Some Economic Problems of Spanish Governors of Louisiana
W HILE a full-scale study of Spain's economic problems in the Mississippi Valley is necessary before any basic conclusions can be drawn, it is possible to examine some of the major problems of the seven Spanish governors-general of Louisiana from 1766 through 1799, and to draw parallels. It is quite obvious from a cursory study of Spain's dominion of the Floridas and Louisiana that her economic problems were vastly different from those encountered in her Latin American possessions. The contact with French and Anglo-American populations, each with varying economic systems, goals, and methods, and Spain's inability to cope with the supply system all dictated an economic policy that at times seemed a trial-and-error proposition.