So it's your contention that New Orleans only saw three hundred-some steamboat arrivals a year, when multiple sources refer to thousands?
"the first steamboat came downriver in 1812. In 1821, 287 steamboats arrived in New Orleans; by 1826, there were 700 steamboat arrivals. In 1845, 2,500 steamboats were recorded, and during the 1850's an average of 3,000 steamboats a year called at the city."
Down-what?
The steamboats look like another red herring.
The only source of data that I referred to was produced by the US Treasury, based on data from the US Customs that came from logs at the Tariff House in New Orleans. Perhaps you have more accurate data.