all the bills were carried back to the treafurer, who 

 gave bills of exchange for the value on the treafurer- 

 general of the marine at Rochefort, or his clerk, 

 to be charged to the account of the expences of the 

 following year. Such as were fpoiled were no lon- 

 ger fullered to pafs current, and were burned after 

 having firft drawn up a verbal procefs of it. 



Whilft thefe bills of exchange were faithfully 

 paid, thofe money-bills were preferred to real fpe- 

 cie - 9 as foon as they ceafed to be honoured, they 

 gave over carrying the money-bills to the treafurer, 

 fo that in 1702, M. de Champigny was at a great 

 deal of pains to no purpofe in endeavouring to re- 

 tire all thofe he had made. His fucceffors were un- 

 der the neceilicy of making new ones every year, 

 for paying of falaries, which multiplied them to 

 fuch a degree, that at lad they became of no value 

 at all, and nobody would receive them in payment. 

 The confequence of this was an entire ftagnation 

 of trade, and the diforder went fo far, that in 17 13, 

 the inhabitants propofed to lofe one half, on con- 

 dition that the king mould take them up and pay 

 the other half. 



This propofal was agreed to the year following, 

 but the orders given, in confequence thereof, were 

 not fully executed till 171 7. A declaration, was . 

 then publiihed, abolifhing thefe money-bills, when 

 they begun paying the falaries of the officers of the 

 colony in filver. The augmentation of one fourth 

 advance, was abrogated at the fame time : Experi- 

 ence having made it appear, that the augmentation 

 of the fpecies in a colony does not keep the money 

 from going out of it as had been pretended, and 

 that money could never have a free and proper cir- 

 culation, but by paying in commodities whatever 



was 



