University of Virginia Library

TO JOSEPH JONES.[1]

Dear Sir,—I do not learn that any of the States
are particularly attentive to prevent the evils arising
from certificates and emissions from their own

treasury, although they are unquestionably the bane
of every salutary arrangement of the public finances.
When the estimate for the ensuing year was on the
anvil in Congress, I proposed a recommendation to
the States to discontinue the use of them, and particularly
in providing the specific articles required. It
met, however, with so cool a reception, that I did not
much urge it. The objection against it was, that the
practice was manifestly repugnant to the spirit of the
acts of Congress respecting finance; and if these
were disregarded, no effect could be expected from
any additional recommendations. The letters from
General Washington and the Commissary General,
for some time past, give a most alarming picture of
the state and prospects of the magazines. Applications
to the contiguous States on the subject, have
been repeated from every quarter, till they seem to
have lost all their force. Whether any degree of
danger and necessity will rouse them to provide for
the winter season now hastening upon us, I am unwilling
to decide, because my fears dictate the worst.
The inroads of the enemy on the frontier of New
York have been most fatal to us in this respect.
They have almost totally ruined that fine wheat country,
which was able, and from the energy of their
Government, was most likely, to supply magazines of
flour, both to the main army and to the northwestern
posts. The settlement of Schoharie, which alone was
able to furnish, according to a letter from General
Washington, eighty thousand bushels of grain for the
public use, has been totally laid in ashes.

I make no apology for inaccuracies and bad writing,
because you know the manner in which we are
obliged to write for the post, and having been prevented
by company from doing anything last night, I
am particularly hurried this morning.