ABSTRACT
The pressure on the Dutch was part of an attritional strategy designed to force France to peace, one that also led to moves in Britain against insuring French shipping and goods. At the same time, British policy-makers were sensitive to agitation within the United Provinces about British naval pressure on Dutch trade. Allowing for the major role of illicit or semi-authorised activity, formal policy in Britain was set by ministers in a milieu in which official and private representations from those engaged in legal trade played a key role. The political weakness of the public sphere in France was linked to a situation in which commercial policy was essentially ‘top–down’, and therefore greatly affected by the interests of government. The link between trade, finance and the ability to pursue a foreign policy became increasingly powerful in French public discussion from the 1760s.
