Chap. II. ’The Hiftory of the French Eaft-India Commerce y &c . 96 J 
The Diredors at Home, however, reprefented their 
Diftreffes to the Government in the ftrongeft Terms 
poffible, and at the fame Time, fhewed, how prejudi- 
cial it was to the Glory of the French Kingdom, that 
Things fhould remain in this Situation, and that after the 
Government had taken the Company under its immediate 
Protection, it fhould be fuffered to fall at once into Ruin, 
without the lead: Effort made to fuftain it. One would 
have imagined, that the more natural Method would have 
been to have had recourfe, in this Situation of Affairs, to 
the Proprietors themfelves; but both the Directors and the 
Miniftry were fenfible enough, that this would have been 
attended with ftill worfe Confequences, fince by laying 
open the true State of their Affairs, they would infallibly 
have driven their Proprietors to Defpair. Inftead of ob- 
taining a Subfcription for putting their Commerce on a 
better Foot, the French Miniftry, fenfible of the Truths 
contained in this Reprefentation, refolved to take this Op- 
portunity, as they were in full Peace, to try what might 
be done to retrieve Things in the Indies , and prevent the 
entire Ruin of the Company, which was then juftly appre- 
hended, It was from thefe Confiderations, that two Ships 
were fent that Year, with an Affurance to fuch as were in 
the Company’s Service, that they might rely upon an- 
nual Supplies from France , and that therefore they fhould 
order their Affairs accordingly, and put their Debts into 
fuch a Method of Payment, as might difcharge them all 
by Degrees, and from the Profpect thereof reftore their 
Credit for the prefent. 
Things went on in this Way for about fourteen Years, 
during which . Time, fometimes three, fometimes four 
Ships were fent every Year, and thereby the Affairs of 
the Company were recovered, and reftored, though but 
flowly. They had ftill great Difficulties to ftruggle with ; 
for, in Proportion as their Commerce revived, their Ex- 
pences were enlarged, by their being obliged to re-fettle 
their old Factories, and to eftablifh new ones ; fo that in 
all this Space of Time, there was very little, if any Pro- 
fit accrued from their Trade ; on the contrary, they ran 
fbme Years into Debt, but not, however, without fome 
ProfpeCts of future Advantages. But as the other trading 
Nations in the Indies were entirely unacquainted with the 
Secrets of the French Commerce, fo judging by Appear- 
ances only, they were fully perfuaded, that the French 
/Trade was in a flourifhing Condition, becaufe they faw it 
vifibly extended, and the Returns made to Europe , far 
more regular, and at the fame Time, much more confi- 
derable than they had hitherto ever been. Yet notwith- 
ftanding all this, if they had gone on in the fame Manner, 
it would have been many Years before they had been 
brought into fuch Circumftances as to have been able to 
fupport themfelves, and carry on their Trade upon their 
own Bottom. 
But in the Year 1 737, M. Orry de Fulvy , being at the 
Head of the Finances, or Revenues of France , which he 
has managed with mold furprizing Succefs, the Company 
fell naturally under his Care and Protection. He faw 
plainly, that greater Supplies were neceffary to extricate 
them from the Difficulties under which they laboured, and 
therefore, having firft made a ftriCt Enquiry into the Situ- 
ation of their Affairs, and put them into the beft Order 
poffible, he next furniffied them with fuch Sums as were 
neceffary for enlarging and augmenting their Commerce ; 
fo that in the fhort Space of two Years, he doubled their 
Returns, and in three Years more, brought them to thrice 
as much as they had formerly been. By his Management, 
their. Sales at Port de P Orient , became regular, and confi- 
derable, increafing in fuch a Manner, that the publick 
Sale in the Year 1742, produced twenty-four Millions of 
French Livres, or about one Million of our Money ; be- 
fides which, they referved in their Magazines, Goods, to 
the Value of four Millions of Livres more ; and the firft 
Ships that arrived in 1743, brought Home ftill a richer 
and more valuable Cargo. This fudden and extraor- 
dinary Change in the Company’s Affairs, alarmed and 
amazed all Europe , but more efpecially the Maritime Pow- 
ers, who faw with infinite Concern, a Company that but 
a few Years before was looked upon as entirely funk and 
deftroyed, now rifing into as high Credit, as any in Eu- 
rope ; and on the other Hand, thi& encouraged the nor- 
thern Powers to profecute their Schemes of falling into 
the Eaft-India Trade, with greater Warmth and Dili- 
gence. '! 
But what was ftill more extraordinary than all the reft* 
the War did not feem to affeCt the Company fo much, as 
might have been expeded, for their Dividends were ftill 
regularly paid, and this kept up their Credit to fuch a 
Degree, that fo lately as Chriftmas 1 744, their AdionS 
were at two thoufand. But the War with Great Britain * 
encreafing the Expences of France on the one Hand, and 
leffening her Income on the other, the Secret at laft came 
out, and Mr. Orry was forced to acquaint the Directors 
of the Eaft-India Company, that the King’s Affairs were 
in fuch a Pofture as would no longer permit him to fup- 
ply the Company in the manner he had hitherto done ; 
fo that now they were to ftand upon their own Bottom,' 
and to carry on their Trade for the future, as well as 
they could. This unexpeded Stroke demolished the whole 
Fabrick which had been raifing for fo many Years, and 
reduced the Adions of the Company to eight hundred 5 
neither has the Eloquence of Mr. de Orry> or the Arts 
which the Court has made ufe of to recover the Proprie- 
tors from their Fright, been able to carry their Addons a- 
bove one thoufand, or at leaft very little above it ever 
fince. 
The main Caufe of this was the Propofitions made by 
Mr. Orry to their Directors, that . either the Proprietors 
fhould fubferibe fuch a Sum of Money upon their Addons, 
or fhould fuffer their Dividends to be poftponed for a 
certain Time, or that they fhould come to fome Agree- 
ment amongft themfelves for compounding thefe two Me- 
thods, by advancing fome Part in ready Money, and al- 
lowing their Dividends to go in difcharge of the reft. The 
Motive that obliged the Miniftry to this Difcovery, was 
the Neceffity of having Money to carry on the Eaft-India 
Trade, which they knew muft be ruined, even by a tem- 
porary Stagnation ; which Money, fince the Crown could 
no longer furnifh, it was neceffary that the Proprietors 
fhould. But to this it was anfwered, that hitherto the 
Proprietors had been no Gainers by that Trade, had no 
general Accounts made up to them of it, nor, according 
to the Confeffion of the Diredors themfelves, were to 
have received any fuch Accounts, if this Accident had not 
happened ; by which they afferted, that their Properties had 
already loft one half of their Value, and might very pro- 
bably lofe a Part of the other half ; fo that they were leaft 
in a Condition to pay, when this Demand was made, 
which would have been fufficiently grievous, even in the 
midft of Peace, and when their Adions were at the 
higheft. 
To this it was replied, that they had no Reafon to com- 
plain of the King, or of his Minifters, who had hitherto’ 
fupported this Trade for their Advantage, without their 
contributing to it at all. That if they had received as yet 
no Profits from their Trade, it was becaufe no Profits had 
accrued from it ; and this, not through any ill Manage- 
ment in fuch as were intrufted with their Concerns, or be- 
caufe this Commerce had not been carried on to great Ad- 
vantage, but by reafon of that immenfe Load of Debts 
which lay upon them, at their firft Eftablifhment, and 
which the Profits of the Trade was obliged to pay off, 
and the prodigious Expence the Company had been at, 
both in Europe and in the Indies , for putting their Com- 
merce on a folid and certain Footing. That to put all 
Doubts upon this Subjed entirely out of the Queftion, 
and that they might be fatisfied of the Truth of thefe Par- 
ticulars, a general Account of their Trade Should now be 
laid before them, by which they would, in the firft Place, 
fee, that, tho’ flowly, it had been continually improving, 
and that of late Years efpecially, it had thriven exceed- 
ingly. 
In the next Place, they might be fatisfied, that even at 
prefent, it was fo far from being in a defperate Condition* 
that notwithstanding an immediate Sum was neceffary for 
carrying it on, yet there was no Danger of their being called 
upon for another Supply, fince what was now aiked, would 
be fufficient to put the Company into a Condition to main- 
tain itfelf without intrenching upon their Dividends, which 
3 fhould. 
