[undecipherable: top left notation, possibly filing endorsement]; [right margin vertical text, undecipherable] War Department 10 Jany 1799 (145.) Dear Sir I wrote you on the to request you to prepare a bill conformably to the propositions contained in my report of the 26^th of Dec^r to the President. This morning Gen. Lyon of the Committee of the Senate to whom this report has been committed waited upon me with a request from the Committee that I should prepare and furnish them with a draught of two bills, one comprising what is in the report [strikethrough: action] relative to new provisions for the regular peace and war establishment; the other all new matters appertaining to the provisional army. He added, if I thought it proper I might comprehend in these bills all the existing provisions [strikethrough: of the] relative to the provisional [strikethrough: —] and regular army. I think the idea judicious; and request you to be so kind as to turn to the existing laws and incorporate into the [two] bills all that ought to be retained [strikethrough: of] in — Yours sincerely & affely James McHenry Maj: Gen. Alex: Hamilton