[Private] New York March 16. 1799 D^r Sir Ought it not to be a rule to forward from your department to the Major Generals, as they are passed, copies of all laws respecting the military establishment? At any rate you will oblige me by sending those of the Session just finished. I observe in the 5 § of the Recruiting Instructions, filled up in Manuscript, the term of enlistment is five years. The law for augmenting the army § 2 directs the enlistment to be "for and [strikethrough: during] during the continuance of the existing differences between the United States & the French Republic" — If there be any thing varying this, it has escaped me. Will you inform me. This inquiry is suggested by a new revision of the recruiting instructions. As it may yet take time to prepare for me a complete list of the officers of the army, I should be glad to have one of the field Officers only, with a note of their Stations or destinations to which they have been assigned. I want much to place them over the detached posts & to concentrate the direction. I observe the XIII § of the Recruiting Instructions authorises the appointment of certain Courts Marshal. Where is the power for this Regulation? Sometime since I requested you to send me the organization of the Officers as far reported by the Commander in Chief. You replied that no such document had come to you. I imagine that I must not have expressed myself clearly for I well remember that the document which I mean, was made out in M^r Lears hand writing, for the purpose of being sent by you. It was an arrangement or distribution of the Officers who were nominated into Regiments battalions and Companies, assigned to each company, by their names, its proper complement of Officers. It appears to me very important that the Regimental Pay Masters or Quarter Masters should be designated without delay. They are the proper organs through which all issues of monies & Supplies ought to pass. If I remember rightly, in the late war, the D. Master & Adjutant were appointed by the Commander of the Regiment — the Pay Master was designated by the Officers of each Regiment. What has been the practice lately? Whatever be the mode I wish very much to have the thing done. Will it not be advisable speedily to direct the field Officers of each Regiment to report for the consideration of the President an arrangement of the relative rank of their Officers in the Regiment — This will not [strikethrough: affect] work any inconvenience as to the corps, of which the Officers have not yet been appointed — And its being done will facilitate future operations — Y^rs very truly J. [undecipherable: Hamilton] [S. M^r Henry Sy]