Chapter 620 The great Franco-American alliance!
London.
On the easternmost side of Downing Street, in a high-end cafe run by a Frenchman.
Segur waved his hand vigorously and said angrily to Tristan:
“The United Kingdom is destroying the order in North America and the Caribbean!”
He originally lodged a diplomatic protest with Britain, but unexpectedly met the American envoy, so he invited the latter for an informal meeting.
The American envoy appeared to be more restrained:
"Count Segur, I think this may be just a personal act of British abolitionists."
As a senior diplomat, he Officer, I know that the Duke of Leeds has just conveyed his intention to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries to the US government not long ago.
To this end, the British will support the United States' territorial claims to the Indian settlements. In fact, they will give up supporting the Indians, strengthen trade between the two countries, and open more British markets to the United States.
Logically speaking, it should not cheat the United States by changing hands.
Segur sneered: "The whole world can see what the British want to do. Your country's cotton production is increasing rapidly, which will seriously lower the price of cotton in the British Far East colonies. So they chose to use black The slave thugs will destroy your plantation.”
Tristan couldn’t help but frown slightly. He must admit that the French envoy's statement was not unreasonable. Then the Duke of Leeds' previous visit to Philadelphia was to paralyze the US government.
He secretly decided in his heart that he would submit a report to Parliament after returning to warn of the risks from Britain.
Segur said in a slightly oppressive tone: "So, how is your country going to punish Britain for its behavior?"
"This...I have made stern representations to Lord Grenville to protest against them..."
Segur shook his head: "Listen to me, your country is too dependent on British trade. Empowering them to harm your interests
“As allies, we should do something to change this situation. Yes, our country also suffered huge losses this time, and Saint-Domingue was thrown into chaos by the British. We must unite! ”
Tristan suddenly showed interest.
He belongs to the hawks of the United States, otherwise Washington would not have given him the task of holding Britain accountable. But he also knew, As a small country, the United States does not have the strength to retaliate against Britain, but it would be a good choice if it could use France's help to punish Britain.
"What do you mean?"
"Start by improving your trade dependence on Britain." Segur said, "Our country can significantly increase its imports of cotton and timber from the American market. This will allow you and The British are more confident when talking."
Tristan hesitated: "With all due respect, Your Excellency, France's imports are already saturated, and you cannot consume so much cotton and wood."
“You are right,” Count Segur nodded solemnly, “but in order to support our allies in improving their diplomatic voice, and for our own export, our government will provide special allocations to purchase a large amount of cotton. and invest in your country to help those destroyed cotton plantations resume operations as soon as possible."
Tristan was delighted: "Thank you to our closest allies!
"So, is it convenient for you to reveal the size of the special loan?"
Ségur immediately said: "At least more than 8 million francs."
He had previously obtained the crown prince After the British diplomatic protest, he will immediately rush to the United States to discuss cotton procurement. At this time, he is just warming up with Tristan in advance.
Joseph knew that the Booker Movement would have a heavy blow to cotton production, and he wanted to hoard as much cotton as possible before the market reacted to ensure that the French textile industry had enough raw materials.
Even if the textile mills cannot use up the cotton, they can still make a profit by reselling it when the price of cotton rises sharply due to the production cut in the United States.
As for investing in American cotton plantations, it is even more profitable. Those plantations that were severely damaged were in danger of bankruptcy, and the plantation owners were willing to sell their shares for only a small investment.
This will not only increase the source of raw materials for France, but also drag the United States away from the British market as much as possible.
In fact, if France had not provided huge amounts of aid to help the United States found its country, from the economic perspective of the United States, they would have worn the same pants as the British.
This is why in history, as soon as the French Revolution broke out, the United States couldn't wait to sever its alliance with France and switch to the embrace of Britain.
Logically speaking, as a parliamentary country, the United States should strongly support France in abolishing the royal power and establishing a republic.
In fact, everything is determined by the United States' dependence on the British market.
Therefore, it is very important to promote the U.S. trade diversion. This time the United States is dissatisfied with the United Kingdom, which is a rare opportunity.
Tristan’s face was filled with a smile that couldn’t be concealed:
“I will report this good news to Congress as soon as possible. Long live the Franco-American Alliance!”
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"Long live the Franco-American Alliance!" Segur echoed and smiled, "Of course, if your country can provide appropriate concessions, I can also apply for more funds from Archbishop Brian."
"I promise to try my best to fight for it from the Board of Trade."
......
Western Caribbean, Jamaica.
At dusk, the busy day has stopped in Kingston Port. The black slaves on the dock were driven by the overseers with whips and returned to the slave living area listlessly.
However, on an inconspicuous shoal to the north of the pier, there were still thirty black slaves, under the command of five or six white and mixed-race people, constantly unloading wooden boxes from a sloop.
Those "overseers" seemed to be holding whips, but in fact they did not pay attention to the slaves' work. Instead, they kept looking around.
One of the mixed-race men lit the pipe in his hand, took a strong drag, and whispered to the "overseer" beside him:
"The Governor has summoned more than a thousand people last week. Soldiers, even if we have these guns, there is no way we can be their match.”
Yes, what the black people behind him are carrying are boxes of Brown Bess flintlock guns - Leeds. The Duke took it to Santo Domingo two months ago.
The tall middle-aged man beside him said calmly:
“There are 300,000 black slaves on this island, and I brought guns, so we will always have more soldiers than plantation owners.”
Another white man immediately said: "Major Auriol, those black people can only grow sugar cane, we can't count on them."
"Yes, there were 3,000 slaves in the slave riot the year before last. Many people participated, but in the end they were suppressed by 600 British soldiers."
Aurior smiled: "Then join the 'Dignity Movement' to join the uprising. Their 'patrol team' has 400 people. Many people.”
The "Dignity Movement" he was talking about was an abolitionist organization in Jamaica, but most of its members were white.
(End of this chapter)