To George Washington from John Jay, 7 April 1779
From John Jay
Philadelphia 7th April 1779
Sir,
I have been honored with your Excellency’s Favors of the 29th Ulto, & 2nd Inst., And have now the pleasure of transmitting an Act of Congress of the 5th Inst., providing for the pay of the Officers in the Cloathing Department; Copies of which will, this day, be sent to the different States,1 And also an Act of the 3rd Inst., for sending Blank Commissions to the Commissioners of Indian Affairs in the Northern Department to be given to faithful Chiefs of the Oneidas & Tuscaroras.2 I have the Honor to be With the greatest Respect & Esteem Your Excellency’s Most Obedient and Humble Servt
John Jay Presid.
LS, DLC:GW; LB, DNA:PCC, item 14. GW acknowledged receipt of this letter in his letter to Jay of 12 April (DNA:PCC, item 152).
1. In this act, the enclosed copy of which is in DLC:GW, Congress resolved that “each State determine & pay the Salary proper for it’s Cloathier, And that each State Cloathier shall be allowed two Rations and forage for One horse per day during the time he is in Actual Service with the Army and going to and returning from the same.” The act also provided that “the Regimental Cloathiers have an allowance of Thirty Dollars per Month in addition to their present Appointment” and that “the Cloathier General be authorized to employ One Clerk who shall receive the same allowance as the Clerks of the Auditors of the Army.” The enclosure does not include Congress’s resolution of 5 April setting the clothier general’s annual salary at $5,000 (see , 13:422).
2. This act authorized the sending of twelve blank commissions, which the Indian commissioners were empowered to fill up with the names of chiefs, “giving them such ranks as the said commissioners shall judge they merit” (DLC:GW; see also , 13:411).