George Washington Papers

To George Washington from the Commissioners for Settling Accounts Between the United States and the Individual States, 21 June 1793

From the Commissioners for Settling
Accounts Between the United States
and the Individual States

Office of Accounts June 21st 1793

Sir

The two points we had the honor to submit to your consideration this morning are those on which we wish your direction—there are none other that are material—those points are

  • 1st To whom shall we make report—The law is silent and our Commissions expire the 1st July.1
  • 2nd To whom shall we deliver the books and papers which belong to the office.

We consider the custody of these documents of consequence and conceive that they ought not to be subject to any derangement but by proper authority.2

We Supposed that a conversation would more readily adjust these points than they can be done by writing—and occupy less of your time. With Profound respect We are Sir your Obt Humble S⟨er.⟩

Wm Irvine

John Kean

Wry Langdon

LS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters.

1For the legal basis of this commission, see “An Ordinance for settling the Accounts between the United States and Individual States,” 7 May 1787, JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends , 32:262–66; “An Act for settling the Accounts between the United States and individual States,” 5 Aug. 1789, “An Act to provide more effectually for the settlement of the Accounts between the United States and the individual States,” 5 Aug. 1790, and “An Act to extend the time limited for settling the Accounts of the United States with individual States, 23 Jan. 1792” (1 Stat description begins Richard Peters, ed. The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845 . . .. 8 vols. Boston, 1845-67. description ends ., 49, 178–79, 229).

2GW presented this letter at the cabinet meeting of 22 June 1793, and he expressed the cabinet’s “unanimous opinion” in his letter to the commissioners of 22 June 1793 (JPP description begins Dorothy Twohig, ed. The Journal of the Proceedings of the President, 1793–1797. Charlottesville, Va., 1981. description ends , 187).

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