From Alexander Hamilton to Otho H. Williams, 5 December 1791
To Otho H. Williams
Treasury Department
December 5. 1791
Sir
If the Supervisor of the District of Maryland1 should apply to you for four hundred Dollars, you will advance him that sum, which he will repay to you out of the duties on Spirits distilled within his district as soon as a sufficient sum shall be received. You will nevertheless take duplicate receipts and transmit one to the Treasury.
The state of the business does not permit that this sum should be brought into your account as Collector. It will appear therefore in your returns as a part of the Cash in hand; but the fact will be properly noted here and finally regulated so as either to end in a credit or reimbursement.2
I am, Sir, Your Most Obed Servant
Alexander Hamilton
Otho H Williams Esqr.
Collector, Baltimore.
LS, Columbia University Libraries.
1. The supervisor of the District of Maryland was George Gale.
2. A note attached to MS reads: “Four hundred dollars were advanced to Mr. Gale, in consequence of this letter, and a duplicate receipt transmitted to the Secy of the Treasury: on the 30 July they were refunded by Mr. Gale, and his receipt given up to him. D. Delozier, D. Colr.”