[6^th Febry. 1799 Gen. Alex. Hamilton. Joints M'Elwee by McHenry & — ooo pounds of D^r James McHenry bottom this add closed] # 30 New York Feby. 6. 1799 D^r Sir In one of your ideas you desire me to think of the distribution of the State into recruiting districts. I have accordingly turned my attention to this Subject. But the result is that it will be best to assign to each Regiment its district and to leave [underline: its] commanding Officer and the arrangement into Subdivisions. If you approve this idea you had better write me an official letter, briefly telling me that the Recruiting Service is to be put under my direction & desiring me to make a preliminary arrangement for the distribution of the State into Recruiting districts and the rendezvouses; — upon which I will send the proper instructions to the General Commanders of Regiments. I have not yet observed that the places of the Officers omitted in the arrangement reported by the General Officers have been judiciously. I hope the Recruiting Service will begin with complete not with mutilated or defective corps. I regretted that Gilts was not appointed [strikethrough: there]. There is good reason to believe [strikethrough: he] I would had he [strikethrough: not] command a Regiment well, probably better than the persons whom the Directors to him would approve. Their rule of judges of military qualification is most likely no very accurate one. I regret also that the System against Anti-federalists has been carried so far as to exclude several of the characters proposed by us. We were very attentive to the importance of appointing friends of the Government to Military stations — but we thought it well to relax the rule in favour of particular merit — in our explanations and especially in reference to the inferior grades — It was not from advisable to exclude all hope & to give to appointments too absolute a party feature. Military Situations, on young minds particularly, are of all others best calculated to inspire a zeal for the service and the cause in which the Incumbents are employed. When the President thinks of his son in laws he should be moderate in this respect — The enclosed letter from Col Faulkner relates to the second son of our late Chief Justice — His father you know was Anti-federal. This young man has as yet no fixed political creed. They tell me there is nothing personally to his disadvantage — I am clear therefore that it will be sufficient to give him an appointment. Adieu My D^r Friend Y^rs truly A H [J. McHenry Esq.]