XXVI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas

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From 1795 on, the Company was at the fore of the fast-growing
commerce of Louisiana andWest Florida, dealing in every branch or
profitable business enterprise. Its goods were sold not only tI) the Indians,
bllt also to the colonists alld their slaves, the garrisons and officials.
They traded in lands and negroes, exported fllrs, ~Ieerskinns, cowhides,
cattle, cotton, corn, rice, lumber, tar, pitch and turpentine. Their imports
ranged all the way from goods 01 prime necessity for the Indians to the
lalest lllxuries of London fe r ranking officier-s and wealthy p~anters. TI-.e
till11'S capital, lhroughout its history, 'was stated as over half a million
dollar-s; the outstanding debts among the Indians and traders ran f rom
$120,000 to $200,000. The Intendant López estimated their known and legitimate
profits in 1800 at some $200,000 annually. Indeed, their profits
must have been large to offset the considerable los ~ es caused the Company
py the raids of that most persistent of adventurers, ·William Augustus
Bowles, by tbe extremely high insurance premiums lev;ed 0n their wartime
shipping by Lloyd's of London, and by the 10ss of vessels artd
cargoes captured alld decJared fair prizes during the French and the
English wars.
Hut until the end of Spanish domination, the House of Panton, Lesre
Forbes & Co . -English merchants, Ind:an traders and Spanis'h agentswas,
as the Governor of Louisiana ancl :West Florida admitted in 1800,
"the best, i f not the one and only means of preserving these provinces
for the Spanish Monarchy". In the intricate game of the fur-trade in
the Oid South-West of 1783-1819, the principal pieces were European
diplomacy, frontier politics and Indian psych010gy.With the wisdr.:
of \Vide experienct , the Company was able to play the game to their own
profit, the satisfaction of the Indians, and the interests of Spain. That
Spain shollld loooe Louisiana and the Floridas '\N2S inevitable - that sh e
was able to hold them so long was due, more than to any other single
factor, to the genius of the HOllse of Panton.