War Department, 25^th July - 1799 - Sir, I request your opinion, upon the inclosed Circular, to the different Contractors for supplies or rations &c for the present year, predicated upon the ideas, communicated to me, by your letter of the 12^th instant, I request the circular, and your opinion may be returned to me, without delay, if it, or any thing like it, is to be called upon. Some doubts have rested on my mind whether such a step, might not injure the business of [strikethrough: from] procuring contracts in future, as [strikethrough: some] a few of the existing contracts, for the present near embrace whole States; [strikethrough: Believing] however the issues contemplated by the contractors generally were upon a smaller scale [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] that neither these collected regiments, and their means, nor arrangements may reach the capacity of the extended supplies, and a disappointment from their failure might be experienced, I have concluded, if your opinion continues the same, to send a circular to each Contractor. This the 25^th is the last day, for receiving proposals, for rations &c for the succeeding year — my advertisement admits I suppose, of a contract for the purpose of any extent, from particular posts, to whole States, and any number of the latter — [strikethrough: also] on the Seaboard — The same with respect to the Western Army — large [underline: orders] like large nature serve best to convey correct ideas to the mind of the peculiar situation of countries. and of [undecipherable] themselves. You will other things combined direct the [undecipherable] M[r?] [undecipherable] to procure [&] send me one of the [underline: Copies] [M-1248] [July 25]