Philad^a 28 Dec^r 1798 Dear Sir I received two letters from you on your route home respecting my young friend M^r Custis, and one under date of the 16 inst. written at Susquehannah. Your [strikethrough: the] ideas relative to the distribution of the General Officers and their respective duties & commands correspond [strikethrough: so] perfectly with my own, I hope no untoward circumstance will intervene to prevent their being carried into execution, and that I shall in a little while have more leisure to write to you [strikethrough: oftner] than has [strikethrough: been of late] [strikethrough: at present] in my power. On the 24^th inst. I made my report to the President, on the [strikethrough: allocations] military [strikethrough: and] points, proper for the consideration of Congress. This report will be laid before Congress by message. I have made free use [strikethrough: it] the matter with which you furnished me and fortified it with your name & [strikethrough: words]. I have also added other [strikethrough: matters] objects important according to my views and entitled to attention. [strikethrough: Your] The nominations, I wished [strikethrough: this morning would] have been [strikethrough: be] ready to [strikethrough: be] sent [strikethrough: at furthest] to the Senate on monday. I am now not clear they will go in so soon. The President directed me to submit copies of the lists to the heads of departments. Two of these gentlemen have made no report. I find [strikethrough: moreover], that [strikethrough: the] several who have been named from the Eastward for certain grades [strikethrough: would not] [strikethrough: perhaps] would not accept — and that there are a few Others [strikethrough: from] [strikethrough: the southward] on the list who do not deserve to be appointed. I [strikethrough: shall] [strikethrough: therefore] prefer, not to name any persons in the room of those to be left out, [strikethrough: but] at this moment to give time to further investigate characters, and obtain information. I shewed your letter relative to Col^o Smith to the President, and sent a copy of it to Smith. [strikethrough: with] I shall as soon as [strikethrough: from the greater forward his] it can be spared [strikethrough: send] give you [strikethrough: another] his answer. [strikethrough: So] The pith of it is that, in the agitation of his mind he brought [strikethrough: has] a certain [strikethrough: did one] [strikethrough: possession] with [undecipherable] from [undecipherable] [strikethrough: it was to be] [strikethrough: his place] [strikethrough: than he believed to have been] [undecipherable] [strikethrough: that he] mistake was soon discovered and as [strikethrough: soon] [undecipherable] satisfied that it is as impossible he could have intended a deception [strikethrough: the] charge in questioning is [strikethrough: not to be] [undecipherable]. Upon a deliberate weighing of all consequences [strikethrough: no thing] [strikethrough: affect to the] it may be [strikethrough: supposed to be the] public concerns [strikethrough: I should] another name should be [strikethrough: presented] substituted. Something must [strikethrough: for this] be yielded to harmony, and I do not [strikethrough: forget that the] [strikethrough: every thing never] secure it if presented & [strikethrough: things] he [strikethrough: would] be wisely appointed. I rec^d yesterday a letter from col Lear of the 24. with sundry papers. Will you request him to examine the old papers and see if any of the confidential letters inclosed to you [strikethrough: be] [strikethrough: thinks] are yet to be returned. Yours affectionately Geo Washington [Lt Gen Geo. Washington] [him not [undecipherable] the trust of a new agent. Accepts of my [undecipherable] [undecipherable], that the [undecipherable] are [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that are [undecipherable], a [undecipherable] [undecipherable]] [28 Dec^r 1798. to Geo. Washington]