I presume you have heard, that both of us, are plac’d on the electoral ticket, by the convention, lately assembled at Richmond. I have receivd a letter from Col: Mercer apprizing me, of it, and also a private letter, from Judge Brooke, to the same effect: In complyance, with your suggestion, I wrote, shortly after the receipt of your letter, to Col: Mercer, & intimated your desire, not to be plac’d on the ticket, for reasons analogous to those, which I urgd in my own case, & which I infer from his last letter, that he had fully executed, by communication to the members of the committee, of the Convention, & to others. I have been much surprisd therefore to find, that we have been plac’d in the nomination. You will, I presume, have seen, my reply to the Committee of Aldie,1 who gave me an invitation to attend a dinner there, on the 8th., in favor of Genl. Jackson, in which I state explicitly, that I can take no position, which may, by inference, arrange me, on the side of either of the candidates, against the other. I assign as the reason, those which you gave, to the Com: of your county, last year, on a similar meeting.2 I shall be glad to know, what course you intend to pursue. My intention is, not to act, & the sooner this is made known, the better I think, it will be, as to both of us, if such is likewise your decision, as it will be, in regard to those affected by it. The position of neutrality being taken, there is little cause, for much deliberation on the subject. Delay, with a notification of that decision, afterwards, may, by appearing, to be the result of reflection, be considerd as a proof, by partisans, that it was founded, solely, on insurmountable objections to Mr. Adams, and not on the professd desire, of observing a neutrality between the candidates. I have written to Judge Brooke & inform’d him, as I likewise have Col: Mercer, that I cannot act, & expressd a wish, that official notice, may be given me, without delay, that I may give a like answer to it, for the information of our fellow citizens. Should delay, take place, it will merit consideration, as our answer is intended for the public, whether we should make, the notice in the papers, of the nomination, the ground, of a letter to him, and cause it to be for[th]with publishd in the Intelligencer, sending to the latter, or to the Editors, of some other paper, a copy of that to the Judge. I wish to hear from you as soon as convenient on the subject. Our best regards to your family—your friend—