[68] For further proceedings, see Annals of Cong., 8 Cong. 1 sess. pp. 240–55, 1038–79, 1128–9, 1185–9. For the law, see Statutes at Large, II. 283–9.
[69] First, a bill was introduced applying the Northwest Ordinance to the Territory (Annals of Cong., 8 Cong. 2 sess. pp. 45–6); but this was replaced by a Senate bill (Ibid., p. 68; Senate Journal, repr. 1821, 8 Cong. 2 sess. III. 464). For the petition of the inhabitants, see Annals of Cong., 8 Cong. 2 sess. p. 727–8.
[70] The bill was hurried through, and there are no records of debate. Cf. Annals of Cong., 8 Cong. 2 sess. pp. 28–69, 727, 871, 957, 1016–20, 1213–5. In Senate Journal (repr. 1821), III., see Index, Bill No. 8. Importation of slaves was allowed by a clause erecting a Frame of Government "similar" to that of the Mississippi Territory.
[71] Annals of Cong., 9 Cong. 1 sess. p. 443. The whole trade was practically foreign, for the slavers merely entered the Negroes at Charleston and immediately reshipped them to New Orleans. Cf. Annals of Cong., 16 Cong. 1 sess. p. 264.
[72] House Journal (repr. 1826), 9 Cong. 1 sess. V. 264; Annals of Cong., 9 Cong. 1 sess. pp. 445, 878.
[73] House Reports, 9 Cong. 1 sess. Feb. 17, 1806.
[74] House Bill No. 123.
[75] Annals of Cong., 16 Cong. 2 sess. pp. 73–7. This report covers the time from Jan. 1, 1804, to Dec. 31, 1807. During that time the following was the number of ships engaged in the traffic:—
| From | Charleston, | 61 | From | Connecticut, | 1 | |
| " | Rhode Island, | 59 | " | Sweden, | 1 | |
| " | Baltimore, | 4 | " | Great Britain, | 70 | |
| " | Boston, | 1 | " | France, | 3 | |
| " | Norfolk, | 2 | " | 202 | ||
| The consignees of these slave ships were natives of | ||||||
| Charleston | 13 | |||||
| Rhode Island | 88 | |||||
| Great Britain | 91 | |||||
| France | 10 | |||||
| 202 | ||||||
| The following slaves were imported:— | ||||||
| By | British | vessels | 19,949 | |||
| " | French | " | 1,078 | |||
| —— | ||||||
| 21,027 | ||||||
| By | American | vessels:— | ||||
| " | Charleston | merchants | 2,006 | |||
| " | Rhode Island | " | 7,958 | |||
| " | Foreign | " | 5,717 | |||
| " | other Northern | " | 930 | |||
| " | other Southern | " | 1,437 | 18,048 | ||
| Total number of slaves imported, 1804–7 | 39,075 | |||||
It is, of course, highly probable that the Custom House returns were much below the actual figures.