PrC (DLC); at foot of text: “Mr. Nicholas Reib”; endorsed by TJ in ink on verso. Enclosures not found, but see below.

On 8 Apr., Albert Gallatin forwarded TJ a letter of the same date received from Joseph Nourse, the register of the Treasury, regarding Reib’s claim. In his brief cover letter, Gallatin described the information provided by Nourse to be “as correct as can be obtained” (RC in DLC; undated; endorsed by TJ as a letter of 8 Apr. received from the Treasury Department on 9 Apr. and “Reib’s case” and so recorded in SJL, but as received 8 Apr.). In his reply to Gallatin, Nourse stated that he could not locate a record of John Pierce’s certificate to Reib either in the War Department or in the register of certificates issued. Nourse noted that the register “is exceedingly numerous” and unindexed, “so that particular Corps cannot be correctly designated.” Although he had not found the certificate, Nourse nevertheless assumed, based on Reib’s credit of $135, that it was in the register. If more satisfactory information was required, Nourse suggested consulting William Simmons, the accountant of the War Department, since Nourse’s own inquiry to him was limited to a request for the number and amount of Pierce’s certificate to Reib (RC in same; Cunningham, Process of Government description begins Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., The Process of Government under Jefferson, Princeton, 1978 description ends , 121, 330).