Michel Bdgon and. the Direction of Economic Policy in French Canada fron L1L2 I'o L726 by Kathryn A. Young A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Graduate Stud.ies and. Researôh The University of Manitoba in partial Fulfil-lment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts August l98/u MTcHEL ¡ícou AND THE DrREcrroN oF ECONOMIC POLICY IN FRENCH CANADA FROM 1712 TO T726 BY KATHRYN A. YOUNG A tllesis submitted to the Faculty of Craduate Studies of the University of Ma¡ritoba in partial fulfìllment of the requirenrents of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS @ 1984 Pernrission has bee¡r granted to the LIBRARY OF THE UNIVER- SITY OF MANITOBA to lend or sell copies of this thesis. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfitnr this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this thesis. The author reserves other publicatio¡l rights, a¡ld neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or other- wise reproduced without the author's written pernrission. For My Grandmother Abstract Michel B6gon, intendant of New France from I7I2 Lo 1726, \¡Ias respon- sibl-e for the overall direction of finance, justice, and police. This study, however, will explore Bégonts jurisdiction within the context of finance and the economy. During this period Canadian econonic policy was deternined. by principles central- to Colbertts nercantilist theory. Accordingly, the colony $Ias to be the supplier of natural resources such as fur, fish, and' tinber. coronial self-sufficiency r¡Ias to be permitted only for the production of the essential needs of life, and the colony was to be dependent on the Royat Treasury. By royal edict the col-onial administrator was to put the policy into practice. But he often had to work on his own initiative, as it was impossible to naintain regular comnunication with his superiors in France because of distance and un- certain sea travel. Consequently, a rnan l-ike B6gon had consid.erable opportunity to influence policy nade by the Ancien.R6&Lee. Therefore, the centraf question is how Michel B6gon implenented royal economic policy and how his work contributed to economic growth. Moreover, a study of New France exposes intricate relationships between families within the royal and colonial- administrations. A subordinate question, thereby, is how Bágonrs managenent of the colony was influenced by patronage and clientage. The investigation focuses on Bágonis control of finance with speci- fic reference to the al-location of royal funds, preparation of the annuaf bud.get, and resolution of the card money affair. His rofe in the fur trade is discussed with attention to his ideas on free trade, on establish- ment of posts in the west, and on the importance of lhe Indian and English to French comrnerce" An examination is mad.e of #gonts determination to pronote a colonial export trade in agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Further, there is analysis of his proposal to import a black labour force from the Antilles " Ultimately, French Canada \^ras on a firmer economic footing in L726 than in 1712" Hence, this study contend.s that growth and development of the colony throughout this period was due in some measure to Michel B6gonts direction of economic policy. IV ACKNOIÀILEDGEMENTS Foremost, I wish to thank my supervisor Father v. J. Jensen for his encouragement and patience in guiding ne through this work' I woul-d al-so like to thank Professor l¡1. M. Stevens for igniting my interest in French Canada and Professor R. A. Lebrun for extend.ing that interest to eighteenth-centurY France . I owe much to those archivists and librarians in France and Canada who aided. me in this study" In particular, I am grateful for the help which I received from the Archives Nationales and. the Bibl:LgÞhèque of rygËpgqþ in Paris" As well, I want to acknowledge the contribution those at the Public Archives of Canada, the Archives historiques de IrUniversi t6 ¿e Montráal- and the Archives de la Soci-6té Histor ue de Saint Boniface in ÏiinníPeg. This thesis reached fruition with the assistance of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Councíl of Canada Special M' A" Scholar- ship and a University of Manitoba Grad.uate Fellowship. Research in the Public Archives of Canada was made possible by a grant from the John s" Ewart Menorial Fund. Finally, the nanuscript was typed by Mrs. J. Dick. To all I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation. Moreover, to those who have encouraged ne in this endeavour and who have lent to me their und.erstand.ing, I an genuinely indebted' Not the least of whon l¡Iere ny husband Robert and our three children, for without their moraf support and reassurance this work would not have reached concluslon. V TABTE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract iv Acknowl-edgements V Introduction . I Chapter One Michel Bégon - Fonctionnaire naritime et l0 colonial )o Chapter Two Monsieur ltlntendant de finance Chapter Three LtAffaire de l-a carte monnaie 52 Chapter Four La libert'e d.u commerce BO Chapter Five Le maitre du comnerce 103 Concl-usion Bil-an t25 Appendix I B/egon coat of arns . 13z Appendix 2 Colonial funding L7L2 Io 1726 133 11t Append.ix J B6gonts L7I'/ budget L)4 Appendix d Recapitulation of the 1717 budget L36 Appendix ! Card. noney issued in L7L/, 1 ar7 Appendix 6 Map of the western fur trading posts T3B Abbreviations used in the notes L39 Notes l/o0 Bibliography 167 v1 Michel B6gon and. the Direction of Econoroic Policy in French Canada fron 1?12 lo 1726 INTRODUCTION Conmission drTntendant d.e 1a Justice, Police et Finances en Canad.a, Acadie, Isle de Terreneuve et autres Pays de Ia France Septentrionale, par le Sieur Bégän, du 31àne Mars I?10. nous avons cru que nous ne pouvions faire un meilleur choix que vous r pour bien exercer cette charge pour 1e bi-en de notre service, et celui de nos sujets /eüant au dit pays Versaill-es-sign'e 31 Mars 1710 par Louis Ph'elypeaux Poñtchartrain Qu6be c-enr dgi s tré't 14 Octobre I7L2 par 1e Sieur de Monseignat- Sail-s billowing, the kingrs ship rrle Hérosrt came into sight of the Quebec sentries posted. at their bastions high on the cliffs of Cape Diamond. l,rlord. passed. quickly that at last the ship had arrived' On board., this sixth day of October L7L2, was Michel.B6gon, long-awaited royal intend.ant, his wife Elisabeth d.e Beauharnois, and B'egonrs younger brother claud.e-Michel. After forty days of a |tmost calm and agreeable crossing'r from Rochefort to Quebec, "Le H6ros" dropped her sails and slid. into port alongside commercial vessels of all sizes--þelqeeÊ t fl-ûtes and canoes. The Bágon family disembarked and i^rere carried by small boal to the rocky shore of the st. Lawrence. There they were met by Philippe de Rigaud,, Marquis de vaudreuil, governor of the colony. After an exchange of greeting and rnessages, vaudreuil- took his party through the narrow, muddy streets of the Lower Town, caught in the shadow of the looming cliff. Backed up against the cliff, which rose Inore I'han 350 feet above the shore, were srnall houses, shops, and warehouses belonging to those engaged. in the comnercial life of the colony. The seventeenth-century 1 2 architectuïal style of these wood-frame and stone houses, with their steep slate or stra$I roofs r l¡rould' have been reminiscent of those in towns along the French west coast, such as St. Malo, La Rochelle, and Rochefort' The ultinate d.estination of the travellers r{as the Ïntendantrs Pal-ace located in the far reaches of the tov¡n, at the corner of rue Vall-ières and rue St. Nicolas, overlooking the St. Charles river' The palace was both the official residence of the intendant and the palais de .justice. From the palace, they would have seen far above then the buildings of the Upper, Town which could. be reached by the rocky, winding rue de la Montagne. Testament to the religious and military influence in the colony, rising high fron the cl-iffr r¡Iere the principal edifices of Church and. Crown. The governorrs resid.ence, the Château St" Louisr Pro- tected by a row of cannon, stood overlooking the St. Lawrence" In the cream- same gllqrlier were the baroque basilíca, begun in 1650, and the coloured stone buildings of the Jesuit seminary and college " Nearby were the Ursuline convent and the church of the R6co1lets. Synboticallyr Per- haps, the nilitary and. religious ínstitutions found their place in the upper Town, whereas trade and conmerce offered the focus of life in the Lower Town" The centre of activity in the Lower Town was the narketplace, on the cobbled square, in front of the parish church of Notre-Dame des Victoires. Here in the market and throughout the tiny streets close by the St. Lawrence walked merchants and trad.ers fron France and the colony' shopkeepers and artisans. coming from the harbour were shipsr captains and navvies I yelqgel¿rÊ and Indians. This was the world into which Michel n6gon entered. when he took up resid.ence in the Intendantts Palace in October L7L2" - )-) Appointed. by Louis XIV as intendant of Canada, Michel B'egon was responsible for the management of justice, police, and' finance. The purpose of this work, however, is to explore Bégonts jurisdjction within the context of finance and economic matters related to it. During this period., canadian economic policy was designed in France and was d,eternined by three principl-es which were central to Colbertrs nercantilist theory.