To James Madison from Alexander J. Dallas, 6 March 1816

From Alexander J. Dallas

⟨Treasu⟩ry Department
March 6. 1816.

The Secretary of the Treasury, to whom the President of the United States, referred the Resolution of the House of Representatives of the 17th. of February 1816,1 requesting a statement of certain expenses, which have been incurred for public edifices and improvements, in the City of Washington, under the authority of the United States, has the honor to ⟨Re⟩port:

That the annexed Schedule A,2 certified ⟨by the⟩ Superintendant of the City, contains a General ⟨abstract⟩ of the Receipts and Expenditures, and of the ⟨objects of⟩ ⟨E⟩xpenditure, in relation to the City of Washington, ⟨under the⟩ authority of the United States, so far as the same occurred, under the agency of the Board ⟨of⟩ ⟨Commi⟩ssioners, or of the Superintendant of the City, ⟨respectively,⟩ from the year 1791, to the 1st. of January 1816.

That the annexed Schedule B,3 certified ⟨by the Reg⟩ister of the Treasury, contains a Statement ⟨of monies⟩ which have been advanced by the United ⟨States, an⟩d of the objects of expenditure, in relation ⟨to the Cit⟩y of Washington, other than those included ⟨in the pre⟩ceding Schedule.

That from the Schedule A it appears, ⟨that the a⟩ggregate of the expenditures, under the ⟨Board of⟩ Commissioners, and the Superintendant ⟨of the Ci⟩ty, amounted on the 1st. of January 1816 to the sum of

	1.746.0⟨14:46⟩
Of which there was drawn from the Treasury the sum of	970.944:08
Of which there was received upon donation from the States of Maryland and Virginia the sum of	192.000:
Of which there was received from the sale of lots assigned by the original proprietors, as a grant, the sum of	583.070:38
	1.746.414:46
That from the Schedule B it appears, that the aggregate amount of the monies advanced by the United States, upon specific appropriations, and authorised Loans, in addition to the above amounted, on the 1st. of January 1816, to the sum of		261.32⟨5.45⟩
The gross amount of expenditures on the 1st. of January 1816, being the sum of		2.007.3⟨39.91⟩
That the value of the public property ⟨remaining⟩ on hand, is estimated, by the Superintendant ⟨of the City,⟩ in a letter dated the 27th. of February 1816, ⟨at the⟩ sum of 1.724.000 Dollars,
1. About 5200 standard & building Lots of 5265 square feet each, which estimated at 180 dollars per lot, the average price of the lots heretofore sold, would amount to the sum of		930006.:
2. Five hundred and forty one acres of ground in the City of Washington reserved for the use of the U. States, which, estimated at the same rate, though deemed of much greater value would amount to the sum of		740.000:

3. Lands and Free-Stone quarries in Virginia; wharves and water lots in the City of Washington; and debts due for property sold; about		48.000
		$ 1.724.000:

All which is respectfully submitted.

A. J. Dallas
Secretary of the Treasury.

RC and enclosures (DNA: RG 233, Reports and Communications from the Secretary of the Treasury, 14A–E1). Words in angle brackets are supplied from a copy printed in ASP description begins American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States … (38 vols.; Washington, 1832–61). description ends , Miscellaneous, 2:294–96. For enclosures, see nn. 2–3. JM forwarded the report to the House of Representatives on 11 Mar. 1816 (DNA: RG 233, Reports and Communications from the Secretary of the Treasury, 14A–E1).

1. On 16 Feb. 1816 Luther Jewett, congressman from Vermont, proposed that the President of the United States should provide “a statement of all expenses which have been incurred in the City of Washington, under the authority of the United States, for erecting edifices of any kind, and for repairing and ornamenting buildings of any kind, and for improving the streets and squares of the city, and for all other purposes of ornament and improvement, (excepting the navy yard and its buildings and improvements), designating, as specifically as the nature of the case will admit, the years when the several expenditures were incurred, the purposes to which they were applied, and the funds out of which the same were paid or appropriated, distinguishing between such payments as were made out of the Treasury of the United States, and such as were made out of the proceeds of the sales of the public property within the District of Columbia, or out of other district funds, or donations received: and also a statement of the amount of the funds derived from the sale of lots, and other public property within the City of Washington, and of the probable value of the public property remaining on hand.” The House approved the resolution on 17 Feb. (Annals of Congress, description begins Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States … (42 vols.; Washington, 1834–56). description ends 14th Cong., 1st sess., 996, 997, 1008, 1009).

2. Schedule A, headed “Account of receipts and expenditures in relation to the city of Washington, under the Authority of the United States, in which the late Board of Commissioners and the Superintendent of the city, their successor in office, had any agency, from the commencement, in the year 1791, to the 1st of January, 1816” (one large folio), itemized the amount of funds spent on quarry stone, wooden bridges, wharves, temporary buildings, and on commissions, loans, and salaries to the amount of $1,746,014.46 (printed in ASP description begins American State Papers: Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States … (38 vols.; Washington, 1832–61). description ends , Miscellaneous, 2:295).

3. Schedule B, dated 6 Mar. 1816 and signed by Treasury Register Joseph Nourse, headed “Statement of moneys which have been advanced by the United States in relation to the city of Washington, other than those stated by the Superintendent,” listed the amounts paid for building a jail in the District of Columbia, for fire-proofs for Treasury records, for accommodations for the Post Office and Patent Office, for building accommodations for Congress and its library, for repairing the public buildings, and for interest on loans made to the city to the amount of $261,325.45 (printed ibid., 296).

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Source Project: Madison Papers
Title: To James Madison from Alexander J. Dallas, 6 March 1816
Author: Dallas, Alexander J.
Recipient: Madison, James
Date: 6 March 1816

Reference

Cite as: “To James Madison from Alexander J. Dallas, 6 March 1816,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-10-02-0301. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 10, 13 October 1815–30 April 1816, ed. Angela Kreider, J. C. A. Stagg, Mary Parke Johnson, Katharine E. Harbury, and Anne Mandeville Colony. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019, pp. 274–276.]

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