The Conseil de Ville, by ordinance of October 19, 1831, required that any person importing slaves from other states into the city for sale first make a declaration before the Mayor. The declarations were to show the number of slaves imported, along with the sex, age, name, and place of origin of each individual slave. The Mayor was to record this information in a book and issue certificates to the person making the declaration. The ordinance also set fees and penalties.

This ordinance appears to have been designed as a substitute for the 1829 state law governing the importation of slaves. That act had been repealed in March, 1831.

The records are manuscript declarations made before the Mayor by the master of the ship carrying the slaves or by the person to whom the slaves were consigned. In addition to the data called for in the ordinance, the each list also states the name of the ship and its place of origin and date of arrival. Each list is signed by the individual making the declaration and is also signed and dated by the Mayor.