Stephen Hopkins Esq^r. 
Sir

Since our last to you M^r Ellery handed to us a memorandum from which we have directed such an examination into the various charges made in the Treasury office, and the order drawn in your favour upon which the charges were made against you as has entirely convinced us, that the late State[ment] transmitted to you was as to the 20,000 dollars charged to you the 10th of Feb^y 1776 as being received towards the building of the Frigates entirely erroneous.¹ This error arose from the short manner in which the charges are made in the Treasury and not reciting the purport of the Orders. By inspecting that Order it appears to have been drawn on the Continental Treasurer and by you received for the use of the Naval Committee who fitted out the Ships of war at Philadelphia. The inclosed Copy of the order of this Committee which is entered upon our Journals will shew you how the mistake is rectified—we are very sorry such a mistake was made, we shall immediately give notice thereof to M^r Tillinghast and at the same time supply him with a Warrant upon the loan office of the State of Rhode Island to enable him to discharge the balance due the Gentlemen you employed to build the Frigates at Providence—and to supply him with as large a Sum as we drew upon you for in his favour. Their still appears a balance of nine hundred and fifty Dollars in your hands—your memorandum shewn to us by M^r. Ellery suggests that also is a Mistake but we cannot discover it—If you can clearly point it out we shall be ready to make the allowance, otherwise we woud desire you to pay it into the hands of M^r Tillinghast as Continental Agent for the State of Rhode Island he to be Accountable and his receipt shall be sufficient as also for the further sum of 119 36/90 Dollars due from you to the Naval Committee as appears by their accounts rendered to Congress by M^r. Hewes and referred to this Committee. We are [&c.]