To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 14 June 1804
From Albert Gallatin
Treasury Department June 14th: 1804
Sir,
The repeated applications made from a number of sea-ports in relation to the hospital money, induce me to submit to you the propriety of extending the provisions heretofore adopted for the temporary relief of seamen to the following ports: vzt.
| Portland— | Maine |
| Portsmouth— | New-Hampshire |
| Salem— | Massachusetts |
| Middletown— | Connecticut |
| New-Haven— | ditto |
| Wilmington— | Delaware |
| Camden— | North-Carolina |
| Washington— | ditto. |
As a proper restriction, it might be enjoined on the Collectors of the five first mentioned Ports not to expend more than what is collected in their respective ports from registered vessels, and the Collectors of the three last would be directed not to exceed the whole amount of their collections. I am rather inclined to believe that, on account of the hospital money which will be collected this year from the seamen on board of public ships, the whole amount expended will not, notwithstanding the expensive establishment at New-Orleans, exceed that of the collections. But there is, at all events, an unexpended balance from preceding years which will cover any possible deficiency.
The ports to which the expence has heretofore been confined, are
| Boston | ||
| Newport | ||
| New-London | ||
| New-York | ||
| Philadelphia | ||
| Baltimore | ||
| Alexandria | ||
| Norfolk | ||
| Edenton |  |
No. Carolina |
| Newbern | ||
| Wilmington | ||
| Charleston | ||
| Savannah. |
The expence in Norfolk and Charleston considerably exceeds the amount respectively collected in Virginia and South Carolina. New-York, Baltimore, Alexandria, and Savannah, expend rather more than is collected in the states and district where they are situated. In the other ports much less is expended than the amount collected.
I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, Sir, Your obedt. Servant
Albert Gallatin
RC (DLC); in a clerk’s hand, signed by Gallatin; at foot of text: “The President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received from the Treasury Department on 14 June and “Hospital money” and so recorded in SJL.
hospital money: all U.S. custom houses participated in collecting a special tax from American sailors that was used by the government to provide medical care for sick and disabled seamen, but only designated ports provided services (, 1:605-6, 729; , Commerce and Navigation, 1:538-9).
expensive establishment at new-orleans: prior to the purchase of Louisiana, diplomatic arrangements had been made for the United States to establish a medical facility for American seamen in New Orleans, for which Congress appropriated $3,000. When Louisiana came under U.S. government control, the newly appointed collector at New Orleans, Hore Browse Trist, was instructed to begin collecting the hospital tax, “20 cents pr month from seamen,” but was also allowed a $5,000 supplement to help establish medical facilities, supplies, and a resident doctor (, 2:192; Gallatin to Trist, 14 Apr. 1804, in , 9:500-1).
expend rather more: in April, Gallatin wrote Alexandria collector Charles Simms a terse message about his overspending the port’s relief fund. Simms responded that he had decided it preferable to exceed his budget rather than to discharge men “before their recovery” (same, 9:486, 503).