Darien scheme

8.834018 - 77.631798Koordinaten: 8 ° 50 ' 2.5 "N, 77 ° 37' 54.5 " W

The Darién project was an attempt to establish a Scottish colony in Panama. The catastrophic failure of the project brought Scotland to the brink of bankruptcy, and so accelerated the merger with England to the Kingdom of Great Britain.

History

The Company of Scotland

During the 17th century England benefited increasingly from its overseas colonies, particularly in North America. Since 1603, King of England and King of Scotland was (or the Scottish Stuarts inherited the English throne ), still remained the Scots access to the English colonies denied. Because colonies were at that time under the management of a trading company ( "company "), which owned a patent of the king for the colony and thus the right to decide on participation in a colony. The Scots were excluded because they were not British citizens.

The Scottish financier William Paterson, who had founded in London, the Bank of England and made ​​a fortune in England, believed to have found a solution to the dilemma: he founded the Company of Scotland - a Scottish trading company - and planned a colony in Darien in present-day Panama.

The Subskriptionsbuch the Company of Scotland was opened in London on 13 November 1695 it wanted to take advantage of the strength of the English money market. Within a short time the target volume of 300,000 pounds was drawn. Ironically, this successful launch triggered the first crisis of the Company of Scotland: In the age of mercantilism, it was assumed that the wealth of any nation was limited and thus the wealth of England was subtracted from the Scots to make England competition. English merchants, especially the British East India Company saw their position threatened. The case was discussed in the House of Lords, to which the ( English ) boards of the Company were charged under threat of punishment. A delegation of representatives of both chambers of the English Parliament traveled to King William in the Netherlands to insert official protest. The king signed a document in which he stated, was by the Scots in this matter to be treated badly ( "ill -served in Scotland ").

After the project had failed as a Scottish- English joint venture, the Company of Scotland decided to act on their own. Authorized by an Act of the Scottish Parliament Act, the Company put the subscription in Scotland on February 26, 1696 at again. On the first day alone, more than 50,000 pounds were subscribed. Since the " own colony " was regarded as a national project, recorded not only rich citizens and nobles, cities and guilds the bonds, but also less wealthy. As the aim to raise 400,000 pounds, had been achieved up to 2,000 pounds, the Company of Scotland decided to close the subscription list on August 3, 1696. Ships were chartered and equipped hired sailors and settlers recruited for the planned colony. This should - the old Celtic- Latin name for Scotland, Caledonia taping - hot New Caledonia.

Creation and demise of the colony of New Caledonia

On July 18, 1698 in Leith hoisted the first, consisting of five ships to sail. On November 2, 1698 reached the coast of Darién. As a base, the colonists founded the Fort St. Andrews on the Gulf of Darién. Then they started for the planned settlement of New Edinburgh to clear the jungle and to create fields. But soon vanished all hopes: The selected area was mosquito and malaria- infected (which is why the neighboring Kuna the area avoided ), the floors were not very fertile, brought supplies verrottenen in the tropical rain, the hot and humid climate made the around 1,200 settlers to create. They starved; more and more diseased, finally there was a day up to ten dead. The ships, their cargo via the Darién isthmus to the Pacific ports would have to be transported ( this business idea was decisive for the choice of Panama), stay out.

Then the settlers in New Caledonia requested the English colonies in the New World for assistance. King William and his cabinet would have had to stand by the Scottish settlement of New Edinburgh, as well as those of his English subjects. But they gave priority to other interests, including they wanted to provide any grounds for a conflict with Spain, which saw itself provoked by the foundation. Therefore, the governors of the English colonies of Massachusetts were instructed to Jamaica to provide any assistance the Scottish settlers. A delegation from New Caledonia, the order implored help in Port Royal, the capital of the colony of Jamaica, was accordingly dismissed. Let down, gave the settlers in New Edinburgh in July 1699. The barely seaworthy ships sailed home; but only one of them reached 300 survivors Scotland.

In the meanwhile, because of the failure in Scotland was not yet known, a second fleet sailed with other colonists to New Caledonia in 1140, which ended on November 30, 1699 on land. They found only abandoned ruins and set about New Edinburgh rebuild. But then attacked the Spanish colonists who claimed the area as belonging to the Real Audiencia de Panamá, the "invaders " and laid siege to Fort St. Andrews. In March 1700, the last Scottish settlers were the Spanish.

Consequences of failure of the project

The first news from Spain about the end of the colony of New Caledonia you had not wanted to believe in Scotland. However, during the year 1700 the investors realized that the project had failed. From the total subscribed capital of 400 000 pounds 153 448 pounds had actually been paid by the end of the colony. Historians estimate that a quarter or even half of the total cash Scottish national wealth had been incorporated into the Company of Scotland. Now, many had lost their entire capital. Your bankruptcy drew circles. The State finances were shattered, the otherwise successful John Law they could not save her.

Queen Anne now saw the opportunity to eliminate the independence of Scotland altogether. In the years 1706/1707 of the Act of Union was negotiated, and England took over the Scottish government debt. Scotland was involved in a customs union with England and its colonies. Was assumed that the Treaty of Union in the Scottish Parliament on February 16, 1707 with 110 to 69 votes, was also the fact that many MPs voted in favor, who had lost money through the Darién project and now could count aloud Union contract with compensation.