#43 - The Darien Scheme (Disaster in the New World)

In the late 17th century Scotland attempted to gain control of a tiny but immensely important trade choke point in a vast foreign empire we knew little about, the endeavour was widely unsuccessful and would result in thousands of deaths and economic disaster – it makes the Strait of Hormuz seem a little less ridiculous when you consider Donald trump has Scottish ancestry. The Scottish colony of New Caledonia on the Darien Isthmus of Panama was incompatible to colonial development due to its dense jungle, extreme climate and the fact the Scots colonists were being exposed to more diseases in a foreign climate than on your average 18-30 holiday. When King William declared a trade embargo against the Scots colony all hope was lost and the colony was abandoned. The colonists at Darien had opted not to mention they were sick and starving in the letters they sent back to Scotland, they just pretended everything was great and they were having a brilliant time, it was like holidaying at Centre Parcs. When their letters reached home, they were enthusiastically received by a Scottish population who were invigorated by tales of a friendly indigenous population, a tropical paradise and a Darien gold-rush. ‘Darien fever’ took hold in Scotland, thousands volunteered for the second expedition to the New World just as the Scots at New Caledonia were abandoning their colony. The shocking news of the abandonment of New Caledonia only reached Directors of the Company of Scotland twelve days after the departure of the second expedition to Darien. This second Darien expedition attempted to resurrect the Scottish colony but only lasted four months and twelve days at Darien before disease, starvation and a decisive Spanish attack ended Scotland’s brief attempt at becoming a colonial power once and for all. In the fallout of the disastrous Darien scheme anger was directed at King William, Jacobite sentiment grew, and a restless nation begun to consider its place within the Union of Crowns.