New York 27 May 1789 Sir I have received your letter of the 20^th instant I do not know of any vacancies in the public offices at present — tho' my wish the [strikethrough: the appointment of the reports of] who being fully of them most probably [strikethrough: the direction] have previous engagements which would prevent the success of any application in your favor — Wh[ic]h Therefore you should receive an explicit promise from some person who may have the power of [strikethrough: appointment] — candor constrains me to advise you not to rely on any collateral prom[ise] so as to prevent — your earlier [em]ployment elsewhere — H[.] [undecipherable]