Standard of criticism hitherto applied to John Law.—Birth and ancestry.—Education.—Death of father.—Early devotion to study of finance.—Manner and appearance.—Visits London.—Duel with Beau Wilson.—Tried for murder.—Escapes to France.—Meets Lady Catherine Knollys.—Career of gambling on the Continent.—Studies banking.—Formulates new principles of finance.—Returns to Scotland.
Unsettled condition of Scottish politics in 1700.—Financial and commercial insecurity of country.—Law’s solution of difficulties.—Land Bank.—Supported by Court party.—Rejected by Parliament.—Again resorts to gambling.—Returns to Continent.—Expelled from Holland.—Visits Paris.—Discusses finance with Duc d’Orleans.—Expelled by Lieutenant General of Police.—Submits proposals to Louis XIV. without success.—Again attempts to secure adoption of proposals by France.—Financial condition of France.—Earl of Stair’s friendship with Law.
Accession of Louis XV.—National debt of France.—Debasement of coinage.—Arraignment of tax collectors.—Council of Finances consider Law’s proposals unfavourably.—Petition for permission to establish private bank granted.—Constitution of the Bank.—Its Success.—The “Pitt” diamond and its purchase.
Law’s notes become official tender.—The Mississippi Scheme projected.—Early explorers of Mississippi territory.—Establishment of the West India Company.—Its absorption of depreciated billets d’État.—D’Argenson appointed Chancellor of France, and attempts extinction of National Debt.—Law innocently involved in D’Argenson’s fatal scheme.—Saved from arrest by Regent.—The brothers Paris and an anti-system.
Exaggerated accounts of resources of Louisiana.—Law’s judgment at fault.—His ultimate aim.—He creates an artificial rise in the value of Company shares.—His unsuccessful efforts to gain influence over Saint-Simon.—Acquisition of Tobacco monopoly.—Absorption of other companies.—Reconstitution of West India Company.—Parliamentary opposition overcome.—“Mothers” and “Daughters”.—Excited speculation in shares.—Issue of notes to colonists.—A pioneer’s account of Louisiana.
Company acquires right of coinage.—Issue of fresh stock and rise in price.—Attempts made to discredit Law.—Stair’s account of the situation.—Law defeats the anti-scheme.—The concluding proposal of his schemes.—The Company’s capital and sources of revenue.—Report of directors for 1719.—Law’s bank converted into a Royal bank against Law’s wish.—The Regent divests notes of the bank of their most valuable features.—Provincial branches established.—Restriction of gold and silver tender.—Extravagance of successful speculators.
Hotel Mazarin acquired as office of Company and of Bank.—Excitement of crowds in the Rue Vivienne and the Rue Quincampoix.—Curious sources of fortune.—Instances of enormous fortunes acquired by members of the nobility.—Enormous influx of foreign speculators into Paris.
Law’s importance causes him to be courted by all classes.—Socially ostracised by nobility.—Law’s conversion to Roman Catholicism.—The part of the AbbÉ Dubois and the AbbÉ Tencin in the conversion.—Difficulties in its accomplishment.—Law becomes naturalised.—Law appointed Controller-General of Finance.—Regent celebrates appointment by a distribution of pensions.—Law honoured with the freedom of the City of Edinburgh.—Elected member of Academy of Sciences.—William Law brought to France and made Postmaster-General.—Law’s private investments.—His fiscal reforms.—His introduction of free university education.
Law’s designs against England’s political and industrial position.—Earl of Stair’s correspondence with Mr. Secretary Craggs.—Stair accused by Law of threatening the safety of the Bank.—Stair’s recall intimated.—Lord Stanhope sent to conciliate Law.—Threatened rupture between England and France over question of evacuation of Gibraltar.—Stair endeavours to justify his hostile attitude towards Law.—His apprehensions as to Law’s purpose in acquiring South Sea stock.—The humiliating nature of Stair’s dismissal.
The beginning of Law’s difficulties.—The Bank’s reserve of specie begins to be depleted.—Law attempts a remedy by altering the standard of the coinage, and restricting the currency of specie.—Temporary success of remedy.—Domiciliary visits resorted to for detection of hoarded specie.—Bank and Company United.—Discharge of National Debt.—Use of the Rue Quincampoix prohibited as a stock market.—The assassination of a stock-jobber by the Comte des Horn, and the latter’s execution.
New measures prove ineffectual.—New edict issued fixing price of shares and depreciating value of notes.—Authorship of edict.—People hostile to edict.—Parliament refuses to register it, and a revocation is issued.—Law deposed from office of Controller-General.—D’Aguessau reinstated in his former office.—New schemes for absorption of bank-notes.—Widespread distress produced amongst community.—Law’s person in danger.—Stock-jobbers establish themselves in the gardens of the Hotel de Soissons.—Parliament exiled to Pontoise, and Bank closed for an indefinite period.
