Daily Quiz for July 4, 2008

America. Hortalez et Cie was a fictitious company established to facilitate the transfer of arms to revolutionaries in America. Established by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais in June 1776, it facilitated the transfer of weapons and munitions from France and Spain to the Americans. Under the scheme, France and Spain each loaned funds to the company for the purchase of munitions and the Americans would in turn pay for the material with rice, tobacco and other products. The scandal-plagued operation continued after the signing of the Franco-American alliance permitting open shipments of military aid between the two countries.