March 7. 1800 D^r Sir Some ill health joined to much occupation has delayed longer than I wished the preparation of the Bills you desired. Here with I send you one of them — I regret extremely the dismemberment of the School of the Navy from the rest. Clear I am that all ought to be united under the Director General who might himself be subject to the order of the Secretary at War — in relation to the three for Schools of the Navy in relation to the Corps. There is a manifest incongruity in the idea of a [underline: fundamental] School embracing the Navy and that of the [underline: separation] of the School of the Navy. The elementary Institutions may without impropriety & with most advantage be united — To be at the same place will facilitate instruction & conduce to [strikethrough: economy]. To be at the same place without union will lead to confusion & disorder — I have not filled up the particulars to be taught in each School — You report seems to contemplate Something different from my plan & yet does not present the detail. That which was in my plan was maturely thought of. The main difference Seems to be that you regard the business of the other Schools (except the fundamental) to be the application of what is learnt in the fundamental School to the practical purposes of the others. My plan supposes that it is not necessary a proper in the [underline: fundamental] elementary School to do more than give that instruction which is equally necessary for all the corps — leaving the higher [underline: branches] necessary for particular corps to be pursued in the appropriate Schools. The one idea or the other requires a very different distribution of the branches to be taught. — You can easily fill the blanks as you finally take the one or the other course. If you prefer the Scheme in my letter you need only have to insert from it verbatim or nearly to the objects to be taught in each School — You will observe Some auxiliary ideas incorporated but they have an eye to the results in your report — The principal alteration is the latitude in the first instance as to the appointment of Director General. I think it very [strikethrough: probable] [undecipherable: probable] that a more fit character for this important trust may now be found out of the army than in it Another possible difference is that I make the additional compensation as proposed for Directors who may be Officers. It will be I fear impracticable to find fit men willing to undertake the constant drudgery of these duties without some additional rewards Very truly [I have put between Brackets what may be omitted to accommodate the Bill entirely to your Report —] A H