The prosperity of the French shipping trade is hampered, by the costliness of shipbuilding and by the scarcity of outward-bound cargo.
It is a port of call for ships trading with the north of Europe as well as for vessels outward bound to the Arctic regions, Hudson Bay and Canada.
De Ruyter was sent into the Channel to convoy the outward-bound convoys, and meet the home-coming trade.
The risk of importing plague from India has been materially lessened by medical inspection of outward-bound ships at the principal ports.
Thereafter the islands (which were uninhabited) were occasionally visited by outward bound ships to the Indies.
