Britain's Corn Laws were intended to restrict grain imports, thereby protecting British farmers and landowners from competition from cheaper foreign grain.
Besides the Baltic Sea and Danzig in Poland, America was also one of Britain's sources of grain imports.
France, meanwhile, suffered deeply from excessively high grain prices. Although the agricultural company Lan Zhi, Lyon's official, had hoped for was never established, the Paris Agricultural Association did exist. It should have been a profitable business for everyone.
Some people wanted the French to starve to death. Then there was the matter of payment: Napoleon wanted coin to flow into France, while Britain wanted France to settle accounts in silver francs.
France also used a bimetallic gold-and-silver standard. One silver franc contained four and a half grams of pure silver, and the legally fixed gold-to-silver ratio was one to fifteen. It was not as favorable as Britain's "odds," so speculators naturally preferred doing business in London.
But Ouvrard had contracted the entire shipment of Mexican silver. Not only could he use British cruisers, he could also use American ships to transport silver coins to Europe. Although Napoleon's decree sanctioned cotton, coffee, and indigo, silver and grain were not included. American ships could still dock at French ports.
For this purpose, Ouvrard established a trading company in New York—not a hollow shell like the South Sea Company. Unless President Jefferson imposed an embargo, Ouvrard held exclusive rights to trade in the Americas. Charles IV bore all risks and expenses, while each ship could carry one-third of its cargo for Ouvrard.
The blank trade passes he had obtained from Spain could initially be sold to American firms, and Napoleon had no choice but to sign an agreement with Ra.
Georgiana did not know the contents of the agreement. She only knew that Ouvrard