On the 9th of May, having had a conference with the Minister of War, on the resolutions of the 7th and 28th of April and 2d of May, we took the liberty to request, that a committee might be appointed to confer with us on the subject of those resolutions. On the 15th of May, two gentlemen of that committee did us the honor of the conference requested. In which it was stated, _as impracticable to make any payment to the army, unless our expenditures were immediately and considerably reduced_. The committee, however, being desirous to have the situation of things stated to them in writing, I wrote them a letter on the same day, showing, that on the last day of April we were in advance of our resources, to the amount of six hundred thousand dollars; that our foreign resources were exhausted; that our domestic resources as far as they consisted in sales of public property, were considerably reduced; that as far as they consisted in the produce of taxes they were extremely slender and precarious; that the monthly consumption of the army was at least double the monthly produce of the taxes; that if they were kept longer in the field, they would consume every resource by which the payment could possibly be made or hazarded. And, therefore, that _unless the far greater part of our expenses was immediately curtailed, the object Congress had in view by their resolutions of the 2d of May could not possibly be accomplished_. This letter was accompanied with the necessary documents to establish the positions contained in it. On the 26th of May it was resolved, that the Commander in Chief should be instructed to grant furloughs, &c. And this resolution was communicated to me on the 27th. Thus, Sir, from the 9th day of April, when this matter was first proposed, until the 27th day of May, when the final determinations of Congress were made known, my conduct was of necessity suspended.