Sir Exeter, New Hampshire, May 22^d 1799. Your Letters of the Second & Third Instant were duly Received — It is no complaint of Mine that I have not been called upon to recommend Officers, or was not furnished by you with Copy of your Letter to the Senators of New Hampshire on that Subject; but Sir it is a fact that my feelings were severely wounded by that Letter, Copy of which I received from M^r Livermore. It appears that Mess^rs Langdon & Livermore are requested to furnish you with a list of the Names of such characters for Officers as in their Opinion are the best Qualified — It is stated that they will doubtless find a facility in forming the list by consulting and cooperating with proper persons in different parts of the State, and further says "Gov^r Gilman, Maj^r Capt & Oliver Seabody Esq. are thought to be Gentlemen whose information of Character is entitled to great consideration." — The Honourable James McHenry If my Ideas of the Letter are right, I may with Mess^rs Peabody & Capt, and in common with other characters throughout the State who may be consulted, recommend persons to Mess^rs Langdon & Livermore, and perhaps after this is done no One of their Names will ever be forwarded to you — M^r Langdon has not made any communication to me on the Subject, the following contains the whole of M^r Livermore's — "I enclose you the copy of a Letter from the Secretary at War, requesting your friendly advice & cooperation in the business therein recommended, have the goodness to shew Major Capt & M^r Peabody the Copy" — The residence of Mess^rs Livermore and Langdon are about one hundred Miles distant from each other — M^r Langdon's about Fifteen Miles from mine — he is here considered as at the Head of the opposition in this State, to the Administration of the Federal Government, and this cannot be unknown at Philadelphia — It is about Four Years since I have had any conversation with him, presume he considers me as having a large share in preventing the Operation of his political principles upon the people of this State; and perhaps as standing in his way in other respects — although we have no contest of a personal Nature yet yet it is a fact that I have considered it my Duty to make great exertions in order to prevent the Spreading of his political Opinions which I think so destructive to the happiness of our common Country, and the Task has been much more difficult as he was formerly highly popular in this State — M^r Livermore's residence is very distant from mine — he is considerably advanced in Years — has been as little conversant with Military affairs as almost any man that could be mentioned, and, it has so happened that from the Commencement of our Revolutionary war up to this time, [strikethrough: it] our Opinions, each of the other, has not been the most favorable — It is not my intention by this to do injury to the Character of M^r Langdon or M^r Livermore, but that you may see how small the probability is of our cooperating in this business if it should be attempted — Considering the Station in which my Fellow Citizens have placed me — the Exertions I have made in support of our Federal Government — the circumstances above mentioned, and others which it is not necessary to mention, an attempt on my part to cooperate in this business in the way in which I understand it, would be a greater deduction from Self-Respect than any other public act of my Life. — [M 1282d] [22^d May Gov. Gilman] You are pleased to mention that you had Relied upon the Character I have supported for Patriotism and love of our Government — my conduct in these particulars is public and I trust will bear the strictest Scrutiny, but surely a cooperation with M^r Langdon could not furnish any additional Evidence of these Sentiments. You mention that the course of Reference to the Senators has been pursued for several other States which are named — of this I do not complain, the administrators of the Government will Judge of the best methods for obtaining their object — but Sir what [undecipherable: probability] has this mode answering the most valuable purpose in New Hampshire I what character (if any) is it probable M^r Langdon will recommend. Mess^rs Peabody & Capt are my particular Friends — Reside in the same Town — are highly capable of furnishing the names of suitable Officers, and are willing to exert themselves to serve the public — I shew them M^r Livermore's Letter to me with the Copy of your's to him, believe they are at some loss to know what M^r Livermore expects from them and have wrote him on the Subject — With due Respect I am, Sir Your Hum^. Serv^. J. Gilman