Thomas Jefferson to Louis Moreau Lislet, 20 April 1812

To Louis Moreau Lislet

Monticello. Apr. 20. 12.

Th: Jefferson presents his compliments to M. Moreau de Lislet, and asks his acceptance of the inclosed pamphlet, on the subject of the Batture of N. Orleans. he has taken the liberty of differing from him on a single point; but conscious of the strength of M. Moreau in that field, and of his own weakness he has done it with just respect and diffidence: and deeply indebted for his able information on other questions of the controversy, he has with pleasure expressed his great acknolegements for it. he salutes him with high respect & consideration.

PoC (MHi); dateline at foot of text; endorsed by TJ. Enclosure: Jefferson, Proceedings description begins Thomas Jefferson, The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining The Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston. prepared for the use of counsel, by Thomas Jefferson, New York, 1812; Sowerby, nos. 3501, 3508; Poor, Jefferson’s Library, 10 (no. 604) description ends .

Louis Moreau Lislet (1767–1832), attorney and judge, was born in Cap Français on Saint Domingue and educated in law and languages in France. He settled in Orleans Territory about the time of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1805 Moreau Lislet was among the counsel who won a judicial decision continuing the use of Roman civil law in Louisiana. He argued frequently before the highest territorial and state courts and opposed Edward Livingston in the case of the Batture Sainte Marie. Moreau Lislet published an Explication des Lois Criminelles du Territoire d’Orleans (New Orleans, 1806; Sowerby, description begins E. Millicent Sowerby, comp., Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 1952–59, 5 vols. description ends no. 2177), collaborated with James Brown on a Digeste des lois civiles maintenant en vigueur dans le Territoire d’Orleans (New Orleans, 1808), joined Henry Carleton in selecting and translating The Laws of Las Siete Partidas which are still in Force in the State of Louisiana, 2 vols. (New Orleans, 1820; repr. 1978; Poor, Jefferson’s Library description begins Nathaniel P. Poor, Catalogue. President Jefferson’s Library [1829] description ends , 10 [no. 603]) and, with Derbigny and Livingston, prepared the Civil Code of the State of Louisiana (New Orleans, 1825). Moreau Lislet served as judge for the parish of New Orleans for a number of years, declined an 1808 appointment to the territorial superior court due to its meager salary, and in 1817 served briefly as state attorney general before resigning to become a state senator (DAB description begins Allen Johnson and Dumas Malone, eds., Dictionary of American Biography, 1928–36, 20 vols. description ends ; Glenn R. Conrad, ed., Dictionary of Louisiana Biography [1988], 1:579–80; Terr. Papers description begins Clarence E. Carter and John Porter Bloom, eds., The Territorial Papers of the United States, 1934–75, 28 vols. description ends , 9:603, 749, 785, 835, 984, 1014; JEP description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States description ends , 2:69, 78 [19 Feb., 14 Mar. 1808]; New Orleans Courier, 13 Dec. 1832).

For the single point on which TJ differed from Moreau Lislet, see note to Caesar A. Rodney to TJ, 18 Oct. 1810.

Index Entries

Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston search
Moreau Lislet, Louis; identified search
Moreau Lislet, Louis; letters to search
Moreau Lislet, Louis; TJ differs with search
Moreau Lislet, Louis; TJ sends batture pamphlet to search
The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston (Thomas Jefferson); TJ distributes remaining copies search

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Source Project: Jefferson Papers
Title: Thomas Jefferson to Louis Moreau Lislet, 20 April 1812
Author: Jefferson, Thomas
Recipient: Moreau Lislet, Louis
Date: 20 April 1812

Reference

Cite as: “Thomas Jefferson to Louis Moreau Lislet, 20 April 1812,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-04-02-0528. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 18 June 1811 to 30 April 1812, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007, pp. 639–640.]