It is unnecessary to draw the conclusion, which I am sure will strike your mind, that a revenue in hard money must be obtained; but I will observe to you, that the present moment is very favorable to that object in your State. While the war is in your country, the expenses of it will be so diffused as to possess its inhabitants of specie, and should it be happily removed to a distance, your commerce will bring in resources equal to your necessities.
I take the liberty to request that you will communicate these sentiments to my worthy friend Colonel Harrison, and I pray you to believe me very sincerely your friend, &c.
ROBERT MORRIS.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Office of Finance, October 18th, 1781.
Sir,
The honorable committee, on the letter of the Board of War of the 11th instant, have favored me with a perusal of it. I think it my duty, on this occasion, to express my approbation of that attention the Board of War have paid the public service. That letter has opened a subject, which had pressed itself strongly on my mind, and which I had determined to mention to Congress, but was restrained by the hope, that a review of their own proceedings, and a sense of our difficulties would soon have rendered it unnecessary.
This matter being now before them, it would be unpardonable in me not to enforce those sentiments, which I myself am most deeply affected with. I am convinced, that a slight view of the situation, in which their finances now are, will give a strong impression of the necessity there is to guard against pecuniary solicitations from every quarter. If the revenue were equal to the demands upon it, nothing can be more simple and clear, than that all those demands should be speedily and punctually paid. Unfortunately this is far from being the case. I believe much further than many are aware of. When I say, that I cannot command more than one twentieth of the sum necessary for the current service of the year, I am within the strictest bounds of truth. It is with equal truth that I assure you, that I have not since my appointment received one shilling from any State in the Union, Pennsylvania excepted. And from Pennsylvania I have received paper money to the amount of the four tenths due to the United States, the appropriation whereof Congress must be thoroughly acquainted with, and seven thousand five hundred pounds in specie, which is applied to the payment of contracts within the State, and still leaves a balance against them for articles of their specific supplies which I have furnished.
The moneys drawn for by permission of the Minister Plenipotentiary of his Most Christian Majesty have been already applied to the public service, and the engagements I have entered into amount to a very considerable sum.
I enclose a few out of many articles, which immediately suggest themselves to me. Had I sought for the smaller instances they would have been numerous, and of course weighty. Instead of this, I have omitted many considerable articles, such for instance, as expense of stores for the hospitals, much of which is now due, and more to be immediately provided for. You will perceive, that I have not even mentioned the expense of transporting military stores, such as shot, shells, &c. to the camp before York, which the Board of War assure me will be very great, and indeed it must be so. Neither have I mentioned the expense of transporting money, clothing, medicines, arms, &c. from Boston to this place, and hence to the southward. Besides all this, I am told it will be necessary to procure ten thousand suits of clothes for the ensuing winter. If this be so, that article alone will amount to at least two hundred thousand dollars.