1. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 26 March 1782.

2. See Randolph to JM, 11–13 April 1782, and n. 14. Harrison had been a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from 1776 until 1778, although he did not attend in the latter year.

3. On 25 July 1781 Robert Morris had dispatched a circular letter to the executive of each state, requesting information speedily about the “moneys, supplies, transportation, &c.” advanced to the Confederation since 18 March 1780, as well as about “the amount of the several paper currencies now circulating in your State, the probable increase or decrease of each, and the respective rates of depreciation” (Wharton, Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence description begins Francis Wharton, ed., The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States (6 vols.; Washington, 1889). description ends , IV, 601–4). The military crisis in Virginia had prevented Governor Nelson from doing more than to promise his co-operation (Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (4 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , III, 281; 282, n. 4). His successor, Governor Harrison, had either overlooked the request or decided to ignore it. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 25 February 1782, and n. 1. In the present letter he asked, in effect, to be informed of what the executives of the other states had done to comply with Morris’ request. Obviously they had done little, for as late as 12 July 1782 Morris commented to Alexander Hamilton, “The Answers I have received here have been very few and very short of the Objects so that I have not been able to Act as I wished for want of necessary information” (Harold C. Syrett and Jacob E. Cooke, eds., The Papers of Alexander Hamilton [7 vols. to date; New York, 1961——], III, 107).

4. John Hopkins, Jr.

5. Harrison’s son Benjamin, Jr., continental paymaster of the southern department and, since 1776, a business correspondent of Robert Morris (Clarence L. Ver Steeg, Robert Morris, pp. 14–15).

6. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 23 April; and Motion for Financial Reports, 30 April 1782; also Papers of Madison description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison (4 vols. to date; Chicago, 1962——). description ends , II, 49, n. 2. For Morris’ determination to centralize the funds of Congress in its treasury, see his letter of 15 April 1782 to Alexander Hamilton (Harold C. Syrett and Jacob E. Cooke, eds., Papers of Alexander Hamilton, III, 72–74). In expressing his concern, Harrison overlooked the fact that the resolution of Congress of 2 November 1781 had merely recommended that the states “pass acts” to enable Morris to achieve his purpose (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXI, 1091). Morris required the receiver of continental taxes in each state to publish monthly the amount of money derived from taxes which he had transmitted to the treasury of the United States. The continental receiver for Virginia stated in the Virginia Gazette description begins Virginia Gazette, or, the American Advertiser (Richmond, James Hayes, 1781–86). description ends of 29 June 1782 that no money had been received to forward during April, May, and June. Although an act of the Virginia General Assembly in its session of May 1782 stipulated that certain tax income “shall be appropriated to continental purposes,” the measure included no provision for sending the money to Morris or even for transferring it to the custody of his fiscal agent in Virginia (Hening, 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 , XI, 12–14).