Chap, IL ( the Hiflory of the French Eaft-India Commerce-, See. ■ 957 
.ger and Difquieft as mull necefiarily banifli all Ttuft and 
Confidence in the Faith of fuch a Government. Hence 
it may be obferved, in the fourth Place, that filch as are 
engaged in the Management of a Company’s Concerns*, 
under fuch Circum fiances, will look very little farther than 
the Time prefent * and, inftead of placing their Hopes 
in the future Succefs and Profperity of fuch a Company’s 
Affairs, will confine their Views to the making the molt 
they can of immediate Advantages, in order to fecure (if 
poffible) their private Fortunes, let what will become of the 
•publick. 
Laftly, we may eafily difcover, from thefe Reflections, 
how it came to pafs, that private Traders in France* fuch 
as the Merchants at St. Malo* s were able to encreafe their 
Fortunes, and carry on a Trade to the Eaft- Indies with 
Advantage, under the Authority of a Company that was, 
in a manner, become bankrupt ; and this, notwithstand- 
ing they paid confiderable Sums out of their Profits for 
participating in its Privileges •, for, as private Men, they 
could drive a good Bargain with the Company, with fome 
reasonable Affurance of having the Terms of their Con- 
tract comply’d with, becaufe made only for a certain 
Time ; enjoying alfo the full Benefit of thofe Settlements 
which the Company had made, without contributing any 
thing to the Expence which they originally coft, or even 
to that by which they were fupported ; fo that, confider- 
ed in this Light, the Company flood between them and 
the Government, and thefe private Traders might belaid 
to enjoy in France itfelf, thofe Advantages that could be 
expeded only in a Land of Freedom, and by the Enjoy- 
ment of which folely their Trade became advantageous. 
The more we refled upon thefe few Obfervations, the 
more we mnft be convinced, that it is not from any De- 
fed in the Country, any Want of Skill or Induftry in the 
People, but for the Want of a right Government in 
France , that her Trade never has been eftablifbed on a fecure 
and folid Bafis. This likewife demohftrates, that how- 
ever dangerous and deftrudive the Ambition of this Power 
may be to her Neighbours, from that arbitrary Force, 
with which, by the Policy of her Minifters, fhe has been 
long armed ; yet this, at the fame time, is an Evil that 
preys upon her inward Strength, and keeps her in a conti- 
nual, though flow Confumption ; fo that if her Neigh- 
bours would but unite among themfelves for their own 
Defence, the arbitrary Difpofition of the Court of France 
muft neceffarily turn upon itfelf, and fooner or later pro- 
cure its own Diffolution. 
There are, however, certain Seafons, when from a Varie- 
ty of Accidents, there appears even in fuch a Government 
a ftrong Spirit of promoting the publick Welfare, not 
from any real Principle of that kind, but to cover fome 
other Defign, which could not otherwife be carried into 
Execution : As for Inftance, upon Changes of Admini- 
strations, more efpecially in Minorities, when fuch as are 
at the Head of the Government find the Meafure of 
•their Power muft, in fome meafure, depend upon the Ex- 
tent of their Reputation. At fuch Times as thefe, I fay, 
there may be a temporary Ceffation of thofe pernicious 
Notions which infed the Heads and Hearts of arbitrary 
Rulers, or, which is the fame thing to the People, a Suf- 
penfton of the Pradices which flow from them ; fo that, for 
fome little time, the Government feems to ad upon new 
Principles, and confequently Affairs change their Face in 
the fame Proportion. 
This happened to be the Cafe at the Period of Time 
when the French Eaft -India Company were ftruggling for 
a new Grant of the Privileges which they had enjoyed for 
fifty Years, though fometimes in a larger, fometimes in a 
lefs Degree. But the Renewal of thefe Privileges in that 
State in which they then flood, was all that they defired, 
to have them augmented was what they fcarce hoped ; 
but to have this done, and their Term rendered perpetual, 
exceeded the Limits of their Expedations, and was en- 
tirely owing to fuch a Revolution in their Government as 
has been before-mentioned, and which it is now neceffary 
that we fhould deferibe as clearly, and at the fame time as 
concifely as poffible. 
1 1 . The Duke of Orleans , who defeated the old King’s 
Will, and, in fome meafure eftablifbed ,a new Government 
• N ¥ M B. 65, 
in France* contrary alike to the. Willies of the pioft po- 
tent of the Nobility, and of the meaner fort of People, 
found himfelf obliged therefore to fu 'tain his Authority, 
by endeavouring to acquire to his Adminiftration fuch a 
Reputation as had never attended all the Vidories and 
Power of Lewis the Great . It was with this View, that 
from the Time he took the Reins of Government into 
his Hands, he affeded to ad on Maxims- diredly oppofite 
to thofe of his Predeceffors , he declared openly, that the 
great End of Government was the Good of the People ; 
that it was impoffible this fhould be promoted by being 
engaged in perpetual Wars, or in continual Quarrels with 
their Neighbours ; that Peace was an univerfal Bleffing,^ 
and muft therefore be the Intereft of France , as well as of 
all other Nations •, that Commerce was the natural Pro- 
duce of fettled and quiet Times ; and that the EfFeds 
of an extenfive Trade were more certain Rdburces of 
Power and Strength than Conquefts, or arbitrary Do- 
minion. 
Whether the Duke- Regent was perfuaded of the Truth 
of all this, or whether he pretended only to be fo per- 
fuaded, is a Point not at all important for us to determine, 
fince it is fufficient for our Purpofe that he aded upon 
thefe Maxims, whatever he might believe about them ; 
and that by ading upon them, he really carried his Point, 
and came to be confidered as a Prince who had great 
Notions of Liberty and Commerce. The Eaft- India 
Company therefore, or at lead, fuch as had the Manage- 
ment of the Affairs of the Company, entertained the 
warmeft Hopes of Succour and Protedion : For though, 
before the Death of the late King, they had obtained a 
Prolongation of their Privileges for ten Years, to be ac- 
counted from the Firft of May , 1715 j yet this, like moil 
of the royal Favours they had received, was of very little 
Ufe, fince they had no Funds left for the carrying on their 
Commerce ; and, befides, the Term they now had was fo 
fhort, that it added very little to their Credit at home or 
abroad. It was from the Duke-Regent that they expect- 
ed more folid Affiftance, and fuch Helps from the Trea- 
lury as might enable them to revive their Trade. 
But the Regent and his Minifters were in Sentiments 
quite oppofit? to thofe the Company had flattered them- 
felves with, and, inftead of being at all inclined to part 
with Money out of the royal Treaiury, for other People 
to employ in Trade, they were contriving how to make 
Ufe of the Sound and Reputation of Commerce to fill the 
King’s Coffers, to pay off the Debts of the Crown, and 
to difeharge the Loads which lay heavy on the Govern- 
ment upon the Shoulders of the Nation, by that Series of 
Connivances which are ftill known in France by the 
Name of the Syftem. It was with this View that the 
Regent fhewed fo much Favour and Kindnefs to the IV ft- 
India Company, and eftabliftied its Capital at One hun- 
dred Millions, and thereby procured an Opportunity of 
leffening that immenfe Quantity of Paper-Money which 
the long War had made requifite. But when the Eaft- 
India Company came to reprefent the Condition they 
were in, and to fue for Affiftance and Protedion, they 
foon found that they had to do with thofe who underftood 
their Affairs to the full, as well as themfelves ; therefore, 
inftead of governing them as they had done former Mi- 
nifters, they were forced to put themfelves entirely into 
their Hands, and truft abfolutely to their Generolity and 
Difcretion. 
The Confequence of this was, very probably, what they 
had not forefeen, fince it proved to be the piffolucion of the 
Company, or, which is the fame Thing in other Words, 
the Union of it to the Weftern Company, which had 
already fwallowed up fome others. This Ed id of Union 
or new Eftablifhment extinguifhed the Title of both the 
Companies, as well as of the reft of the Societies comprifed 
therein, and gave to the whole the comprehcnfive and fig- 
nificant Title of the Company of the Indies. In the Pre- 
amble of this Ed id, we have an excellent Hiftory of the 
Tranfadions upon which this Union of the Company 
was built 5 for therein it is laid, that the King having 
principally apply ’d himfelf to the reftoring the Commerce 
of the Kingdom, and thereby repairing the Loffes and De- 
cays oceafoned by a very long and expenfive War, and 
u L hav- 
