Couverture fascicule

The Merchants and General Faidherbe. Aspects of French Expansion in Sénégal in the 1850's

[article]

Année 1974 223 pp. 236-283
doc-ctrl/global/pdfdoc-ctrl/global/pdf
doc-ctrl/global/textdoc-ctrl/global/textdoc-ctrl/global/imagedoc-ctrl/global/imagedoc-ctrl/global/zoom-indoc-ctrl/global/zoom-indoc-ctrl/global/zoom-outdoc-ctrl/global/zoom-outdoc-ctrl/global/bookmarkdoc-ctrl/global/bookmarkdoc-ctrl/global/resetdoc-ctrl/global/reset
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
Page 236

The Merchants and General Faidherbe Aspects of French Expansion in Sénégal in the 1850's

LELAND CONLEY BAKROWS

I

The gênerai subject of this paper is how the relationship between French colonial business interests in the nineteenth century affected the élaboration of officiai French colonial policy. In order to cast some light upon this very broad area of inquiry, it will be restricted to an examination of the spécifie relationship which may hâve existed between the Maurel and Prom trading and shipping firm of Bordeaux, x

* The following abbreviations will be observed : A.N. : Archives nationales de France. A.R.S. : Archives de la République du Sénégal. J.P.P. : Jauréguiberry Private Papers, Archives de la Marine. M.M.C. : Minister of the Marine and Colonies. M.P.P. : Maurel and Prom Papers. S.O.M. : Section Outre-Mer des Archives nationales de France.

1. The Maurel and Prom Company, a Bordeaux family trading and shipping firm, was probably the most important such firm operating in Sénégal in the 1850's. In 1855, after a partial reorganization of its corporate structure, its Senegalese opérations were valued alone at 1,400,000 francs. It still survives today in Sénégal, Mali, and Gambia, dwarfed only by such giants as C.F.A.O. and S.C.O.A. which hâve branches ail over West Africa, particularly in the former French territories. But Maurel and Prom are among the oldest surviving companies with antécédents in Africa going back at least to 1822. Because various persons, including Verminck, who founded C.F.A.O., and Philippe Laf argue, who became one of the founders of the Delmas Company of Sénégal, began their African careers working for Maurel and Prom, and because Maurel and Prom spawned the B.I.A.O. Bank, the Company today can correctly claim to be the doyen of French-African trading firms.

The history of the Maurel and Prom Company goes back to Jean Maurel (1757- 1832), a Bordeaux stock-broker and his numerous progeny, five sons and four daughters, particularly Hilaire (1808-1884), and Jean-Louis (1797-1869), who in association with Hubert Prom (1807-1896), the elder Jean's nephew, went into business with a member of the Potin family of Bordeaux and Gorée to import small goods into Gorée and Saint-Louis. The first one to sail to Africa with a small quantity of goods was Hubert Prom in 1822. By 1830, he was joined at Gorée

— 236 — Res>. franc. tPhitt. d'Outre-Mer, t. LX1 (1974), n« 223.

doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw
doc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-ccw doc-ctrl/page/rotate-cwdoc-ctrl/page/rotate-cw