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What was "mercantilism" in the Age of New France?
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What was "mercantilism"«i in thé Age of New France? J.F. Bosher York University The économie policies of Louis XV's government are usually summed up as a "mercantile System" based on thé principles of "mercantilism". Two scholarly studies by Maurice Filion, for instance, analyse thé policies of Maurepas, Secretary of State for thé Marine and Colonies (1723-49), in ternis of thé prevailing mercantilist theory.1 This approach brings Filion into thé distinguished company of such scholars as Donald Creighton, Jacques Mathieu, Edgar McGinnis, Marcel Trudel, Femand Ouellet, and Dale Miquelon.2 In a very good volume of thé Canadian Centenary Séries, Miquelon has recently summed up ten main ideas in thé doctrine of mercantilism as put into practice by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and his successors.3 Thèse ideas hâve, as we know, been *. I tender my thanks to thé authors quoted or cited in this paper, thé purpose has been to develop a thème, not to disparage their excellent books and articles. 1. Maurice Filion, La pensée et l'action coloniales de Maurepas vis-à-vis du Canada, 1723-1749: l'âge d'or de la colonie, Ottawa (Lemeac), 1972, index entry p. 452, and Maurepas, ministre de Louis XV (1715-1749), Montréal, 1967. 2. Donald Creighton, The Empire ofthe St. Lawrence (1956), Toronto, 1970, p. 83 and see index entry p. 432; Jacques Mathieu, Le commerce entre la Nouvelle-France et les Antilles au XVIfl' siècle, Montréal, 1981, pp. 33-39 etc.; Edgar McGinnis, Canada, A Political and Social History (1947), Toronto, 1969, pp. 198,202, 290 etc.; Marcel Trudel, Histoire de la Nouvelle-France,vol. III,La Seigneurie des Cent-Associés, 1627-1663, t. 1, Les Événements, Montréal (Fidès), 1979, pp. 2 and 13; Fernand Ouellet, Economie and Social History of Québec, 1760-1850 (1966), Toronto, 1980, p. 14. 3. Dale Miquelon, New France 1701-1744, "A Supplément to Europe", Toronto (McClelland & Stewart), 1987, pp. 8-9. 248 J.F. BOSHER explained inmanyearlierbooks. "In England as inFrance,"Ouellet wrote in his Economie and Social History of Québec, 1760-1850, "thé mercantile System was prédominant...[it] tried to ensure thé économie independence of thé mother country... French mercantilism gave little impetus to thé development of New France."4 Thèse historians are in général agreement that mercantilist policies were intended to stimulate thé French economy for thé purpose of increasing thé nation's wealth and thé crown's power. "The central mercantilist idea,"Miquelon writes, "was that thé level of production had to be raised and that this could be done only be government action..."5 Toenrich thé nation thé govemment should attract gold and silver bullion by regulating trade so as to maintain a favourable balance of payments with foreign countries. The Government would then take its share of thé wealth by taxation. Marcel Trudel explains thé process as follows: In a world transformée by thé Renaissance, gold had become thé principal vehicle of exchange between nations, and because gold was a rare commodity to be accumulated and laid by in thé greatest possible quantities, nationalism in commercial matters was imperative for any state seeking to prosper. This was mercantilism, thé management of thé state's economy by keeping thé importation of manufacturée goods to aminimum and acquiring a maximum of raw materials from abroad for thé supply of its own industry. Colonies became an essential factor in such a System...6 He goes on to explain how, "in thé new context of mercantilism ", Cardinal Richelieu founded thé famous monopoly, thé Company of New France, that was to manage Canada from 1627 to 1663. Trudel then tells us that only about one-third of thé 107 associâtes in thé company were merchants. The other two-thirdsof them were officiais or officers in thé judicial, military and administrative services. Analyzed by their résidence, two-thirds of 4. Ouellet, Economie and Social History, 1966, p. 14. 5. Miquelon, New France, p. 7. 6. Marcel Trudel, The Beginnings of New France 1524-1663, Toronto, 1973, pp. 168-171. [44.213.65.97] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:17 GMT) WHAT WAS"MERCANTILISM" 249 them tum out to be Parisians and thé company's headquarters were naturally established in Paris, not in one of thé seaports. The effect of thèse arrangements was to take thé control of Canadian trade away from thé merchants in thé seaports...