A large number of items on this roll reflect the presence of Luis Penalver y Cardenas, first Bishop of Louisiana and the Floridas, who arrived at New Orleans in July 1795. Items of special interest include: an Aug. 24, 1795, dossier pertaining to the accounts for the period from 1785 to 1791 of Antonio Ramis, majordomo of the fabrique of the Church of St. Louis in New Orleans; a Sept. 19, 1795, dossier relative to Bishop Penalver's visitation of the Hospital of Charity of San Carlos at New Orleans; a 95-page dossier, dated Oct. 8, 1795, of proceedings, indicative of the red tape that might be entailed under the Spanish system of administration, carried on by Pedro Marin Argote in order to obtain possession of several slaves allegedly erroneously listed in the inventory of Father Antonio de Sedella's goods; an Oct. 9, 1795, dossier relative to an audit of the accounts of the Church of St. Louis for the period from January 1791 to July 1795; a Dec. 22, 1795, dossier giving an account of Bishop Penalver's episcopal vistitation of New Orleans; a copy of the regulations issued by King Charles IV on Jan. 1, 1796, in regard to pensions for widows and unmarried women; a 172 page dossier under date of Jan 15, 1796, of documents relative to an official investigation, conducted in 1790, of the accounts of the Church of St. Louis; and a Feb. 5, 1796, dossier relative to a quest for sanctuary in the parish church at St. Augustine, Florida by Santiago Duarte, a Spanish grenadier who had been convicted of high treason for conspiring to deliver the fortress of San Marcos to some French prisoners incarcerated therein. In addition to the foregoing, a number of informative census reports for various parishes in the diocese are scattered throughout the roll.
Once again, there are to be found scattered throughout this roll a good number of informative parish census reports including an Oct. 1, 1796, report of parishes under the care of Father Pierre Josef Didier in Illinois and Missouri. Other items of special interest include: a 175-page Mar. 30, 1796, dossier pertaining to an audit of the accounts of the Parish of St. Gabriel at Iberville for the period from Oct. 21, 1785, to July 21, 1796: a dossier of Sept. 28, 1796, pertaining to a quest for sanctuary in the church at Mobile; and a Nov. 21, 1796, account of Bishop Penalver's visitation of Rapides, the village of the Apalachee Indians, and Avoyelles. Finally, there is a dossier under the date of Oct. 6, 1796,which contains a list of sixty-three instructions for pastors in the diocese and a report on conditions in the Cathedral Parish of New Orleans which embraced a large area surrounding the city as well as the city itself. Unfortunately, many of the pages of the last item are badly faded and very difficult to read and, as a result, in many instances it will be impossible to obtain clear, legible images on the film.
Among the items of special interest on this roll are: several parish census reports; Easter duty reports of Aug. 18 and Aug. 19 listing the names of members of the Second Battalion of the Infantry of Mexico; an Easter duty report of Sept. 16 for the First and Second Battalions of the Infantry of Louisiana; a dossier of Oct. 4, 1797, containing a 108-page account, with supporting documents, of the administration of Antonio Ramis, majordomo of the fabrique of the New Orleans Cathedral, for the period from 1785 to 1797; an Oct. 21 dossier of documents relative to the accounts for the period from 1787 to 1797 of Juan Gradenigo, majordomo of the fabrique of the church at Opelousas; and a 202-page dossier under date of Oct. 27 relative to proceedings against Father Paul de Saint Pierre, pastor of Saint Genieve, Missouri.
Items of special interest on this roll include: various parish census reports; a record under date of Dec. 17, 1797, of marriages and burials at Cabahanoce for 1796; a 120-page dossier of April 18, 1798, in regard to a quest for sactuary in the church at Mobile; a July 2, 1798, dossier relative to the appointment of a pastor for St. Charles in the Illinois country; a July 22, 1798, dossier of documents, which are unfortunatountry badly water-stained, concerning the establishment of parishes at Avoyelles, Rapides, and Ovachita; an Aug. 7, 1798, dossier relative to the removal of Father Francis Lennan to Bayou Sara consequent to the surrender of Natchez, where he had been serving, to the United States; and an Aug. 22, 1798, dossier of 112 pages relative to the accounts of the fabrique of the New Orleans Cathedral for 1797.
Items of special interest on this roll include: an extensive dossier of Oct. 1, 1798, containing various original documents, manuscript copies, and photostats from the Library of Congress, all of which pertain to an investigation of the conduct of Father Juan Delvaux who had been charged with inciting seditious principles: a dossier of Dec. 31, 1798, containing several parish census reports; a Jan. 17, 1799, report on the finances of the Parish of St. Landry at Opelousas for the years 1791 to 1798; an April 22, 1799, report on the finances of the New Orleans Cathedral; and a dossier of Nov. 19, 1799, containing an additional group for parish census reports as well as a statement by Bishop Penalver in regard to the finances of the New Orleans Charity Hospital.
Among the items of special interest on this roll are: various parish census reports, including a dossier of Dec. 1800 which contains reports for Upper Louisiana; a dossier of Mar. 25, 1800, which consists of various royal dispatches, including one in regard to a tax levy to meet the expenses of the war in Europe and one relative to the conduct of ecclesiastical affairs pending the election of a successor to Pope Pius VI; a May 23, 1800, dossier of correspondence with Father Miguel de Andino of Puerto Rico in which Bishop Penalver reveals his feelings about conditions in the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas; and dossiers of July 14, 1800, and Feb. 25, 1801, relative to the finances of the Cathedral.
Among the items of special interest on this roll are: a number of parish census reports; a dossier of Aug. 31, 1801, which contains an inventory drawn up upon the appointment of a new archivist, of documents in the archives dating back to 1771 and relating to marriages and lawsuits; documents under date of Sept. 16, 1801, in regard to a royal levy of certain excise taxes; correspondence of Sept. 30, 1801, and Nov. 11, 1801, between Bishop Penalver and Manuel de Salcedo, the Vice Royal Patron, in regard to the financial affairs of the New Orleans Charity Hospital; a dossier of Oct. 17, 1801, containing Bishop Penalver's controversial decree nominating Father Thomas Hassett to serve as administrator of the diocese and a related dossier of documents under date of Feb. 10, 1802, upon which occasion Penalver acknowledged receipt of his bulls as Archbishop of Guatemala and relinquished control of the diocese to Hassett; and a Mar. 11, 1802, dossier of testimony in regard to a quest for sanctuary in the church at New Orleans by Matias Santa Iniesta of the Royal Artillery who had been accused of killing another soldier, Antonio Suarez.
The material on this roll reflects Father Thomas Hassett's administration of the diocese pending the appointment of a new bishop. Items of special interest include: a May 31 dossier in regard to the financial accounts of the Cathedral; an Aug 18 account of the finances of the Charity Hospital; and three dossiers of Nov. 5 in regard to quests for sanctuary. Rumors of an impending retrocession of Louisiana to France are reflected in a dossier of Nov. 18 concerning repairs to the roof of the Cathedral and in a dossier of Nov. 26 in regard to the financial accounts of the Cathedral.
The material on this roll reflects Father Hassett's continuing administration of the diocese as well as the problems created by the retrocession of the province to France in 1803. Items of special interest include: several parish census reports; a number of dossiers which contain inventories of the goods of the various parishes in the diocese along with a declaration by the respective pastors as to whether or not they wished to remain in the province after its transfer to France; several dossiers in regard to the disposal of slaves by the Ursulines in view of the impending transfer; documents under date of April 2 and April 4, 1803, pertaining to the surrender of church vestments and vessels to French authorities by relgious communities; a May 4, 1803, dossier of accounts for the Cathedral for the last two months of 1802; May 26 and May 27, 1803, dossier in regard to a quest for sanctuary in the church at New Orleans; a Nov. 29, 1803, set of instructions for the ceremonies scheduled for the next day for the transfer of the province from Spain to France sent to Father Hassett by Manuel de Salcedo, the Spanish Governor, and Sebastian Calvo de la Puerta y O-Farrill, Marquis de Casa Calvo, the official designated by the King of Spain to make the actual transfer; and another dossier of Nov. 29, 1803, the contents of which include declarations of intent to remain in or to leave the province by the clergy of New Orleans as well as a printed copy of the actual transfer proclamation setting forth the limits of the territory and provisions for individuals, for pensions, for ecclesiastics, and for religious houses.