To George Washington from Tench Coxe, 28 July 1794
From Tench Coxe
Treasury Department Revenue-office, July 28th 1794
Sir,
The present state of affairs appearing to require great circumspection, and the Secretary of the Treasury continuing to be absent, I have the honor, respectfully, to inclose to you a short communication, which it seemed proper for me to make to Inspector Nevill on Saturday last. I detained it till the usual time of closing the mail that I might the better consider its contents, and supposing it to be possible that I might learn something of the views of Government, which might be properly communicated. My intention was to support the mind of the officer of the Revenue without any, the least, commitment of the Government.1
I take the liberty to observe, Sir, that the Supervisor of the Revenue for Pennsylvania enters this day on the duties of his office at Philadelphia.2 He arrived from York last Evening.
I have the honor to be, with perfect respect, Sir, Your most obedient, & most humble Servant,
(Signed) Tench Coxe
Commissr of the Revenue
LB, DNA: RG 58: Letters Sent by the Commissioner of the Revenue and the Revenue Office.
1. In Coxe’s letter to John Nevill of 26 July, he acknowledged a letter from Nevill (probably that of 18 July, for which, see Henry Knox to GW, 4 Aug., n.3) that "was in course laid before the President." Coxe added: "It is truly painful and really surprizing that such an interruption of this Revenue should have taken place above three years after the passing of the law, and when the legislature (including three several houses of representatives freely chosen) had upon repeated discussion adhered to the principle.
"The rate of duty has been diminished, and the distiller has been accommodated with convenient modifications of the law.
"The present very short communication is only to assure you, that this affair and the revenue service in general will certainly receive with out delay all that consideration, which is due to the interests and existence of Government and the peculiar situation of the officers of the revenue in the western country" (DNA: RG 58: Letters Sent by the Commissioner of the Revenue and the Revenue Office).
2. Coxe was referring to Henry Miller.