'jfhe Hiftory of the French Eaft-India Commerce , &c. Book I. 
■phin s Bland, by which laft Name it is Bill known to the 
French , and according to the Accounts they publifhed of 
it, ought to be efteemed a perfedt Paradife. In a fhort 
Time, however, they began to change their Opinion, ei- 
ther from the natural Levity of that Nation, or becaufe 
Opportunities prefented of extending their Views in the 
Indies . 
Two Perfons offered themfelves upon this Occafion, to 
promote the Intereft of the new Company •, the one was 
Mr. Caron, who has be ( en already often mentioned. He 
was a Native of France , but had been for many Years in 
the Dutch Service, and had been raifed in that Service to 
the Rank of Prefident of the Fadtory of Japon , where, 
for Reafons which we have affigned in another Place, he 
iuffered feverely. And not thinking himfelf fufficiently con- 
fidered for his Sufferings, quitted the Dutch Service, 
and returned to France , at a Juncture when a Man of his 
Abilities was much wanted, and therefore he was careffed 
and employed. The other was Mr . Mar car a, a Native 
of IJpahan , in Perfia , and nearly allied to feveral Perfons 
of great Rank in that Kingdom, as alfo to fome who en- 
joyed Governments, and other great Employments in the 
Indies ; he alfo was employed by the Company, and did 
a confiderable Service. In Conjunction with Mr. Caron , 
he fettled a Fadfory at Surat , and by his own Intereft 
purely, procured for them an Eftablifhment in the King- 
dom of Golconda , in the Year 1669. 
But it afterwards fell out, that thefe two Gentlemen 
differed, and Mr. Caron fent Home heavy Accufations 
againft the Perfian , who cleared himfelf, however, fo ef- 
fedlually, of all that was laid to his Charge, that he was 
honourably acquitted, and continued in his Employment. 
It was alfo in this Year 1669, that the Directors of this 
Eaft-India Company began to diftafte their Settlement in 
the Ifland of the Dauphin , which had been always confi- 
dered as their chief Refidence ; but now they were defi- 
rous of transferring that Honour to Surat, to which the 
Court of France affented ; and that nothing might be 
wanting for the Support and Encouragement of this Com- 
merce, the Harbour of Port -Louis was granted to them, 
with ail its Dependences, together with full Power to 
make fuch Alterations and Improvements as they judged 
requifite •, and it was in virtue of this Grant, that they 
built and eftablifhed their Magazines at what is now call- 
ed Port ! Orient . But notwithftanding all thefe Adis of 
Favour, the Affairs of the Company were fo far from 
taking a fuccefsful Turn, that it was found, upon Bating 
a general Account, that they were indebted in no lefs a 
Sum than four Millions to the Crown, which, however, 
the king, agreeable to the Promife made them at their 
Eftablifhment, clearly forgave, and took that Lofs upon 
himfelf. 
About this Time, fome private Perfons, having inft- 
nuated, that they were willing to embark their Fortunes 
in a Trade to the Indies , provided they might have the 
Company’s Licence; and the Company likewife having 
fignified to the king, that it might prove beneficial to 
them, if they had it in their Power to grant fuch Indul- 
gences, this Favour likewife was added to the reft, and 
private Traders were permitted to engage in this Com- 
merce, upon the following Conditions ; firft, that they 
fhould trenfport themfelves and their Effedts on Board the 
Company’s Ships, both coming and going. Secondly, 
that they fhould pay their Freight and Paffage before their 
Departure. Thirdly, that the Goods they brought Home, 
Jewels and precious Stones only excepted, fhould be ex- 
pofed in the Company’s Sales, and their Produce fairly 
accounted for. Fourthly, that thefe Licences fhould be 
in Force only for five Years ; and fifthly, that if they 
fhould be found prejudicial to the Affairs of the Com- 
pany, the Diredlors might abridge or cancel them at their 
Pleailire. 
There was yet another, and ftill more confiderable Adt 
of Grace obtained by their powerful Protedlor Mr. Colbert , 
which was an Exemption from all Duties on the Goods 
they brought Home. But notwithftanding thefe mighty 
Advantages, and though they fcarce afked any Thing of 
their Patron but what was granted, yet their Affairs con- 
tinued declining, and as he died in 1683, the Spirit of 
4 
this Commerce might be Lid to expire with him. The 
Body, indeed, of the Company, was kept up, not much 
perhaps to its Advantage ; they had not only a Court of 
Diredlors at Pans, but in Imitation of the 'Dutch Eaft- 
India Company, Chambers of Dircdtion, at feveral Ports, 
a Council in the Indies , and in fhort, the Appearance and 
Trappings of a great and powerful Society, when at the 
Bottom they were diftreffed and poor, fo that upon ftating 
a general Account in 1684, it clearly appeared, that in 
ftead of gaining one Penny by their Commerce, they had 
adtually run out one Half of their Capital, or about three 
hundred thoufand Pounds of our Money. 
This was attributed to feveral Caufes, but principally to 
thefe three ; firft, to the War with the Dutch, which Jaft- 
ed from 1672 to 1678, and of which we have fpoky 
largely enough in the laft Sedtion. Secondly, to the Ne-, 
gligence and Fraud of the Perfons employed in their Ser- 
vice in the Indies , who thought, though they were fent 
by the Company, they had no other Bufinefs there, than 
to mind their own Interefts, which they did at the Ex- 
pence of their Matters, fo that fome private Fortunes 
were made, while the Concerns of the Publick were run- 
ning to Ruin ; and laftly, to the Supinenefs, Timeroufr 
nefs, or Inability of their Subfcribers, who had not paid in, 
as they ought to have done, to the great Detriment of 
their Affairs. To remedy thefe Diforders, and to retrieve, 
if poffible, the Trade of the finking Company, it was re- 
folved to change the Syftem of their Government, to fup- 
prefs all the little Chambers of Diredlors, and to put the 
whole Management of the Company’s Concerns into the 
Elands of twelve Diredlors redding in Paris, who were 
each of them to pay in thirty thoufand Livres upon the 
forfeited Adtions, and to be allowed reafonable Salaries for 
the Bufinefs they did. It was alfo refolved, that all who 
had not paid in, fhould forfeit their Shares to the Com- 
pany, with a Provifo, that if in two Years, they made 
good their Payments, they fhould enter into their former 
Rights, and have all their Adtions reftored. 
This Regulation was confirmed by a royal Edidt, dated 
in February 1685, by which the King left the Company 
free Liberty either to refume the Sovereignty of Mada - 
gafcar which they had furrendered in 1670, as has been 
beforementioned, or to leave it as it then was in the King’s 
Hands. As the Company had thus their Option, and were 
left at liberty to do as they thought fit in this Affair, 
they, after mature Deliberation, thought proper to adhere 
to their laft Refolution, and to quit this Ifland intirely to 
the Crown ; which Adi of theirs was confirmed by the 
King’s Arret, bearing Date the 4th of June, 1686. All 
thefe Regulations at home were fupported by an Alliance 
abroad, which it was hoped would have had a very good 
Effedl, and totally reftored the Company’s Affairs. 
The Hiftory of this Treaty will be given in the fuc- 
ceeding Volume, and therefore we fhall be very fhort in 
what we have to fay of it here. The King of Siam, a 
very powerful Prince in the Indies, had raifed one Mr. 
Conftance , who was originally no better than a Servant in 
an Englijh Factory, to the Rank of his Firft Minifter ; 
and he being a bold enterprifing Man, took it into his 
Head that it was very pofiible to convert his Mafter and 
all his Subjedls to the Chriftian Religion, by engaging him 
in a very clofe Correfpondence with the Court of France ; 
in which laft Part of his Scheme he fucceeded fo well, 
that not only Miffionaries were fent over to convert the 
Siamefe, but a Squadron of Men of War likewife, with 
fome Troops on board, to make the King as abfolute as his 
Brother of France. This raifed fuch a Jealoufy in the 
Minds of his Subjedls as created a univerfal Revolt, in 
which the King was murdered in his Palace; his Prime 
Minifter cut off in the fame manner, and the French Gar- 
rifon in the Citadel of Bankock , after an obftinate Defence, 
totally deftroy’d ; and thus ended that Affair, and all the 
Advantages that were expedled from it ; fo that in about two 
Years time the Company’s Affairs were in as bad a Condi- 
tion as ever, and all the high Hopes they had conceived 
from the Change of their Adminiftration, and the grand 
Alliance in the Indies vanifhed into Air, and were blafted 
almoft as loon as they bloom’d. This fell the heavier up- 
on them, becaufe abundance of new Subfcribers had been 
drawn 
