French corsairs now a small museum. French corsairs Corsairs () were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid letter of marque ( or , the latter giving "corsairs" their name), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law.
Financial costs of the Seven Years' War entered the war. In 1766, Benjamin Franklin said in an address to Parliament that American colonists had spent millions of pounds contributing to the war effort. France gave financial support to its allies. It gave a total of 11 million sd. in subsidies to Sweden during the war. France lost thousands of "livres" worth of shipping during the war. Royal Navy ships and British privateers took 1,165 French merchant ships as prizes. Great Britain did not make any substantial fiscal gains taking French ships during the war, however. According to Larry Neal, the taking of prizes "contributed a derisory share