The (mis)Adventure of the Company of Scotland

by Tom Doran

There are many languages spoken in central and south America that are not among the large number of native languages of the area. French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, English are many of the primary languages of the nations that were created by colonial powers centuries past.

But imagine if you will a Central American nation that did not speak the Spanish of the conquistadors, but instead the Scots language! And possibly even Scots-Gaelic. It almost happened.

The 1690's were a turbulent time in Scottish history (was there an era however that wasn't?) - famine was threatening, clan wars and political turmoil and an extremely poor system of exports left the country even poorer and possibly more desperate than before. But it was also an age of exploration, and many had seen the English and Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese get rich from their colonies overseas - and their ruthless exploitation of the new world (and old). Money was influence and real power on earth.

The Scottish Parliament had a notion - found their own colony in Central America - specifically on the isthmus of panama - and created a colony that would control a trade route from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It was a spectacularly innovative and forward thinking idea. Indeed the Panama Canal of the future would prove the need for a link between east and west in just this location.

The idea was to establish trading centers that cut through the isthmus - hauling cargo overland from Pacific ships, to waiting vessels on the Atlantic side (and vice versa) - circumventing the very long and treacherous trip around the Cape of Good Hope.

The Company of Scotland was thus founded - and shares offered and sold in England, the Netherlands and finally in Scotland. Indeed it seemed that everyone in Scotland wanted to participate and it became a truly national (and nationalistic) endeavor - there was not a class or level of society that did not participate in giving. Anyone with a little money to invest did so. They'd beat the English in particular at their own game and enrich the nation in a way that might never be possible in any other way.

In July of 1698 the expedition took sail, and while not necessarily doomed from the start - got off to a more or less bad start with the outward voyage of 5 ships dreadful almost beyond belief in terms of comfort. Arriving at their destination, which they called New Caledonia and the first order of business was to bury the already dead. The would-be colonizers were soldiers, families and craftsmen and all had the highest of hopes. They quickly built a fort and watch tower - but there was no readily available supply of fresh water to make the fort a useful structure in time of conflict.

The local Indians, while not hostile (as they were towards the hated Spanish), didn't seem particularly interested in helping either - and disease, lack of food (much was spoiled on the journey) and failures of farming started to claim the colonists in great numbers. And making their presence well known and threatening, were the Spanish of course.

Within a very few months, over 400 of the original 1,300 were dead. The natives did give them what food they could, but it was never enough.

Even more ships set sail from Scotland - having had no word of the terrible conditions of the colony, and thus unprepared for the incredible hardships that had befallen those who had gone before.

Battles increased with the Spanish, and while the Scots fought hard and well - with a serious determination, but it was still a lost cause.

Despicably, the English King (William, the Dutchman) sent out strict orders that no help should be given by any of their other colonies in the new world (including Dutch territories). They saw the debacle unfolding and wished to ensure it by an astonishing lack of basic human decency. William's hated of the Scots was well known (he who had signed the orders for the Glencoe Massacre - survivors of which were actually part of the colony).

Finally, the end came. In less than a year, the Scots could not secure a viable, working foothold in the new world - thanks to bad planning, bad luck, political opportunism, and the powerful interference of the ruthless world powers trolling the waters of the new world.

Scotland was now virtually bankrupt - every household felt it. The consequences were far reaching. Though the union of crowns had long before taken place with the ascension of James VI in 1603, the Scots had always resisted the next step - a union of nations. Now things were different. Only their financially mighty southern neighbor could help them out from the crushing financial ruin they found themselves in.

In 1707, the union of nations finally became a reality. Many powerful Scottish lords and landowners were bought off for their "aye" votes - and the promise that monies lost in the Darien disaster would be covered by the English crown. It was a temptation many could not pass by.

Scotland's national integrity and independence was finally lost, not on the battlefields of Britain, but in the dense jungles of central America.