letter: Gallatin wrote to William Brown, the collector at New Orleans, on 14 Dec. regarding Spanish navigation on the Mississippi River. Since March, the United States had permitted Spanish vessels to proceed to Baton Rouge or other Spanish possessions without stopping at New Orleans. Gallatin observed, however, that this “indulgence” could not be allowed to interfere with U.S. law or be thought “a matter of right.” Gallatin instructed Brown not to extend the privilege to vessels importing articles prohibited by law. In particular, Brown was to “prevent any vessels coming from foreign ports with Slaves, or which under the law prohibiting the admission of Slaves into your district, could not be admitted there from proceeding up the Missi. above New Orleans even if such vessels should be Spanish, and their apparent destination a port on the Missi. still in the possession of Spain.” Noting that Madison would write to William C. C. Claiborne, Gallatin instructed Brown to cooperate with the governor “in carrying the intentions of the President into effect” (FC in DNA: RG 56, Correspondence of the Secretary of the Treasury with Collectors of Customs, New Orleans; Madison, Papers description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, J. C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison, Chicago and Charlottesville, 1962- , 41 vols.; Sec. of State Ser., 1986- , 11 vols.; Pres. Ser., 1984- , 10 vols.; Ret. Ser., 2009- , 3 vols. description ends , Sec. of State Ser., 8:233-4, 379-80; Vol. 43:23-4).

The revenue cutter Louisiana arrived at New Orleans on 12 Dec. (Louisiana Gazette, 14 Dec.).