1

State of Tennessee
Knoxville 22 January 1799

Sir

Irec^d your letter of the 22 Ultimo, with the two enclosures, Viz
2 copies of regulations for the volunteer Companies, that might
may offer their services to the president of the United States.
Ishall communicate with great pleasure convey the acknow
ledgments of the president to Allen Gillispie & Alexander
Nelson esquires, and also give him the necessary inform
ation, respecting the manner of in which companies are to
be accepted, and under what conditions they are to will
be acceptedl which Iam very sure will be immediately
complied with by the Companies -

Ireadily agree with you that the designs of
France is not equivocal, and that she is practicing
the same insidious arts in America that she has
^before done in several of the european countries. It is rea Easy
to discover that ^that nation is extremely hostile against
the Government of our Country, and in every instance of
her conduct, marks of inveteracy may be traced-

It is with much pain Idiscover there still remains
a disposition among pur selves ^some of our own Citizens, to Foster and cherish
the designs of that Hostile, ambitious and dispotic
Government, and sure Iam if I may ^I be permitted
to suggest the Idea, that no time ought to be lost
in making offensive defensive preparations suffici
ently permanent to oppose against the attacks of that
insidious Nation - the late embassy by a visit of