LE CORPS CONSULAIRE FRANÇAIS ET LE DÉBAT AUTOUR DE LA « PERTE » DES AMÉRIQUES. LES INTÉRÊTS MERCANTILES FRANCO-AMÉRICAINS ET LE COMMERCE ATLANTIQUE, 1763-1795.

The article presents a reflection on the economic interests of France in the trade with North America between 1763 and 1795. This study is based on the reports of French consular officers concerning the opportunities brought up by the development of the French-American trade at this period. An analysis of the image that France had in North America during the Revolution (between 1789 and 1795), and of the way that France saw its neighbor across the Atlantic at this same period, is proposed in the article.