To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 5 March 1805
From Albert Gallatin
Treasury Department 5th March 1805
Sir
I have the honor to enclose a statement of the conduct of Capn. Howard master of the revenue cutter in the Delaware, at the time when the cargo of the ship “Favorite” was saved. From that & the information previously received & communicated to you, there can be no doubt of the propriety of his removal, and, indeed, he seems to expect it himself. Lieut. Sawyer has also left the cutter & she now remains without officers. Of the enclosed applications for Captain, that of Ths. Moore seems to be the best supported.
I have the honor to be with the highest respect Sir Your obedt. Sert.
Albert Gallatin
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received from the Treasury Department on 6 Mch. and “Thos. Moore vice Howell. to revenue cutter” and so recorded in SJL. Enclosures not found.
Gallatin exchanged several letters with J. P. G. Muhlenberg and Allen McLane, the collectors at Philadelphia and Wilmington, about Richard Howard and his alleged culpability in the contested salvage of the Favorite. Although the Treasury secretary “entertained a very favourable opinion of Capn. Howard,” he received testimony from the revenue cutter’s mate, Joseph Sawyer, that at the time of the Favorite’s incapacitation, Howard had been absent from the cutter for 15 days. When Sawyer sailed to the ship, he discovered Howard discharging the ship’s goods, not as a revenue officer but under the direction of the leader of the Delaware-based salvors. Gallatin and Muhlenberg suspended Howard pending further inquiry into the matter. Sawyer subsequently announced that unless he was promoted to captain, he would be resigning his commission (, 10:471, 483, 491, 638; TJ to George Read, Jr., 10 Feb.).