Le commerce maritime de nantes avec la cote occidentale de l'afrique (1833-1895)
Institution:
NantesDisciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
Owing to the continuation of licit trade between nantes and the west african coast, the rank of this port among other, the african products exported to nantes and inversely, the result of all this is that the maritime trade between the two parties was of relatively low volume from 1833 to 1895. This low volume was due to many factors ; one of which was the difficult adaptation of the inhabitants of nantes and of the africans to licit trade, especially between 1833 and 1850. The former equipping of slave ships reconverted to the traffic of the authorized products went bankrupt. The advent of oleaginous plants and their industrial transformation boosted the trade between the african coast and nantes during the second half of the nineteenth century. For africans, oleaginous plants were means of replacing the slave trade; not as much as they wished, because the settlement of european factories on the land brought about the disintegration of african brokerage. In nantes, the firm serpette and cie was the biggest representative of the african trade by the size of the oleaginous oil and olea ginous seeds it imported for its soap factory and its oil works. This firm heralded the companies of the industrial period. It benefited from the exemption from duties in force in the english ports, to settle trading posts in sierra leone on the west african coast and it throve more than 25 years. But confronted with the concurrence of powerful steamship companies, the firm serpette and cie could not prevent. . .
Abstract FR:
Les raisons de la poursuite des echanges licites entre nantes et la cote occidentale de l'afrique, le rang qu'occupe ce port parmi les autres, les produits africains exportes a nantes et inversement, il en resulte que le commerce maritime entre les deux parties est d'un volume relativement faible, de 1833 a 1895. Cette faiblesse a plusieurs causes dont la difficile adaptation des nantais et des africains au commerce licite, surtout entre 1833 et 1850. Les anciens armements negriers reconvertis au trafic des produits autorises connaissent des faillites. L'avenement des oleagineux et leur transformation industrielle impulsent des echanges entre la cote d'afrique et nantes au cours de la seconde moitie du xixe siecle. Les africains y trouvent une ressource de remplacement a la traite des noirs; pas tant qu'ils le souhaitent, car l'implantation des factoreries europeennes sur la terre ferme entraine la desagregation du courtage africain. A nantes, la maison serpette & cie, par l'importance des huiles et graines oleagineuses qu'elle importe pour sa savonnerie et huilerie, est le plus grand representant du commerce africain. Cette maison illustre les compagnies de l'ere industrielle. Elle met a profit le regime de franchise en vigueur dans les ports anglais pour installer des comptoirs en sierra leone, sur la cote occidentale de l'afrique et prospere pendant plus de 25 ans. Mais confrontee a la concurrence des puissantes compagnies de navigation a vapeur, la societe serpette voit sa flotte composee des voiliers decliner entre 1881 et 1895. C'est aussi le declin du commerce maritime entre la cote d'afrique et nantes-st-nazai