Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/305

 RICHARD CANTILLON 283 In 1726 the family started upon its travels. Cantilion wrote frequently, during the tour, to Francis Garvan, Esq., of the Middle Temple, his friend and confidential agent. In these letters we hear much of certain documents, abstracted from the papers of Hughes, which, according to French law, had been inventorled and put under seal by the King's officers on Hughes's sudden death. William Law's bill, and a book relative to the Firm business, though entered on the inventory, disappeared before the seals were removed. According to Mrs. Hughes, these were surreptitiously $aken away by Cantillon's representa- tives at the ceremony--the Abb Maurice and Daniel O'Keeffe, an Irish lawyer. The other side asserted that one Heguerty had taken them and given the book to Gage. Much capital was made by the Herberrs out of the loss of this book. They say that it showed the real state of the profits made on their actions the accounts actually furnished postdating the sales. Moreover, Cantilion, even if personally innocent, had been known to com- plain that Hughes probably cooked some of the accounts of Stock sales, and kept part of the profits for himself. The letters of Cantilion show that he was at Nampon, near Abbeville, on the 20th April, 1726, at Paris in May, Rotterdam in July, Brussels and Cologne in December. At erona (2nd April, 1728) a storm bursts upon him, as shown by a letter which he writes to Garyan from Chamberry, 7th April, 1728: ' I have been forced from Verona by a barbarous attempt of J. Gage's at Paris against my reputation by a criminal process carryed against me at the Chafelet clandestinely. He accuses me of Fraudulous Bankruptcy, evasion without paying debts pro rata, and supposition of name. It's above a year since he had a Prise de Corps against me and I never heard a word on 't till five days ago. I send my letter of attorney now to defend my fame and name if it be yet time.... [He then states his intention of proceeding at once to Paris to seek a rehearing.] I shall send Mrs. Cant[ilion] in a few months to Paris, and there leave her till it please God to ease me from these Virulent Persecutions.' After a visit to Geneva he dated again from Verona, 15 May, 1728. ' It seems the Lieutenant Criminal has so made his warrant of Prise de Corps against me as to require my going to Paris to have it taken off and dignifye the accusation, Pour vol, usure, violatio de dep6ts, fraude, supposition de personne. Now the vol and fraude are, I suppose, terms of art; but usure for a difference in exchange (and that in a place where exchange in' that very month carryed about 30 per cent.), for six to eight months, was stretching his power, and violation de dep6ts, in a