University of Virginia Library

QUESTIONS FROM AND ANSWERS TO THE COUNT DE
MOUSTIER, MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY OF
FRANCE, OCTOBER 30, 1788.[89]

1.

• Quelle est l'opinion
  des habitans les plus instruits
  de la Virginie,
  sur le contrat de la ferme
  avec Mons. Rob.
  Morris et quel est le système
  qu'ils voudroient y
  substituer?

  1. It is not easy to give a precise
  answer to this question, many of the
  best informed not having been led to
  communicate their opinions, and others
  having been directly or indirectly interested
  on one side or the other. It
  seems to have been rather the prevailing opinion that the
  Contract was more hurtful to the price of Tobacco, than a
  supply of the Farmer Gen1 by purchases made in the English
  or other Foreign Markets. This opinion must be founded on
  a supposition that the mercantile sellers in Europe could more
  easily combine and counteract the monopoly than the Planters
  of America. It does not appear that those who dislike ye
  contract have particularly turned yr thoughts to a system
  proper to be substituted. The general idea seems to have
  been that some arrangement in France disarming the monopoly
  

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  there of its influence direct or indirect on the market
  here could alone effectually answer the purpose.

2.

• Ne pourrions nous
  pas fournir à très bon
  marché le gros lainage
  pour l'habillement des
  nègres?

  2. The manufacture of this article
  being extremely simple & easily accommodated
  to the use the event of a
  competition must depend on the comparative
  price of the material. The
  cloathing of Negroes is made of the coarsest materials. It is
  at present supplied in part by family manufacture, especially
  where a few negroes only belong to the same master, and this
  resource is daily increasing. Principal part however comes
  from G. Britain and if no foreign competition interferes this
  must be the case for a considerable time.

3.

• Quels sont en général
  les objects de commerce,
  dont il pourroit
  être interessant d'encourager
  l'importation
  soit en France, soit aux
  Antilles?

  3. Virginia produces Tobacco Wheat,
  Indian Corn, Lumber, salt provisions,
  coal, Iron, Hemp, tar, pitch turpentine,
  flax-seed. Ship-building can be
  carried on also advantageously. It is
  the interest of Virginia to find encouragement
  for all these articles; and of France to give encouragement
  so far at least as she does not herself produce
  them. Tobacco naval stores, ready-built Vessels, flax-seed, and
  occasionally wheat and flour also, are wanted in France. Flour
  Bread, Indian Corn, salt provisions, lumber and ready-built
  vessels of inferior size, are adapted to the wants of the Islands.

4.

• Quelles sont d'un
  autre côté les marchandizes
  du Royaume ou
  des Isles dont les Virginiens
  paroissent avoir
  le plus grand besoin?

  4. As Virginia does not manufacture,
  and consumes less or more of a very
  great variety of articles, she may be
  considered as wanting most of the
  French Manufactures recommended by
  their quality and price. At present, the coarser woolens of
  France are inferior to those of Britain, and her coarser linens
  to those of Germany. In the articles of hardware & leather,
  the English have also greatly the advantage. Wines, brandies,
  oil, Fruits,—silks, cambricks, Lawns, printed goods,
  Glass, Kid gloves, ribbons, superfine broadcloaths &c are
  articles which may be best obtained from France. The goods
  

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  imported as valued at the ports of delivery, between Sepr 1,
  '86, & July 20, '87, amounted to 949.444.00-7, excluding Salt,
  distilled spirits, wine, malt liquors, Cheese, Tea, Sugar, Coffee.
  These paid a duty ad quantitatem, & therefore the value does
  not appear. It need not be remarked that in all cases the
  entries subject to duty fall short of ye truth. The productions
  of the Islands most wanted in Virginia are Sugar & Coffee.
  Between Sepr 1, '86, & July 20, '87, were entered 2,126,673lbs
  Sugar, & 147,591 of Coffee. Molasses also is wanted; and
  Taffia perhaps, in a small degree. Cotton is raised in Virginia
  as far as it is needed for domestic manufacture.

5.

• Est-il vraisemblable
  que les eaux de vie
  de France fassent tomber
  entièrement le Rum
  des Isles? A quoi peut
  se monter la consommation
  annuelle des vins
  de France en Virginie?

  5. It would be very difficult for
  brandy entirely to supplant Rum. A
  moderate preference however would
  soon make it a formidable rival. The
  small encouragement hitherto given to
  brandy has had a very sensible effect in
  promoting the use of it, and as antecedent
  habits become weakened the use will spread of itself.
  The brandies (doubtless from France with very trifling exceptions)
  entered on the Custom House books between Sept. 1,
  86, & July 20, 87, amounted to 10,630 Gallons; and it is conjectured
  that the direct importations not entered with the
  considerable quantity introduced by the way of Maryland
  where the duty has been lower, may amount to half as much.
  The rum entered within that period amounted to 499,083
  Gallons the Gin to 9102 1/2 Gals; & the cordials & other spirits
  to 4,169 1/2 Gals.

  The Wines entered within the above periods amounted to
  109,948 Gals, on which quantity abt 40,000 Gals were French.

6.

• Se sert-on beaucoup
  du sel de France
  pour les salaisons et que
  faut-il faire pour en rendre
  l'usage plus commun?

  6. French Salt is little if at all used
  in Virginia. The eye is displeased at
  its colour, and the supposition is
  favored by that circumstance that it is
  dirty and inferior to the British & other
  white Salt. The objection suggests the means of rendering
  the use more common.

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7.

• La Virge commence-t-elle
  à exporter
  elle même ses denrées et
  quelle est la proportion
  de sa navigation avec
  celle des autres nations
  pour le transport des
  Tabacs et autres articles?

  7. of the Vessels entered between the
  above dates—The American amounted
  to 26,705 tons The British & those of
  other nations not in alliance, 26,903
  The French & those of other nations in
  alliance 2,664. The law having required
  no other discriminations, the Custom House books do
  not furnish a more particular answer.

8.

• Comme les Americains
  desirent beaucoup
  d'obtenir de nouvelles
  faveurs dans nos Antilles,
  que pourroient-ils
  proposer pour faciliter
  un arrangement de cette
  nature sans trop préjudicier
  aux avantages
  que la France ne cesse
  de tirer de ses Colonies?

  8. The answer to this important
  question ought to be the result of much
  information as well as consideration.
  At present Mr. M. is not prepared with
  such an one. Whenever he shall have
  formed an opinion on the subject which
  he thinks worth the attention of Ct. M.
  it shall be communicated.