Some calculations on the freightage.

The profits to be made.

How much can one man out in a day?

will make a considerable profit by the freightage that will be paid to them at the rate of five sols per cubic foot of wood, which will compensate them for nearly all the expenses of their fitting-out.

They know that they have nothing to bring back from Canada, from which comes only beaver skins and fur pelts, which altogether are not able to make up the cargo of a single ship of 150 tons of carriage. They are all forced to return empty and this is what makes the trade of Canada very unprofitable.

By giving them thus a way of having a cargo on their return and of recouping the expenses of their fitting—out, we provide them with a great advantage.

To provide proof of it to them, it is necessary to give the details of what a ship is able to carry back in cubic feet of wood according to its size.

A cubic foot of wood weighs 80 [8 ?]2/ivres, on this basis 250 cubic feet of wood is required for one ton of freight weighing two thousand, but because wood takes up more space than heavy materials one can reckon only on 200 cubic feet of wood for the loading of a ton of freight.

On this basis, a ship of 100 tons of carriage can bring back 20,000 cubic feet of wood which at a rate of 5 sols a foot will give him 5000 Iivres in money for his cargo. Vessels of 200, 300 and 400 tons of carriage will make 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 respectively. This advantage is so great for these merchants that as soon as they will have thought it over they will come forward wanting to carry this wood back to France.

The King also sends a vessel to Canada every year which also returns empty. If his Majesty, instead of sending a vessel of war, sends a ﬂaw3 of 500 tons, it will bring back up to one hundred thousand cubic feet of wood, and gain for its freight 25,000 to compensate the expense of its fitting-out.

It remains only to say that by carrying out this plan, the King could have all this wood supplied to his ports at ten sols per cubic foot, instead of which at present in overall terms they cost him more than thirty sols.

One has just seen above that the transport back to France will cost him only five sols per cubic foot by having it brought back by the ships of his subjects and that he will save even this expense when he will have it carried back in his own ships.

It is necessary at present to show that this wood will cost him at the most, for cutting, squaring, transport and embarking on the loading gauge only five sols per cubic foot and that at this price it will enrich the soldiers and their officers who will make them work.

There is no man who cannot cut and square at least twenty cubic feet of wood a day. Good workers cut and square in France up to 30 to forty feet; but since soldiers will not be expert at first, one estimates their work on the basis of twenty feet per day. The King paying a soldier on this basis, besides food, clothing and wage, twenty cubic feet of wood at the rate of five sols per foot, he will earn 100 sols a day, which would be exorbitant but as it will be right and even necessary that he share this wage with his officers, the King will be able to rule that three sols per cubic foot will be paid to the soldiers and two sols to the officers in order to commit them to having