Lachaise and Landier, who claimed to have families and property in Louisiana, proposed to transport agricultural products from Louisiana and the western states of the United States to Santo Domingo. The North Americans could not supply more than a quarter of French consumption, and they made France pay in gold. To escape the cupidity of the United States it would be necessary to establish competition between that nation and Louisiana, Florida, and the western states. There was an abundance of food in these regions, which could be bought for one-fourth the price charged by the North Americans. It would be necessary to appoint an agent to collect the food and send it down the Mississippi to New Orleans where another agent would ship it to France or Santo Domingo under the Spanish flag. Lachaise and Landier asked to be put in charge of the operation, for they had the knowledge and connections to carry it out.
