Since I had last the honour of writing to you, the vacancies in our supreme Court have been filled up;1 & the event has proved, that you knew better the character of our Chief than many of Us did, who 255 expected different persons from those who have been appointed. there was however, We are told, a severe struggle between his inclinations & his fears. certain it is, that one person of the profession counted upon a Seat on that Bench; & it was a long time before he was reluctantly given up.—

The report of the Secretary of the treasury has much engaged the attention of our Assembly, & of the people abroad.2 it is very generally admired; & men of information, I find, grow more attached to it upon reflection. the rate of interest proposed, the assumption of the State Debts & adjustment of Accounts between the States & the Union, & the distinction made between foreign & domestic Creditors are very generally pleasing. there are some however both within & without doors, who would wish to embarass the System. They use every exertion to create an opposition to it; but they have hitherto failed of making any impression, & will not be able, I trust, to urge the legislature to any disagreable points. the acquisition of mr Dane, by a vacancy in the Senate, has given Them new hopes; & their Efforts will be renewed in the way of Amendments, if not by a remonstrance against assuming the State Debts. They mean, it is said, to create an opposition in the national Senate, upon whom they expect to make an impression, They being chosen by the state legislatures. This mode of opposition, it is said, was recommended by mr. Lee; & to make it the more efficacious will be systematically pursued in all the States.3 to favour their Views, mr Dane has reported an Amendment, by which the Senators are to be chosen all at the same time in future, for the term of four years, & subject to a recall by an order from their Constituents. whether this will pass the two houses, appears very uncertain; but the principle of action, & the object in View is very apparent.— what may be the effect upon any of your members, should it pass, you will have an oppy of observing; but every new evidence of the disposition from which such propositions originate, will certainly serve to strengthen the hands of the Union. by such conduct people are taught to look up to the federal Government, for safety & protection; & the importance of the state legislatures will be thereby lessened in the Eyes of the people.

My own Views & intentions, as to future life, have lately undergone a great change. I have the last year been so arranging my Business, as to be able to leave it whenever I pleased. with a property nearly equal to a support, I meant upon a future opening to have entered again into political life. But some recent losses, to the amount of 15000 dollars, to me very unexpected, have so diminished my 256 Capital, that I must now abandon that Object. my time must in future be devoted to Business of a private & safe kind; or I must take some station in the executive branch of Government where I can derive, at least in part, my support from the public. two principal reasons have decided to a pursuit of the latter. I wish for a situation less confined & more active, on account of my health, which is too slender already; & I am desirous of rescuing the property which remains to me, from the vicissitudes of my present Situation. with these impressions, I have decided to offer myself a Candidate for some new Office, which I presume must soon be instituted in the Revenue. if it be decently respectable, & tolerably productive, I should gladly embrace it; for I am quite tired of the changes incident to my present situation, which no care or forecast of my own can guard me agt.— That of Inspector, should mr. Hamiltons System obtain, would meet my Views.— persuaded that nothing but proper qualifications, will determine your Voice in my favour, I shall urge no other consideration to engage you to aid me in the pursuit. But fancying myself, perhaps too fondly, qualified for such a station under Government; I mean only to ask, that so far as my private Views may comport with the public interest in your mind, I may enjoy your Support. you have some knowlege of me yourself; & I wish to have my principles & qualities fully known to you. I have no right to presume upon your personal friendship; this may be due only, perhaps, to a more intimate acquaintance, than I have the honour to claim. no man has been more decided in his opinions & conduct in favour of the new Government, when no Views of this kind existed in my mind; nor will any man labour officially more to promote its dignity & happiness, than I shall, under such an appointment.—4

I have been considering the Secretarys proposal of new duties, & his mode of collecting Them. the amount of the duties, & the novelty & energy of the collection seemed rather alarming at first; but they are both necessary to the object in view. to lessen the rate, will render the means incompetent to the End; & to abate of the vigour, proposed in his mode of collection, may entirely defeat the whole System. accustomed to Laws, weak in their principles & loose in their construction, & to modes of collection feeble & irregular, habits of Evasion have been here too generally contracted. it is idle to depend on the personal honour or patriotism of those who are to pay. firmness & force may be absolutely necessary to secure a due collection; They are the more so, because of the habits alluded to. the great difficulty is to have the System efficient without 257 distressing Our trade, by drawing the Duty from the Importer before he can have received it from the retailer or consumer, or by establishing such Checks as will retard & obstruct Business. The former will increase an Evil now too generally felt, the want of capital; &, as the Bill now stands may create uneasiness. the latter can be obviated only by an attentive discharge of the inspectors duty, in giving every facility compatible with a regular collection, & consistent with the principles of the Bill. Should it be executed with attention & address, no injurious obstructions need take place; nor should I apprehend, in that case, any great clamour or uneasiness. very much will depend upon the executive Officers, especially in the outset.—

An excise Act is now before Our Assembly. the old One is to be repealed; & a new mode of collection is proposed, with some features taken from Mr. Hamiltons plan, but not more efficient than the old One.5 Though Excises have become very unpopular here, from the inequality & iniquity which resulted from the operation of the old Act, there was a majority in both houses for taking up a new one.— Some urged it to provide in part for the interest on the Debts, others were zealous for it to pay off the Court, & defray other current expences. this produced a warm debate on the question of appropriation, which ended by applying it to the Debt with an ill grace. So much temper was excited, that There is yet some doubt whether it will obtain. but if it should, being appropriated to pay the interest on the Debt, it will fall of course when the Debts shall be assumed by Congress; & will prove to be no more a bar to a general excise.—

I inclose you a paper containing a Speech of mr. Austins in the Senate, which may serve to shew you the Spirit & the Views of a party, who are aided & supported by some of Our great folks.—6

With much real respect I have the honour to be Sir your very huml Servant—

Engaged as you are in public business, and this State not having shown a disposition to join the Union I did not wonder, although I could not but regret, that my letter should remain so long unanswered.—

I wish that our affairs now afforded a prospect of a speedy accession.—

Before you receive this letter you will have heard of the proceedings of our Convention.—2 They met, framed a bill of rights, collected a long string of amendments to the Constitution, ordered them to be laid before the people at the annual meeting for proxing for Genl. Officers and chusing representatives, and adjourned to the fourth monday in May.— Unless something is done by Congress which will make the Antis feel they will in my opinion adjourn again and again.— 259 The Feds will continue to exert themselves;—but the Antis appear to be steeled against the most powerful addresses to their reason, their passions and their interest.— It is the opinion of many that they are supported and hardend in their opposition from the quarters you mentioned;—but it cannot yet be reduced to a certainty.— The report of the Comm̃ee of your State, appointed to consider what further Amendments are necessary to be added to the Constitution of the United States, will give an handle to our Antis to put off our accession.— If it is the wish of your State that this State should speedily become a member of the federal government it appears to me that their conduct is altogether impolitic.—

Some of our Antis have had the courage to say, that if the State stood out but six months longer, there would be such insurrections in the other States as would overturn the New Government;—and that their opposition would be the salvation not only of our own but of the thirteen States.—

Others talk as if they really thought Congress would still extend their lenity and indulgence to the trade of this State.— When the Federal members of the Convention, in order to obtain an adjournment to the last monday in March, represented in strong, pathetic terms, the distresses in which the Sea-port towns would be involved at the expiration of the Act reviving the suspension of the navigation Act, an Anti replied that they were in no danger,—that upon an Application of the merchants further indulgence would be granted;—for Congress would do any thing to favour their friends.—

The operation of the navigation act will have no influence upon the Antis until the fall, and then they will probably rather pay an advanced freight, and receive less profit upon what they may have to export to the other States, than accede to the Union.—

Something must be done.—

An address to the Genl. Assembly at their Session on the first wednesday in May next, setting forth the advantages which will result to the United States and this State from her accession, and the necessity which Congress will be under to use rigorous measures if she should still persist in her opposition might answer the purpose.—

A requisition of our quota of the public debt with a declaration that, unless it was collected at the time assigned, an equivalent would be distrained would have a good effect.—3

If Congress have a right to consider us as a part of the United States, and to extend their Genl. Government to us, and would make a declaration that they have such authority, and would exercise it if 260 the State did not adopt the Constitution, I have no doubt but that it would be adopted at the next Session of the Convention.—

Wisdom as Father Sherman used to say, in difficult cases, is profitable to direct, and the great Council of the United States are possessed of a large share of it.—4

Uncertain as it is when this State will adopt the New Government; yet it must sooner or later become a member of the Union, and federal Officers be appointed for it.—

I am greatly obliged to you for the assurances you have given me of your readiness to promote my views.—

When I first wrote to you my view was, through your influence and that of other friends, to obtain the Office of a district Judge, I have since thought that the Office of Collector of the Impost for this district would be more beneficial and suit me better.— I was sometime Naval Officer of this State, while we were under the British Government, and was a Commissioner of the Admiralty under Congress;—so that the business of the customs would not be altogether new to me if I should be so happy as to be appointed a Collector of this district.— The present custom-house Offrs. of this district are a worthless sett of Antis.— Who are the candidates for the federal collectorship I do not know;—but if early and long public services,—and losses in the cause of liberty and my country can give any pretensions to an office I shall not be behind the foremost candidate, and if an addition to these, I should be favoured with your recommendation to the President & Senators I should not doubt of success—

With great esteem and regard / I am Yr. friend & servt.