James Madison Papers

Statement of Receipts from Treasurer of Virginia, [28 May] 1783

Statement of Receipts from Treasurer of Virginia

RC (Virginia State Library). In JM’s hand. Although docketed: “Nov. 26. 1783 Jas. Madison £947.18.0 On account,” the statement limits JM’s receipts to those during the first five months of 1783. The November date appears to be that on which Jacquelin Ambler sent all of JM’s vouchers to the Board of Auditors. At the close of the receipts of the Virginia delegates dated 6 May 1783, Ambler wrote above the initials of his name: “Nov. 26. 83 Rec’d. also Mr. Madisons proportion includ[ed] in warrt of £947.18” (JM to Bland, 6 May 1783, and hdn., n. 1). See also n. 6, below.

In LC: Madison Papers is JM’s retained copy of this statement. Except for several abbreviations and capitalizations, its text is that of the recipient’s copy.

[28 May 1783]

Philada. Received from Jaquelin Ambler Esqr. Treasurer of Virginia on account of my Salary as a Delegate to Congress the sums following, to wit,

1783    
March 29. out of money from Wm. Satchel
Sheriff of Northampton County £50.   Virga. Curry.1
out of two bills of exchange
one for £300 on Saml. Inglis & Co.
and the other for £200 on Wm.
}
Turnbul & Co 100.2
May 6. out of a bill of exchange on
Jno. Ross for £500 100.3
28. out of two bills of exchange each
for £500 on Lacaze & Mallet 697.184
£947.185

For which several receipts amounting as above to nine hundred forty seven pounds eighteen Shillings Virginia currency I hereby request the Auditors of public accounts to issue a warrant or warrants placing the same to my debit.6

J. Madison Jr.

1Papers 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, 183, and nn. 6, 7; 211. In his account with Virginia, December 1783 (Settlement of Accounts, 31 Dec. 1783), JM’s entry for 29 March reads: “To cash recd. of Mr. Jones out of a sum recd by him for use of the Delegates to Congs. from the Sheriff of N. hampton,” £50 18s. 11d.

2Papers 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, 379, and n. 2; 405; 455, n. 2. In his account with Virginia, December 1783, JM’s entry for “April” reads: “To do. [cash] recd. out of bills of exchange on Inglis & Co. for one thousand dollars & Trumbul & Co. for 666⅔ remitted by J. Ambler Esqr. for use of the [Delegates],” £100. JM should have written “Turnbull” rather than “Trumbul.”

3Ibid., VI, 473; 474, n. 1. In his account with Virginia, December 1783, JM’s entry for “April” also reads: “To do. [cash] recd. out of do. [bill of exchange] on Jno. Ross & Co. for 1666⅔ remitted by J. Ambler Esqr. for use of do. [Delegates],” £100. In the present item JM evidently entered this sum under the date when he negotiated rather than received the bill of exchange.

4Ambler to JM, 17 May, and n. 2; Delegates to Auditors, 28 May 1783, and n. 3. In his account with Virginia, December 1783, JM entered under “May” as follows: “To do. [cash] recd. out of 2 bills for £500 each on Lacaze & Mallet remitted by J. Ambler Esqr. for use of the Delegates,” £697 18s.

5Also under “May” in JM’s account with Virginia, December 1783, is an entry reading: “To do. [cash] recd on two bills dated 12 & 14 May 1783 for £100 each on S. Inglis & Co. by D. Cochran in favr. of J. Ambler Esqr & remitted by Foster Webb in consequence of warrants issued on my account,” £200. Why JM did not list this sum in the present item is not clear. He had received the two bills of exchange on 26 May but perhaps neglected to include them because they were still unnegotiated. See JM to Randolph, 27 May 1783. David Cochrane (1740–1792), a native of Glasgow, Scotland, was a prosperous merchant at Newcastle in Hanover County, Va. (Miriam Margaret Cochrane Hunter, “The Cochrane Family” [mimeographed, n.p., 1943], pp. 1, 24; Va. Gazette, and General Advertiser [Richmond], 10 Oct. 1792).

6In the Virginia State Library is a manuscript entitled “Remittances made to Delegates in Congress from 27 March 1783 to 28th May following—for which no Warrants have issued … £2,203. 15. 9.” Then follows the portion of this total received by each of the five delegates. The sum opposite JM’s name is £947. 18. Below this listing is the notation “26th Novr. & 2d. Decr. 1783—Warrants were obtained from the Auditors for the several sums above mentioned.” The manuscript is docketed, “Genl. Acct. of money advanced Delegs. without Warrts.”

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