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| This communication from Intendant Juan
Ventura Morales to Acting Civil Governor Nicolas Maria Vidal enclosed a copy of the royal decree ordering
the termination of trade with New Orleans by vessels of neutral nations. Although the order did not revoke
the right of deposit at New Orleans, local merchants feared that it would have a devastating effect on
Louisiana's commerce. They were able to persuade Morales to suspend the royal order in the colony, and
Louisiana continued to enjoy relatively free trade until the Intendant finally did suspend the right of deposit in
1802, an action that directly led to the Louisiana Purchase. Had trade between the city and the United
States, the only major neutral nation at the time, been disrupted in 1799 when Spanish control was
unquestioned, the outcome may have been much different. | [Petitions, Letters, and Decrees of the Cabildo, September 26, 1799, #327]
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