Napoleoni burned the furs Georgiana had just received.
Not only did he burn them, he threw them off the balcony of the Tuileries Palace. People strolling in the park after dark could not help staring at the bundle of fur burning in the darkness. It must have been soaked in lamp oil, for it gave off a pungent smell as it burned and left blackened marks on the stones.
At the time, no one knew what had happened. Later, they heard that Madame Sèvres had acquired a very precious blue fox fur, but the First Consul had an exceptionally keen sense of smell, and the animal scent on the fur had made him dizzy. When faced with a garment they disliked, other men might suggest that a woman change clothes. Napoleon would simply destroy it.
And so, the scene from the previous night unfolded.
In European society at the time, wearing fur was more a symbol of elegance and social status. No one associated it with cruelty.
Napoleon himself owned fur-trimmed clothing, but he did not possess anything entirely made of fur like Georgiana's.
Such a commotion should have come to Monroe's attention, but Georgiana had no idea what he would think. The Pacific Fur Company's principal competitor was the North West Fur Company, which was run by British merchants. Americans also wanted to drive British fur traders out.
It was not merely a matter of the fur trade. The British exchanged spirits and firearms with Indians. Americans believed alcoholism was a very bad habit, often associated with depravity, idleness, and "stupid choices." Fur traders chiefly obtained pelts from Indians, and Americans believed that if Indians drank too much, it would affect their acquisition of valuable furs. Thus, they established the "Indian Trade Office" as a gesture of humanitarian concern.