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In 1809, John L. Bujac, a Philadelphia merchant, took the audacious step of suing Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, to recover $2000 owed him as a result of a bill of exchange drawn up in favor of himself and J.S. David by the French consul in New Orleans, "a certain Deforgue." Since Consul Deforgue signed the bill of exchange as a representative of the Emperor, known to be absent from the Territory and never likely to appear to honor the debt himself, Bujac petitioned the court to seize property owned by the crown in order to satisfy the debt, as well as damages and costs due him. The Superior Court ruled in Bujac's favor, and, no doubt, Bujac was highly satisfied by the workings of American justice.      [Territory of Orleans. Superior Court (no docket # )]