To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 4 January 1805
From Albert Gallatin
[4 Jan. 1805]
For information
Copy
of an answer to Dr. Mitchill Chairman of the Senate’s committee on the bill restraining the arming of private vessels who had applied by private letter to know what were the intentions of administration on that subject—
RC (DLC); undated, in Gallatin’s hand; endorsed by TJ as received from the Treasury Department on 4 Jan. 1805 and “arming mercht vessels” and so recorded in SJL.
The House of Representatives passed the bill to regulate the clearance of armed merchant vessels on 24 Dec. 1804 and sent it to the Senate for concurrence. Four days later, on 28 Dec., the Senate referred the bill to a select committee consisting of Samuel Latham Mitchill, Abraham Baldwin, William Branch Giles, John Breckinridge, and George Logan for consideration (, 5:62, 64-5; , 3:426). See also Bill to Regulate the Clearance of Armed Vessels, at 23 Oct. 1804.