(Circular.)
Sir:
Congress being impressed with the necessity of limiting a time for all persons having unliquidated Claims against the United States to bring in such Claims as well for the purpose of ascertaining with the utmost expedition the amount of the National Debt, as to prevent or detect the attempts that are making to defraud the Public, have passed the resolution which I have the Honor to inclose.
As it is of importance to the Inhabitants of your State, who have
just Claims against the United States to be informed of this as speedily as possible, I trust your Excellency will excuse the liberty I take in addressing this resolution to you and requesting that you will be pleased to give the necessary orders for making it known to all concerned, by causing it to be printed and dispersed through the different Counties and Districts of your State or in such other way as you shall judge best.
Whereas, it must conduce to the preservation of Public Credit and the equal distribution of Justice that the amount of the National debt be ascertained with the utmost expedition; and as delay in the settlements of Accounts tends to render them obscure and encourage frauds by preventing the means of detecting them.
Resolved, that all persons having unliquidated claims against the United States be and they are hereby required within twelve months from the date hereof to deliver a particular abstract of such Claims to some Commissioner in the State in which they respectively reside who is authorised to settle Accounts against the United States; and any person or persons neglecting to deliver their Claims as aforesaid shall be precluded from any adjustment of the same, except at the Board of Treasury; provided that in those States where there is no Commissioner of accounts, the Citizens of such State or States shall be allowed one year for delivering their Claims from the time when a Commissioner shall have been appointed, and enter on the duties of his office.
That all persons who shall neglect to deliver in a particular abstract of their Claims as aforesaid shall be excluded from the benefit of settlement or allowance.