[XXIII-18] [Boston?] 8 Nov 17[90?] Dear Sir I am pl[undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to [the?] period on [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] times [It?]. I again [beg?] [favour?] to [justify?] [to?] [undecipherable] believe [Their?] [line?] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] of the 21 [millions?] of States, to [read?] [undecipherable] on [which?] you ask me [the?] [to?] to [express?] my opinion My house [have?] been [so?] [much?] occupied that I have [undecipherable] [been?] [undecipherable] [so?] [from?] [here?] [obliged?] to [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to [notice?] this [line?] Your [first?] wish is to obtain an [agency?] with the army of the United States as [from?] as [possible?] — [At?] [present?] all vacancies are [filled?] by the States [which?] make the [proper?] appoint[ment?] agreeably to [the?] existing [confederation?] — When troops [are?] to be [raised?] under the new [constitution?] in [service?] [time?] — The [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] Think the [troops?] [must?] be service [will?] [undecipherable] a year or two [to?] be [managed?] [especially?] by the [powers?] of the new government — [undecipherable] but [Mr. Johnson?] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [it?] may reasonably be expected that [Mr. Johnson?] would [be?] [undecipherable] [gratified?] on his [request?] Secondly The necessity of [performing?] [a?] appoint[ment?] [will?] [depend?] on [his?] [undecipherable] [around?] the commission — [United?] States are [nominated?] [to?] [establish?] [to?] the purpose of [suspending?] [competition?] or [than?] [profession?], it is [prudence?] that some [regulations?] [in?] [there?] [be?] [kept?] [or?] [he?] [could?] [so?] as to render the [measure?] as [expedient?] as [possible?] Thirdly [A?] [Mr. Johnson?] [has?] [not?] [been?] [long?] within the Commission [to?] be [a?] [he?] [undecipherable] The [could?] [undecipherable] [will?] undoubtedly be [a?] [claim?] [ample?] [recommendations?] for [the?] to [possess?] [a?] [and?] [some?] him [a?] [necessary?] [to?] [acquire?] the [prominence?] of engineering and [a?]