A. D. i^>95. 667 



Scottifh company in vain applied to the king, and they got addrefles to 

 him from all parts of Scotland, for obtaining the iltting of their parlia- 

 ment: and, notwithihmding all thefe difappointraents at London, Am- 

 fterdam, and Hamburgh, they took an additional fubfcription at home 

 of Lioo,coo, which made their entire capital in Scotland L400,oco 

 fterling: and (that we may dilpatch this matter entirely, now we are 

 upon it) having, as they imagined, well weighed all the treaties with 

 Spain, they ftrongly infifted, that the cotmtry of Darien, in which they 

 determined to plant, was never planted nor fettled by Spain ; but was 

 always under the independent government of its own Indian chiefs, who 

 have, for the moil part, remained in a ftate of enmity with the Span- 

 iards. Wherefor, with five ftout iliips and i ,200 men, and all kinds 

 of implements for war and commerce, they failed thither in the year 

 1698, with many brave and experienced men, who had ferved in the 

 late war, and were difmifled at the peace of Ryfwick. The fame year 

 they landed in Darien, and immediately ereded a fort, and formed a 

 plantation on a point of land, within which, about a league from Golden 

 ifland, they found a fafe and capacious harbour, calling their tirft fort 

 St. Andrew, and their new town there New Edinburgh. Recruits of 

 two fliips and 300 men at one time, and of four fhips and 1,300 men 

 at another time, with flores, &c. were fent after them ; all which, and 

 feveral other (hips with fupplies, came for the greatefl part to unforefeen 

 misfortunes in their way to Darien, which they had now named Cale- 

 donia. There were exceeding great rejoicings all-over Scotland on the 

 news of their landing : for, as they pompoufly, axid truely, termed this 

 fettlement the height of the world, as lying between the fpacious North 

 and South feas, their views were at firfl very towering. By the propofed 

 fettlements on each fliore of the ifthmus, they flattered themfelves they 

 fliould be beforehand with all the trading nations of Europe ; firft, 

 by fupplying Peru and Mexico with whatever they wanted from Eu«- 

 rope, and, in return, fupplying Europe with the treafure and other pro- 

 du(fl; of thofe two rich empires ; fecondly, it being about lix weeks fail- 

 iiig from their intended port on the South fea to Japan and to ibme 

 parts of China, and as there is but a fmail land carriage of a few leagues 

 over that iflhmus, they computed, that in four or five months time 

 they could bring the riches of Japan and China into Europe, and there- 

 by greatly underiell all the other Ealt-lndia companies of Europe. They 

 were not aware, that thefe flattering confiderations were lb many un- 

 doubted bars to their fuccefs, and that it would be the evident intereft 

 of all the commercial nations of Europe to frufl;rate their whole 

 alluring plan. Beiidcs all thefe romantic Ichemes, and their projected 

 trade to the fouth and fouth-eaft coafts of Africa, they had farther in view 

 the production of cochineal, fugar, mdigo, tobacco, and many other 

 undoubtedly feafible things, in tneir own colony of Caledonia ; and m- 



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