Letter and report about English and French trade after Treaty of Eden-Rayneval, 1786.

Historical Background

Letter to the members of the Chamber of Commerce of Le Havre and a comparative report of the English and French trade after the Treaty of Commerce 1786, 1788

Report and correspondence on paper.

In this letter dated 1788, signed by Lambert (Chamber of Commerce of Paris ?) and to members of the Chamber of Commerce of Le Havre, he asks for a report on the effects of Eden Rayneval Treaty of commerce.

This treaty is a trade agreement signed between France and Britain on September 26, 1786.

Signatories are William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland and Mathias Joseph Gérard de Rayneval, chief clerk of Charles Gravier de Vergennes, Minister of Foreign Affairs of France .

Following this letter is a study done by the members of the Chamber of Commerce of Le Havre, on scopes and effects of duties on sugar, compared to England drawback granted on exports.

The English indeed applied the principle of drawback, ie total or partial refund of duties on foreign goods when the goods are re-exported.

The report tends to check if this is applicable to France. It is explained in detail how England gets income from refined sugar coming from colonies, from taxes and drawbacks … and, in parallel, report shows that France should proceed in the same way.
This report considers the pivotal date of 1784 . Signature on September 3, 1783 of the Treaty of Versailles, signed between the two nations for free seas and free trade, confiscated by previous conflicts. One of its provisions provided for ” the establishment of new trade arrangements between the two nations on the basis of reciprocity and mutual convenience”.

These arrangements were to be completed and signed within two years, from January 1st, 1784