4357. LAFAYETTE (Marquis de), Gifts of Land.—[further continued] .
M. Duplantier's zeal had,
in one instance, led us to fear you would be injured
by it. He had comprehended in his
location not only the grounds vacant of all
title in the vicinity of New Orleans, which had
been a principal object in my eye to enable you
speedily to raise a sum of money, but also
grounds which had been reserved and were
necessary for the range of the forts, which had
been left open as a common for the citizens.
Knowing this would excite reclamations dangerous
to your interests, and threatening their
popularity both there and here, I wrote immediately
to Governor Claiborne to get him to
withdraw to a certain extent (about point blank
shot) from the fort, the grounds within that
being necessary for the public. But, in the
meantime, an alarm was excited in the town,
and they instructed their representative in Congress
to claim, for the use of the town and
public, the whole of the vacant lands in its
vicinity. Mr. Gallatin, however, effected a compromise
with him by ceding the grounds next
to the fort, so as to leave your claim clear to all
the lands we originally contemplated for you.—
To Marquis de Lafayette.
Ford ed., ix, 65.
(W.
May. 1807)
