Perhaps the most pivotal event in the modern history of New France, would be the arrival of the King of France to Quebec in 1793. The arrival of the King and his household was followed by the transplant of the the entire governing apparatus of the Ancien Regime from France, 3,300 miles west to New France. Quebec suddenly assumed the role previously enjoyed by Versailles. The arrival of their majesties in the New World had profound effect on the economy of New France as a whole. As mentioned earlier, Louis XVI's first acts was a decree opening the ports of New France to trade with friendly nations, and this would be followed by commercial treaties with various nations. The immediate result of this was the flood of British manufactured goods into New France. These were brought by British merchants, particularly from New England as they forged ties with French small-scale merchants, and many even took up residence in the major port cities of New France. Shortly thereafter, British textiles soon replaced those from Lyon, and nails, tools and other goods began arriving from Britain in ever large quantities.
Realizing the economic backwardness of New France when compared to Britain and her colonies, the king passed laws to promote trade and to establish manufacturing. Revenues were needed to build a navy and maintain the existing fleets, and only through commerce could the king fill his coffers. In an attempt to promote manufacturing, the king began liberally issue licences to manufacture goods in the colony. The importance of iron forges grew as their numbers increased. The manufacture of glass, brick kilns and lumber was also significant, particularly in Quebec where the arrival of the court led to a building boom. Attempts to stimulate the production of woollen textiles and a silk industry were less successful in the face of British imports, however. The production of luxury goods by craftsmen in small workshops in contrast was able to flourish. In France itself, the vacuum left by the exodus of nobility and clergy coupled with war on most European neighbours destroyed many craftsmen's livelihoods, leading many would to settle in Quebec and its environs. The king's brother, the Comte d'Artois established a porcelain factory with former workers from Sèvres and Limoges to produce hard-paste porcelain, with the new porcelain being highly sought after in Europe. Likewise a factory making rugs along with the tapestries was opened under royal patronage in Trois-Rivieres in 1798, using workers from the Gobelins and Aubusson factories. As a result of the revolution, workshops in France had closed or produced little goods, and the number of craftsmen arriving in New France increased until the end of the decade. Suppliers of luxury goods such as silversmiths, cabinet makers, dress makers and others connected to the nobility and church followed their customers into exile, giving Quebec a huge influx of skilled artisans and craftsmen. Another result of the arrival of the court would be the growth of the printing industry in Quebec. The number of printing presses in the colony grew as never before. Books became more readily available, and the number of newspapers soared. Despite these advances, the low literacy rate limited readership, as fewer than one-third of adults in the colony could sign their own names. This contrasted with British America where nearly 80% of white males were literate by the close of the 18th century.
The agricultural sector, long the mainstay of the economy of New France also drastic experienced changes during this period. The tobacco sector was hit hard as the tobacco planters of Lower Canada lost their primary export market, forcing many to turn to the production of wheat and maize. Others began selling tobacco to the British in Virginia where it was shipped through the Cumberland Gap on wagons and to Norfolk. Despite this, the loss of the French market was ruinous to many planters. In 1792, France had consumed 30,000 hogsheads of tobacco, about twice as much as New France, and exports to France would not recover for another twenty years. Hemp from south of La Belle Rivière region would did become an important substitute crop as it produced cotton bagging and rope, as did the raising of thoroughbred horses. Additionally, attempts to increase wine production by planting vineyards were undertaken. The consumption of wine dropped as the import of French wines became unavailable. Wines from Portugal, particularly Madeira imported by British merchants filled some of the gap, but new beverages grew in popularity. A type of whiskey (eau-de-vie) made from maize known became popular, as did rum imported from Saint-Domingue ad the West Indies.
In 1793 and 1794, crop failures in Louisiana, had lead to the replacement of indigo in many regions with with new crops. Cotton, first introduced around 1790 grew as demand for cotton in Britain increased. Though fewer than 800 bales exported in 1791, 34,000 would be exported a decade later, with most to Britain. The number French cotton merchants along the Mississippi grew, as they sold it to British merchants, whom exported the cotton to Liverpool. The French merchants earned commission of 2 1/2 % on sales and worked with larger British firms. British merchants were often providing financial backing for smaller French merchant houses, and supplying them with manufactured goods from Britain to sell. A complex web of international business grew as brokers bought goods in Britain and sent them to correspondents in New France where they also provided credit to planters. Planter assets went directly into purchasing more land and slaves, as goods were usually bought on credit and paid for with the next crop. The largest planters usually consigned their crop to a merchant house in New Orleans and borrowed heavily, allowing the British financiers to substitute those from Bordeaux. Within a short matter of years, flatboats filled the Mississippi River as they shipped raw cotton to New Orleans. Charleroi (Nashville), Natchez, New Orleans and Mobile had correspondent agents selling goods to planters as well.
The expansion of cotton had the effect of increasing the number of slaves imported into the colony. With the official number of slaves imported between 1791 and 1801 standing at 26,197. The majority came from Senegambia, usually by way of Saint-Domingue as the hub of France's slave trade moved from Bordeaux to Port-au-Prince. The most extensive seigneurial grants given by the crown in Louisiana during the first years after the king's arrival in New France. With many noble families close to the court having lost most sources of wealth, these grants were a way to grant these families an honourable source of income. The remaining Creek and Chickasaw Indians were dispossessed of their lands to expand cotton production and these were some of the most sought after grants. Many whom were able to obtain land-grants, become absentee landlords residing in Quebec, whist others turned to land speculation and sold their grants, often obtaining large profits.
Other areas were also granted as new seigneuries during the 1790s. The former Iroquois lands south of the Great Lakes, long sparsely settled were doled out to newcomers from Normandy and Brittany. It would be here that Buckwheat, barley, and rye was planted in large quantities. Further west, Louis François Joseph, Prince of Conti was granted a massive seigneurie several in the Rivière Rouge region. There he settled some 1,400 refugees, mostly from the Vendée where they would turn the region into one of the world's largest producers of flaxseed. The in turn flax would become valuable for use as sailcloth in outfitting the French Royal Navy. With the needs of the navy in mind, resin from pine trees in Louisiana was collected to make turpentine, however these were not initially able to meet the needs of the French Royal Navy and as a result, imports from North Carolina were imported, providing a lucrative industry for British settlers there.
The westward expansion towards the Pacific continued as new trading posts such as Fort-des-Prairies (Edmonton), which was founded in 1795. In 1797, the first Canadians made their way to the Pacific by Royal Expedition, reaching lands claimed for France by Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse in 1788. There would be conflicting claims over the region with Britain, Russia, Spain and France all claiming the Nootka Sound. Louis XVI was determined to settle the region and push French settlement westward so that New France would have access to the Pacific. Additionally, the agricultural settlement west of the Mississippi was beginning to grow, while the very first trading posts along the Rockies were established by intrepid fur traders.
An example of the new luxury goods crafted in New France, fauteuil from Quebec c1795 upholstered in locally woven needlework.
View attachment 312715