[French Colonies in America]: [Smuggling]:

$850 · Offered by William Reese Company

ARREST DU CONSEIL D'ÉSTAT DU ROY, PORTANT REGLEMENT AU SUJET DES CONTESTATIONS ENTRE L'AMIRAUTÉ DE FRANCE & LES FERMIERS GENERAUX, SUR LA COMMERCE PROHIBÉ QUI SE FAIT TANT EN MER & DANS LES PORTS, ... A French royal decree concerning a squabble over who gets to keep the profits when smugglers are apprehended. "Allaying the dispute between the French Admiralty and the 'Fermiers Généraux' concerning their respective duties and privileges as regards the detection of smugglers, fraudulent trade, and the distribution of profits accruing therefrom" - Maggs. This copy is from the library of Cardinal Etienne Charles de Lomenie de Brienne (1727-94), Minister of Louis XVI, Archbishop of Toulouse and of Sens. A friend of Voltaire and a member of the Académie Française, Brienne wielded significant power as head of the Finance Ministry, which earned him many enemies. He died in prison during the French Revolution, despite having renounced Catholicism in 1793 (presumably as an attempt to save his life). Wroth locates only one copy, at the Archives Nationale; OCLC locates two more copies (University of Minnesota and John Carter Brown Library). Rare.

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