1. See James McHenry to H, June 6, 1798.

2. Letter not found. Killian Henry Van Rensselaer was commissioned a lieutenant in the Navy on January 7, 1799 (Executive Journal, I description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate (Washington, 1828), I. description ends , 302–03, where his first name is misspelled “Killeair”).

3. Killian Henry Van Rensselaer was the son of Henry K. Van Rensselaer, who was the cousin of Hamilton’s mother-in-law, Catherine Schuyler.

4. In 1794 Killian Henry Van Rensselaer sailed to Holland, where he visited the Dutch branch of the Van Rensselaer family. He returned to New York in 1795 aboard the ship Minerva. He then purchased part of the brig Peggy and sailed as master for France and Amsterdam. On February 15, 1797, he sailed from Wilmington, North Carolina, on the schooner Two Friends, which was owned by Thomas White, a merchant in Lexington, Kentucky. On March 6 the French privateer La Voitisseur captured the schooner Two Friends. Van Rensselaer returned to the United States on April 23 in the schooner Betsey (James Cuyler to Captain Solomon Van Rensselaer, Killian’s brother, March 9, 1795, and Solomon Van Rensselaer to Harriot (or Arriett), his wife, May 18, 1797, in Catharina V. R. Bonney, A Legacy of Historical Gleanings [Albany: J. Munsell, 1875] I, 116–17, 138–39; Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Killian Henry’s uncle, to J. C. and S. Van Rensselaar of Amsterdam, November 14, 1794, J. C. and S. Van Rensselaar to K. K. Van Rensselaer, April 17, 1795, K. K. Van Rensselaer to Jan Jacob Van Rensselaar, March 15, 1795, in Maunsell Van Rensselaer, Annals of the Van Rensselaers in the United States, especially as they relate to the family of Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Representative from Albany in the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Congresses [Albany, 1888], 61–64).

5. See H to Rufus King, June 6, 1798, note 2.

6. This is a reference to the debate in the Senate on the bill that eventually became “An Act concerning Aliens” (1 Stat. description begins The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America (Boston, 1845). description ends 570–72 [June 25, 1798]). The bill originated in the Senate as a result of a motion introduced by James Hillhouse of Connecticut on April 25, 1798 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 548). On the following day, Hillhouse’s resolution was referred to a committee which reported a bill on May 4 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 549, 554–55). It was not until June 8 that the Senate passed the bill (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 575). The House passed the bill with amendments on June 21 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 2028), and the Senate concurred in the House amendments on June 22 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 586). “An Act concerning Aliens” should not be confused with “An Act supplementary to and to amend the act, intituled ‘An act to establish an uniform rule of naturalization; and to repeal the act heretofore passed on that subject’” (1 Stat. description begins The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America (Boston, 1845). description ends 566–69 [June 18, 1798]) and “An Act respecting Alien Enemies” (1 Stat. description begins The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America (Boston, 1845). description ends 577–78 [July 6, 1798]).

As early as July 1, 1797, David Brooks of New York, a member of the House of Representatives, unsuccessfully proposed a revision of the naturalization law (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 421). The law in question was “An Act to establish an uniform rule of Naturalization; and to repeal the act heretofore passed on that subject” (1 Stat. description begins The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America (Boston, 1845). description ends 414–15 [January 29, 1795]). On April 17, 1798, Joshua Coit of Connecticut again proposed to the House the need to amend the current naturalization law (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 1427). On May 15 Samuel Sewall of Massachusetts “reported a bill supplementary to, and to amend the act establishing an uniform rule of naturalization, and to repeal the act heretofore passed …” (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 1707). The House passed the bill on May 22 and agreed to the Senate amendments on June 13 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 1783, 1925).

On May 8, 1798, the House ordered the select committee on commerce and defence to report a bill on alien enemies, and on May 18 Sewall reported a bill (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 1630–31, 1773). The House voted to recommit the bill on May 23, and on June 8 Sewall reported a modified bill (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 1796, 1896). The House passed the bill on June 26 and the Senate passed it on July 3 with amendments (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VII, 598; VIII, 2049). The House agreed to the Senate amendments on July 3 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature (Washington, 1834–1849). description ends , VIII, 2088).