RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President”; endorsed by TJ as received from the State Department on 27 Apr. and “N.O. bank. lres of Livingston, Pinckney, Monroe, Claiborne. Yrujo.—Russell” and so recorded in SJL. Enclosures were probably: (1) William C. C. Claiborne to Madison, 16 Mch. from New Orleans, enclosing copies of three ordinances that he recently issued: one of 12 Mch. chartering the Louisiana Bank, one of 13 Mch. regulating attorneys, and one of 15 Mch. regulating Mississippi River pilots; Claiborne asserts that the bank is popular and will allay public discontent over the change of government; he trusts the measure will be approved on the grounds of political expediency; the ordinance regarding pilots was passed on the advice of Hore Browse Trist; a lighthouse is much wanted at the Balize and could be erected in two or three months if Congress makes the necessary appropriation (Madison, Papers, Sec. of State Ser. description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, J. C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison, Chicago and Charlottesville, 1962- , 39 vols.; Sec. of State Ser., 1986- , 11 vols.; Pres. Ser., 1984- , 8 vols.; Ret. Ser., 2009- , 3 vols. description ends , 6:594-5). (2) Claiborne to Madison, 15 Mch. from New Orleans, reports the conviction and execution of John Sutton and James May in the Mississippi Territory for piracy and felony; they were two of Samuel Mason’s party of banditti that terrorized travelers on the Mississippi River and the “Wilderness road”; Claiborne believes the United States should cover the cost of their confinement and trial and asks the Treasury Department to advise him on the subject (same, 6:589-90). (3) Claiborne to Madison, 16 Mch. from New Orleans, reporting on the proceedings of a recent meeting of private individuals in the city; Mayor Jean Etienne Boré chaired the meeting and many farmers and New Orleans merchants, mostly French, attended; Jean Noël Destréhan, a sugar planter, called for the election of district deputies to choose commissioners to Congress and to create a permanent committee to convey instructions to the said commissioners from time to time, especially regarding the slave trade and “the present commercial embarrassments”; Benjamin Tupper, who called the meeting, made “an inflamatory and foolish Speech” in favor of Destréhan’s proposals and expounded on the burdens under which Louisiana suffered, the “unfortunate consequences” that might attend the suppression of the slave trade, and Congress’s neglect of their interests; several French gentlemen disapproved of Tupper, an American, speaking for their interests; John Watkins then addressed the assembly and called for temperance in speech and prudence in decision, and voiced his disapproval of Destréhan’s propositions; Watkins pointed out that the concerns regarding the slave trade had already been conveyed to Congress and that a decision had undoubtedly been made; he moved to form a committee of three to prepare a memorial to Congress, to be transmitted to Washington by the governor; the motion was unanimously approved, and Watkins, John Francis Merieult, and Pierre Petit were chosen to draft the memorial; Claiborne considers Tupper “a troublesome man,” whose object for calling the meeting was to secure the appointment as commissioner to Congress; Claiborne repeats his observation that the inhabitants consider the continuation of the slave trade for a few years to be vital to their interests and that no act of Congress would create more discontent than the immediate prohibition of that trade; he trusts the commercial complaints of the merchants will be speedily removed and suggests that the citizens of Louisiana would be well pleased in having a say in their local government; although Claiborne does not regret the recent meeting, he is not in favor of others, citing the present unsettled state of affairs and the presence of “so many characters” in the territory; good order prevails in the city (same, 6:590-4). (4) Claiborne to Madison, 24 Mch. from New Orleans, acknowledging the receipt of Madison’s letter of 20 Feb., which is the first communication he has received from the secretary since arriving at New Orleans; the letter arrived with a broken seal and had undoubtedly been read by “some abandoned person”; Claiborne considers the postal service between New Orleans and Washington to be “very precarious and unsafe”; a copy of the law regarding commerce and navigation has not been received; Spanish forces have not yet withdrawn from New Orleans, although preparations to do so continue; Pierre Clément Laussat proposes leaving the city in a few days, and Claiborne will rejoice when all foreign agents and their dependents are withdrawn; he believes James Wilkinson will not depart until the Spanish forces have gone and the public buildings have been delivered (same, 6:617-18). (5) Charles Pinckney to Madison, 12 Feb. from Madrid, enclosing a 10 Feb. letter from Pedro Cevallos, which states that Carlos Martínez de Irujo has been instructed to inform the U.S. government that the king of Spain has given no orders to resist the transfer of Louisiana to France and has ceased his opposition to the cession of Louisiana to the United States, despite the valid reasons upon which his opposition had been founded (same, 6:469-70). (6) James Monroe to Madison, 25 Feb. from London, reporting that the king has been very ill for several weeks, which has revived calls for a regency; if the Prince of Wales comes to power, a change of ministry is expected, presumably with Charles James Fox at its head; an association of Fox and William Pitt is doubtful; Monroe has received no reply from Lord Hawkesbury to his recent note regarding the impressment of American seamen; Monroe believes there is “a strong motive” for an equitable and amicable arrangement on impressment, neutral rights, and trade with the West Indies; unfortunately, the United States must contend with British prejudice on these subjects; Alexander Baring has not yet arrived (same, 6:510-12). (7) Robert R. Richardson to Madison, 19 Apr. from Baltimore, seeking an appointment as marshal for Maryland should the present marshal resign; Richardson can obtain recommendations from General John Mason, the treasurer of the United States, and others if necessary (DNA: RG 59, LAR; endorsed by TJ: “Richardson Rob. R. to be Marshl. of Maryland. his lre to mr Madison”). (8) Monroe to Madison, 26 Feb. from London, reporting that he has received complaints from “some of our friends” regarding the provision made in the Louisiana treaty and conventions for the settlement of American debt claims, which they fear may “embarrass our treasury”; when negotiating the conventions, Monroe thought it best to pay claims as they were liquidated, to an amount not exceeding 20 million francs, since this was the highest amount France was willing to appropriate; Monroe believed this arrangement would satisfy all parties; in regard to the price paid for Louisiana, he had no reason to expect it would have been reduced had the United States agreed to pay $2 million in cash; he has expressed these sentiments in a recent letter to John Randolph and will also do so in reply to letters received from others, copies of which he will send (Madison, Papers, Sec. of State Ser. description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, J. C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison, Chicago and Charlottesville, 1962- , 39 vols.; Sec. of State Ser., 1986- , 11 vols.; Pres. Ser., 1984- , 8 vols.; Ret. Ser., 2009- , 3 vols. description ends , 6:513-14). (9) Monroe to Madison, 2 Mch. from London, enclosing letters from Lafayette regarding his land grant; from John Murray Forbes recommending a “Mr. Houghton” for appointment as consul at Hull; from Edward C. Nicholls seeking an appointment in Louisiana and recommending a “Mr Snowden” of Philadelphia to Monroe’s attention; and from Henry Preble seeking appointment as commercial agent at Le Havre; Forbes is a worthy man whose opinions merit attention; Nicholls had been recommended to Monroe by Daniel Carroll Brent; Preble is a “good kind of man” but “not altogether in political sentiment with the admn.”; Monroe also recommends the appointment of a “political agent” in Holland for the benefit of American commerce and suggests George W. Erving as a suitable candidate (same, 6:531-2; Forbes to Monroe, partially dated “Thursday Morng.,” RC in DNA: RG 59, LAR, endorsed by TJ: “Houghton   to be Consul at Hull. Forbes’s lre to Colo. Monroe”; Nicholls to Monroe, 14 Dec. 1803 from Liverpool, RC in same, endorsed by TJ: “Snowden <Nicholas Edward C> for appmt. at N.O. Edwd. C. Nicholas’s lre to Colo. Monroe”; Preble to Monroe, 2 Jan. 1804 from Le Havre, RC in same, endorsed by TJ: “Preble Henry to be Consul at Havre. his lre to Monroe. M. says he is a federalist”). (10) Philip Mazzei to Madison, 28 Dec. 1803 from Pisa; Mazzei has not written Madison for many years; he has written the president often, especially on the subject of American consuls, whose reputation is lowered in Europe due to the failure of the American government to acknowledge their dispatches; Mazzei has also forwarded items for the Monticello gardens; he has received no reply from the president to any of his letters since that of 6 Dec. 1800; Mazzei has been to Russia and offers his opinion on the current conditions there; the emperor has an excellent heart, and his closest current advisers, Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, Nikolai Novosiltsov, and Paul Stroganov, are young men of talent and wisdom; Mazzei has known Czartoryski since 1787 and became acquainted with the others through him; Mazzei credits these four men with the unexpected and excellent government reforms instituted last year (Madison, Papers, Sec. of State Ser. description begins William T. Hutchinson, Robert A. Rutland, J. C. A. Stagg, and others, eds., The Papers of James Madison, Chicago and Charlottesville, 1962- , 39 vols.; Sec. of State Ser., 1986- , 11 vols.; Pres. Ser., 1984- , 8 vols.; Ret. Ser., 2009- , 3 vols. description ends , 6:240-4). (11) Claiborne to Madison, 24 Mch. from New Orleans, replying to Madison’s private letter encouraging the departure of Juan Ventura Morales from Louisiana; Claiborne states that the Marqués de Casa Calvo is the enemy of Morales, and a hint from Claiborne to Casa Calvo would effect the object; Claiborne considers Morales to be an “intrigueing, designing, base man”; Laussat will undoubtedly support Morales’s recent application to be the Spanish consul at New Orleans; Claiborne believes Louisiana will continue to suffer from the “mischiefs” of the previous government, especially the love of “wealth and luxurious dissipation”; it will be many years before “integrity, industry, and economy become generally prevalent” (same, 6:618-19). (12) Claiborne to Madison, 25 Mch. from New Orleans, enclosing information received from Stephen Minor in support of his accusation that Cato West was involved in a land fraud in the Mississippi Territory; Claiborne does not agree with Minor’s view, but believes that Congress did not intend for holders of land under Spanish patents to drop them in order to get larger tracts from the United States (same, 6:619). Other enclosure not identified.