New York, May 26, 1789.

    Dear Sir: I have received your letter respecting yourself;¹² and, at present, can only inform you, that I hold myself altogether disengaged from making any promises or giving any encouragement to any Candidates whatsoever. In this situation I shall continue, until the offices shall have been created by Congress, for which it may be necessary to make appointments, Whatever may be my private inclinations and feelings, it will then be my endeavour to find out and nominate such men as shall seem to be best calculated and best entitled in every respect to fill those offices, according to the clearest information I can obtain, and the most unbiassed judgment I can exercise on the subject. In the mean time, I request you will do me the justice to believe that I am, in all personal considerations, and with very great regard etc. ¹³

[Note:Gibbs wrote two letters in 1789, one March 11 and the other May 25, applying for an appointment. Both of these letters are in the Applications for Office under Washington in the Library of Congress.

   On May 26 the general assembly of Presbyterian churches in the United States, meeting in Philadelphia, sent an address to Washington. His answer, which is undated in the "Letter Book," follows immediately after the copy of the address. In it he wrote in part:

   "While I reiterate the professions of my dependence upon Heaven as the source of all public and private blessings; I will observe that the general prevalence of piety, philanthropy, honesty, industry, and oeconomy seems, in the ordinary course of human affairs, particularly necessary for advancing and confirming the happiness of our country. While all men within our territories are protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of their consciences; it is rationally to be expected from them in return, that they will be emulous of evincing the sanctity of their professions by the innocence of their lives and the beneficence of their actions; for no man, who is profligate in his morals, or a bad member of the civil community, can possibly be a true Christian, or a credit to his own religious society.

   "I desire you to accept my acknowledgments for your laudable endeavours to render men sober, honest, and good Citizens, and the obedient subjects of a lawful government." ]

[Note:From a photostat of the original, in the writing of Tobias Lear, kindly furnished by Judge E. A. Armstrong, of Princeton, N. J. ]