Extract from the minutes.
This is a record of the deliberations of the haberdashers and drapers of Dieppe, who used to meet at the rue de l’Ancienne poissonnerie, and of the acceptance of masters and apprentices to their ranks. On 5 November 1765 they were notified of a memorandum sent to the governor, Mr. Trudaine, by Mr. Johnson, asking to be admitted to the corporation in return for payment to the community of 600 pounds. Johnson was an English Catholic who had been living in France for twelve years. Trudaine supported the request, claiming that this new member would only have beneficial consequences for trade with England. But the haberdashers, referring to their bye-laws, replied that they could not accept any individual not born in France. They were particularly concerned that his knowledge of the country and the language would make him a dangerous rival.