August 24, 1803

Near NATCHEZ August 24th 1803.

Dear Sir,

I have turned my attention, to the several Subjects embraced in your Queries relative to Louisiana, and I now lay before you, the result of my Inquiries and Reflections.—

. . . . .

33rd “What are the usual dilapidations of the public Treasury?

Answer.— That smuggling to a considerable amount is carried on at New-Orleans, by the connivance of the Inferior officers of Collection, and sometimes by that of their Superiors, is understood in this Country to be a matter of common notoriety. Merchants calculate on it;—every boat-Master on the River, goes down impressed with the idea, and I never met with any, who have yet returned, with the impression removed. To attempt an accurate estimate of what the Revenue loses by those Frauds would be vain; but the losses are certainly great.

. . . . .

I take this occasion to offer you, my best wishes for your health and happiness, and to renew the assurances of my sincere and respectful attachment:—

William C. C. Claiborne^[1]Clarence E. Carter, The Territorial Papers of the United States (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1948), 9:16–24, digitized by Google books.

The Spanish Intendant’s closure of New Orleans to commercial shipping may have been as much the fault of Americans taking advantage of the port to smuggle goods. Even William Clark between 1789 and 1801 gathered intelligence while taking tobacco down the Mississippi and smuggled Spanish Reals out on his way back to Louisville. That entire adventure is well-documented in Jo Ann Brown-Trogdon, The Unknown Travels and Dubious Pursuits of William Clark, University of Missouri Press, 2015.

For Jefferson’s complete list of questions, see July 17, 1803.