Report of the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, to Whom was Referred, on the 16th Inst. the Petition of Lachlan M'Intosh and Joseph Habersham: Acting in Behalf of the Estate of John Habersham, Deceased : 27th January, 1804, Referred to a Committee of the Whole House, on Thursday Next

This document, printed in 1804 by the official printer for the United States House of Representatives, addresses a specific petition concerning the estate of John Habersham. John Habersham was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and had served as a customs collector in Savannah, Georgia. Following his death, his executors, Lachlan M'Intosh and Joseph Habersham, petitioned Congress regarding unsettled accounts and claims related to his public service.

The report originates from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, a body tasked with overseeing legislation related to trade, navigation, and domestic industry during the early American republic. These administrative pamphlets were produced in limited numbers for the immediate use of legislators, intended to provide the necessary context for floor debates. Like many early congressional documents, it reflects the methodical, often tedious, legislative work required to settle financial obligations incurred during the transition from the Revolutionary era to a more formal federal bureaucracy.