Chap. II. Fhe Hiftory of the French Eaft-India Commerce, &c. 953 
drawn in, which increafed the Clamour upon their Mif- 
carriage, and induced a general Opinion that it was abfo- 
lutely impoffible for the French Nation to carry on a Trade 
to the Indies with Advantage. 
5. But all thefe vexatious Circumftances at home and 
abroad were nothing in companion of the Lofs of their 
generous Protestor Mr. Colbert , who was ready at all 
times to exert his Influence in their Favour, and whole 
Influence was fo great that he never exerted it in vain. 
There was nothing of Self-Intereft or Views of private Ad- 
vantage in this Condudt of his ; he adted purely from a 
Principle of publick Spirit and the Defire he had of con- 
tributing to the Glory of his Prince, by purluing what he 
took to be the true Intereft of his Subjedts. Thefe it 
mult be confefled were great and laudibie Notions, and 
fuch as he carried into Adlion with furprizing Succefs ; 
yet taking all this together, it is perhaps the cleared and 
mod convincing Argument, that the French Nation are 
altogether incapable of carrying fuch great Defigns into 
Execution with fuch Advantage to themfelves as accrues 
to their lefs powerful Neighbours, becaufe it is impoffible 
that Trade Ihould flourifh in a Country where its Welfare 
mud depend folely on the Will and Capacity of a Angle 
Perfon. 
Accidents are not to be traded to, efpecially in Matters 
of Property and Things of Importance. Yet what great- 
er or more apparent Accident can there be than the riflng 
of an able, experienced, and honed Minider, in an arbitrary 
Government ? It is fuch an Accident as not only feldom 
happens, but is very rarely to be expedied ; and when it 
does happen, like every other accidental Good, mifleads 
unwary Minds, and makes Men midake tor a folk! and 
certain Foundation, what is in fadt no more than a lucky 
continuance of Things in the fame Podure •, fo that fuch 
as are tempted to hazard their Subdance in Building upon 
fuch a Bafis, are not to be edeemed wifer than if they 
were drawn in to contribute to the eredfing a large Struc- 
ture upon the Ice, becaufe it had been known to remain 
firm for nine or ten Weeks. 
As thefe are reafonable and juft Principles in themfelves, 
fo in this Cafe, they were fully judified by Pixperience. 
The Succeflbr of Mr. Colbert was Mr. Pont -Char train, a 
Man who was far from wanting Abilities, or being deditute 
of Probity, but whofe Notions with refpect to Commerce, 
were either crude and indigeded, or, which was worfe, narrow 
and obfeure. He was, from the Beginning of his Adminiftra- 
tion, no Friend to the Eaft-India Company, as appeared 
very clearly by his eroding every rhing they afked, and 
countenancing every Attempt that was made againd them. 
To enter into a long Detail of the Fadts necefiary to ju- 
dify in its larged Extent this Obfervation, would be at 
once tedious to the Reader, and draw me much beyond 
the Bounds I have preferibed to myfelf in this Work, 
therefore I fhall take Notice of one Thing only, which is 
this ; the Eaft-India Company finding that all Sorts of 
painted Cottons, gold and filver Brocades, and fuch other 
diowy Goods as they imported from India , went off at a 
great Rate in France , they ftruck into that Trade, and 
began to make confiderahle Advantages of it. This 
encouraged them to venture upon another Undertaking, 
which was the importing vad -Quantities of white Cottons, 
and caufing them to be painted in France after the Manner 
of the Indies , which occafioned a prodigious Outcry 
among the Manufacturers in France \ who let forth, that 
the Sale of thefe Cottons and Silks were exceflively inju- 
rious to them, and that if they continued, it was impoffi- 
ble that their Manufadtures Ihould fubfld. 
Upon the Reprefentation of thefe Things to the Prime 
Minider, he took the Thing fo warmly, that he immedi- 
ately procured an Edidf, dated the Twenty-leventh of Ja- 
nuary -, 1687; by which the importing them was abfo- 
lutely prohibited. On the Application however of the 
Eaft-India Company, and the Interpofition of feme Friends 
at Court, which they had dill left, the Execution of this 
Law was, in lome meafure, fulpended in Favour of the 
Company •, that is to fay, they were allowed a certain 
Space of Time, in which to dilpofe of the Goods then in 
their Elands ; as alfo of fuch as might be brought from 
the Indies within a limited Time : But the great Blow was 
Numb. 65. 
not to be parried ; and the Edibt, which required the de~ 
droying all the Molds, and other Utenfils for painting 
Linnen in France , was to take Place abfolutely on the 
Fird of January 16S9. The Company indeed endea- 
voured, and by the Help of its Friends made great Ef- 
forts to defeat this Defign *, but, all they could do prov- 
ed ineffebtual in the main, and procured only a Sufpenfion 
for three Months ; and, in the mean time, they were obliged 
to take back what they had fold to private Merchants, and 
to return them their Money. As to the gold and filver 
Brocades, and other Indian Silks, they were permitted to 
import thefe to a certain Value, viz. One hundred and 
fifty thoufand Livres ; but this was upon Condition, that 
they exported to the Amount of Five hundred thoufand 
Livres in French Manufadtures ; and they were afterwards 
reftrained to the Exportation of fuch Manufadtures only 
as would fell to Profit in the Eaft- Indies. The Company’s 
Commerce was before declining, and they had but this 
Angle Chance of fupporting themfelves by the Humour 
which prevailed of buying thefe printed Cottons, Bro- 
cades, and Silks ; fo that the Reader may eafily judge 
that when this Prohibition came to take Place, it gave the 
Death’s Wound to their Trade. 
It muft however, be owned, that upon certain Occafi- 
ons, they did procure the Difpenfation of this Law for a 
certain Space of Time, which might afford them a tem- 
porary Relief, and juft keep them from finking : But 
they had no longer a Power of trading as a Company*, 
their Fadlories in the Indies grew low, thofe who were 
employed in their Service loft their Credit, and the French 
Flag in the Indies was little regarded, and indeed fcarce 
known. The Farmers-General of the King’s Duties like- 
wife attacked the Company j and as their Employments 
gave them the Ear of the Minifters, they were almoft al- 
ways too hard for them *, fo that by Degrees, the Com- 
pany loft the Benefit of mqft of thofe great Privileges 
which had been procured by Mr. Colbert , and yet with- 
out their being taken away ; for in France , and perhaps, 
in fome other Countries, Methods are found out for 
eluding the Laws by the Manner of executing them, and 
without any formal Repeals. Some other Laws were like- 
wife made for laying Penalties upon fuch as dealt in 
wrought up, or in any way expofed to Sale any Chints, 
or any other painted Cottons •, svhich being executed with 
great Severity, put a full Stop to that Branch of Trade, 
as the Want of Money had done to moft other Branches. 
So that between thofe Oppreffions peculiar to themfelves, 
and the Mifchiefs they endured in common with the reft 
of the Subjedfs of France by the long Continuance of the 
War, they found themfelves in fo low a Condition as to be 
fcarce able to keep up the Appearance of the Company 3 
and thofe who had formerly yielded them Affiftance at 
Court, began to be tired, and liftened no longer to their 
Sollicitations. 
There arofe likewife a new Spirit in France of curbing 
and diftreffing this almoft-broken Company, under Co- 
lour of augmenting the Revenues of the Crown, and 
protecting the Manufadtures which afforded Bread to the 
People ; under Pretence of which, they firft reftrained the 
Company from felling Chints and other Piece-goods to 
Foreigners, which was not only a very great Lofs to the 
Company, but to the French Nation in general, among 
whom the Money would have infallibly circulateu 
for which thefe Manufadtures had been fold ; whereas, by 
this Prohibition, fo much ready Money was kept out of 
France , and not a Thread more of their own Manufac- 
tures Vended. Afterwards a Duty was laid upon the Raw- 
Silk, which they imported : And notwithftanding this 
produced a great Sum of Money, yet it v/as not long be- 
fore a Prohibition was applied, under Pretence that the 
Company importing every Year feven thoufand Pounds of 
Raw-Silk, did thereby great Damage to one of the ftaple 
Commodities of the Kingdom , whereas, in Truth, the 
greateft Part, if not all this Silk, was fold by Strangers : 
But it was the Misfortune of the Company, that while 
they were diftrefled and ill treated abroad, on purpofe to 
drive them totally out of the Indies , they were envied 
and perfecuted at home, on Account even of that fmali 
Trade which they drove thither i and all this under the 
1 1 K plan* 
