in any settlement made with you. If If any of them should, you will please to make the necessary stoppage, and credit it to the United States in your monthly accounts. It will be necessary to give the auditors an account of the money advanced for recruiting. It is contrary to an express resolve of Congress that any officer should receive pay in two capacities, except additional pay to paymasters, adjutants, quartermasters, brigade-majors, &c. The infantry of Count Pulaski's Legion are to receive the same pay as cavalry. I am, sir, your obedient servant, JOSEPH CLAY, Esq., Southern Department. J. BURRALL. PAY OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, March 21, 1780. SIR-A warrant on your Excellency for 900,000 dollars was issued by Congress on the 16th inst., payable to my order, which sum is to be transmitted to Joseph Clay, Esq., Deputy Paymastergeneral for the army under the command of General Lincoln, for the use of the military chest in that department. As I was informed by the Board of Treasury that there was not a probability of there being a sufficient sum in the treasury of your State to answer it immediately, I have endorsed the warrant and sent it to Mr. Clay, and must beg your Excellency to give him or General Lincoln the earliest information when the money or part of it may be obtained. I have the honor to be your Excellency's most obedient servant, J. BURRALL, Ass't Pay. Gen. His Excellency RICHARD CASWELL, Governor of North Carolina. To the Congress of the United States: PHILADELPHIA, March 25, 1780. That your memorialist has been in the service of the United States as an Assistant Paymaster-general from the 10th day of February, 1776, to 1st June, 1779, since which he has had the honor to serve, by an appointment of Congress, as Deputy Paymastergeneral for the main army. Your memorialist would beg leave to represent that, by reason of the depreciation of the currency, the pay, while he was an assistant, became very inadequate to his unavoidable expenses, by which means he has been obliged to involve himself considerably in debt, and has greatly impaired his private fortune; that the pay and other allowances of his present. appointments have never been stated either for himself or his assistants; but he has served from that time, relying on the justice and generosity of Congress to give him the compensation which his services may be deemed to merit, taking from time to time such sums from the chest as were sufficient to support himself and his assistants in their expenses; by means of which he finds, as he is now closing the settlement of his accounts, the sum which he has taken is so large that he cannot compute the same without having the pay of his department stated, that it may be charged. the public. Your memorialist would beg leave further to request that from the particular situation of private affairs, as well as a willingness to retain in the service the gentlemen who have already assisted him in the business, a state of uncertainty at this time as to the allowances which are to be given the department, will be extremely disagreeable. Your memorialist would therefore request that the honorable Congress would take his case into their consideration, and grant him such allowance for his past services as they shall deem proper, and affix the pay and other allowances of his department, equal to the importance and weight of the business which passes through his hands. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, PAY OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, March 29, 1780. GENTLEMEN-I received a line from Mr. Clarkson, returning a letter from Benjamin Harrison, Deputy Paymaster-general in Virginia, of the 10th of February, and directing me to make an estimate of money wanted to pay the troops in Virginia. As I do not know how many regiments General Scott's brigade consists of, I have nothing certain whereon to found an estimate; but by the best information I can get from the Board of War, it consists of three Continental regiments; besides which, there are two State regiments, who, on their arrival in Virginia, were subject to the orders of the Governor. The first of April there will be four months' pay due them, and if the whole five regiments are to be paid by the Continental Paymasters, it will require 200,000 dollars. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, Honorable Board of Treasury. J. BURRALL, Ass't P. M. Gen. PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 1780. GENTLEMEN :-Understanding that my memorial to Congress, which was referred to your Board, has not been reported on, and that there is some hesitation as to its being determined upon at this time, I thought it might not be improper to lay before you some reasons in addition to those in the memorial, which induce me to wish to have it settled now, and the principles which may be adopted for that purpose. When the Congress made the appointments, they directed that the Board of Treasury should report the pay; after which it was resolved it should be suspended until the 1st of October last, at which time Colonel Palfrey's was stated, and his allowances made without mine being fixed; and having served almost a year without any thing, I think it is reasonable that mine should be known. My assistants being in the same situation, and on some accounts worse, are determined to leave the service unless they can receive their pay; and it is extremely hazardous for me to advance them what of right they ought to receive, because, in case it is not al |