Enlightenment and reform in the French Atlantic empire: Véron de Forbonnais, Pierre-Louis de Saintard, and the 1756 debate over the admission of neutral commerce in the Antillean colonies

Abstract

This article analyses the political and intellectual debates that took place in the French Empire concerning the admission of neutral commerce to the colonies at the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763). The decision taken by the Minister for the Navy, Machault d’Arnouville, was justified as the only means available to provide the Antilles with essential goods in the face of British naval primacy. Nonetheless, it met with strenuous opposition from the French chambres de commerce, which were reluctant to redistribute power in favour of the colonies. On the other hand, the economist Véron de Forbonnais and the Dominguan planter Pierre-Louis de Saintard strongly supported the minister, albeit for different reasons and goals. Linking questions of colonial dependence and neutrality, their theories disclose new perspectives on the political and intellectual impact of enlightened reform in the French Atlantic empire.