ABSTRACT
In the wake of Theophile Malvezin's pioneering work, remarkable for its day, Francois Crouzet and later Paul Butel have shown how powerful was the growth of the maritime trade of Bordeaux over the eighteenth century: the port was to hold the leading place in France, and third place in Europe. The War of the Austrian Succession had amounted to only a short-term interruption in the upsurge in Bordeaux's trade: an average of 125 ships fitted out in 1733–1743, as compared to 200 in 1755. With the continued growth of imports from the West Indies in the recovery following the Seven Years' War, Bordeaux became even more dependent on the colonies. Although the conflict between France and Britain was also an economic one, trade during the Seven Years' War fared better than is sometimes suggested. However, other difficulties were to confront merchants of British origin who had settled in Bordeaux.
