James Madison Papers

To James Madison from Jacquelin Ambler, 5 July 1783

From Jacquelin Ambler

RC (LC: Madison Papers). Cover addressed to “The Honobl. James Madison of Congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “July 5. 1783.”

Richmond. 5th. July 1783.

Dear Sir

I still hope the Gentlemen in Congress will enable me to adjust the Accounts of the Treasury in a regular mode, by transmitting a Certificate expressing the share of each, of the Remittances made in the course of this Year, & directing the Auditors to issue warrants accordingly.1 I have made no use of the partial Certificates hitherto sent, and the Gentlemen may rely on my restoring them on receipt of a general one.2 I have been & stil am unhappy that this business is not adjusted—an Accident may happen to me, & if there should—my Accounts must appear erroneous. You mention the sum of £200. as received from the Sheriff. of Accomack. Mr. Jones was here when the Sheriff settled & informed me that £203. .15. .9. was paid by young Satchell, & for so much the Sheriff has credit.3 will you my Dear Sir take the trouble to run over my Letters (if those are in being which covered the Bills transmitted on the general Account of the Deputation both last year & this) & send me a memo. of the Bills distinguishing the dates & Sums.4 two Days ago a draft signed by yourself Colo. Bland & Mr. Mercer for 80 Dollars in favor of Hyam Solomon dated 20. March. was presented.5 I have paid it on my private Account: I could not out of the public Money, as the Law requires I should produce an Auditors Warrant for every sum paid out of the Treasury;6 & indeed I could not know how this sum was divided, & of course how to carry it to account. You will be so good as to consider this also in the General Certificate.

Some days ago the Commissioners for the defence of Chesapeak7 lodged in the Treasury two Bills of Excha. on Messrs. Lacaze & Mallet Merchts. in Phila. one for £683. .19. .2. & one for £550. Virga. Curry. as there is little probability of Money’s coming into the Treasury to any amount before the next Spring (the collection of Taxes being postponed)8 I could wish these Bills should be applied to yours & the use of the other Gentlemen in Congress, our Delegates. to enable me to do this the Gentlemen will please to authorize their friends here to take from the Auditors Office Warrants on their respective Accounts to the amount of one or both the Bills.9

Mr. Jones & Mr. Lee were both clearly of opinion the loss sustained in negotiating the Bills sent formerly may be, with the greatest propriety, debited in their respctive Accounts.10 I am with great regard

Dear Sir Yr. affect. Servt.

J. Ambler

1Ambler to JM, 17 May, and n. 6; 24 May, and n. 2; 7 June; 14 June, and n. 3; JM to Mercer, 16 July 1783. On 1 July the Governor in Council, having received the resignation of John Boush, auditor, appointed John Pendleton, Jr., ad interim to serve with the other auditors, Bolling Stark and Harrison Randolph, until the Virginia General Assembly convened. On 20 November that legislature confirmed the executive’s choice by electing Pendleton to the position (JCSV description begins H. R. McIlwaine et al., eds., Journals of the Council of the State of Virginia (4 vols. to date; Richmond, 1931——). description ends , III, 276; JHDV description begins (1828 ed.). Journal of the House of Delegates of Virginia, Anno Domini, 1776 (Richmond, 1828). description ends , Oct. 1783, pp. 22, 25, 26). For Pendleton, see Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (7 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , I, 188; 190, n. 8.

3Statement of Receipts, 28 May, and n. 1; Ambler to JM, 14 June 1783. “Young Satchell” was either the sheriff’s son Charles Stockley Satchell (d. 1805) or his son William Satchell III (d. 1823) (Northumberland County Court Records, Will Book 29, pp. 282–83, 284–85; Will Book 32, pp. 470–71; Will Book 36, pp. 162–66, microfilm in Va. State Library; Norfolk Gazette and Public Ledger, 30 Oct. 1805).

4Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (7 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , IV, 108–10; V, 72–73; 73, nn. 3–5; 95; 182; 186; 205, n. 2; 266, and n. 1; VI, 405; JM to Mercer, 16 July 1783. See also the first three citations in n. 2, above. Ambler’s further correspondence, if any, with JM during 1783 is missing. For this reason it is not clear whether JM complied with Ambler’s request prior to his return to Virginia in December (Ambler to JM, 1 June 1783, n. 4).

5Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (7 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , IV, 108, n. 2; 109. For other examples of the delegates’ dependence upon Haym Salomon, see ibid., III, 327; IV, 19, n. 2; V, 87; 170; 206, n. 4; 308.

6Hening, Statutes description begins William Waller Hening, ed., The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia, from the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619 (13 vols.; Richmond and Philadelphia, 1819–23). description ends , IX, 199–200, 536–37.

9Ambler to JM, 10 May, and nn. 1, 2; JM to Mercer, 16 July; Jones to JM, 28 July; 4 Aug. 1783. JM probably did not use the good offices of Randolph in this instance, for he apparently received on 5 September 1783 £246 15s. as his share of those bills of exchange “remitted by” Ambler (Ambler to JM, 1 June 1783, n. 4).

10Summary of Accounts, 28 May, n. 3; Ambler to JM, 14 June 1783, and n. 4. See also Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (7 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , VI, 405.

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