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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Joseph Nourse to Richard Caswell
Nourse, Joseph, 1754-1841
October 22, 1779
Volume 14, Pages 212-213

JOSEPH NOURSE, ESQ., TO GOV. CASWELL.
[From Executive Letter Book.]

Philadelphia, Treasury Office, Oct. 22, 1779.

Sir:

By a resolution of Congress of the 14th of January last, it being provided that a sufficient number of proof sheets of the New Bills, then ordered to be emitted, should be struck and sent with the Signatures of each Signer to the Assembly of the respective States, to be lodged by them under proper Regulations in public Offices in the several Counties, Towns and Districts for the benefit of the Inhabitants of the United States, the Board of Treasury have so far carried this Resolution into effect as to have caused a sufficient number of Proof Sheets of the said Bills, and also of the Emission of the 26th of September, 1778, to be lodged with the Treasurer, in order to be sent to the several States. Part of the said Sheets are transmitted to the States without the signatures, and the same measures will be adopted with the residue, as it is found by experience that each signer so often varies his writing

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that the signature of one day differs materially from that of the next, and would afford very little assistance in detecting Counterfeits, but the Advantages of having the proof sheets dispersed in every part of the United States being such that each Inhabitant thereof, who may suspect a Counterfeit Bill, may with little trouble to himself be thus enabled to compare it with the standard, and detect the person passing the same. The Board request your Excellency to communicate their desire to the Assembly of your State that the Resolution referred to may be carried into effect as early as possible.

I have the honor to be,
With great respect and esteem,
Your Excellency's Mo. ob. Serv't,
JOSEPH NOURSE.
Gov. Caswell.