Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum here. Many Londoners in the eighteen twenties were
Speaker 1: exhausted and impoverished from the Napoleonic Wars that had ravaged Europe.
Speaker 1: They were eager for some hope and good news. So
Speaker 1: when Scotsman Gregor McGregor arrived in town, claiming to be
Speaker 1: his Serene Highness Gregor, the first Sovereign Prince of the
Speaker 1: State of Poious and its Dependencies, and Casque of the
Speaker 1: poor Nation, they fell for his engaging tales of this
Speaker 1: far off land. The wrongs of citizens invested in the
Speaker 1: Kingdom and even attempted to move there, becoming victims of
Speaker 1: one of the world's greatest swindlers. McGregor's intriguing tale begins
Speaker 1: in eighteen eleven when McGregor took it upon himself to
Speaker 1: sail to South America and fight under Simone Boulivard in
Speaker 1: the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spain. Impressed with McGregor's
Speaker 1: solid military background in the Royal Navy, Bolivard granted him
Speaker 1: a commission. The personable, daring McGregor did well in many
Speaker 1: battles and quickly rose through the ranks. When the Spanish
Speaker 1: were largely vanquished, McGregor moved two various spots in the
Speaker 1: region to testle with other European outposts. In eighteen twenty,
Speaker 1: he landed on the Mosquito Coast, an area that today
Speaker 1: incorporates the eastern coast of Nicaragua and a little of
Speaker 1: southern Honduras, named after the native Mosquito people who lived
Speaker 1: in and around the region. It was little more than
Speaker 1: a swampy, pest filled jungle. After applying the landowner, King
Speaker 1: Frederick Augustus with booze, McGregor persuaded Augustus to sign over
Speaker 1: the forlorn acreage to him. Then he sailed for London
Speaker 1: to start his scheme. McGregor told Londoners and his fellow
Speaker 1: Scots that King Augustus had dubbed him Prince of Poise
Speaker 1: and granted him twelve thousand, five hundred square miles. That's
Speaker 1: about thirty two thousand, three hundred square kilometers of beautiful
Speaker 1: land in the Bay of Honduras, full of old mines,
Speaker 1: where fruits, sparkling water and fertile soil. The land simply
Speaker 1: needed settlers, he said, partnering with other hucksters. He opened
Speaker 1: the offices for the Poiagan Legation to Britain in London
Speaker 1: and land offices in Glasgow, Sterling and Edinburgh to sell acreage.
Speaker 1: McGregor swapped fake poy in money had printed for interested
Speaker 1: settlers real currency. He even proofered the book Sketch of
Speaker 1: the Mosquito Shore, including the Territory of Poias, as proof
Speaker 1: of Pois's existence. The book similarly described land not only
Speaker 1: rich in resources, but also possessing a civil service, bank, army,
Speaker 1: and democratic government. But McGregor had actually published the book himself,
Speaker 1: using the startling pen name Captain Thomas Strange Ways. Hundreds
Speaker 1: of people, both rich and poor, bought his story and
Speaker 1: invested in the land. Soon McGregor was a multimillionaire by
Speaker 1: today's standards. Then, McGregor chartered boats to take Well to
Speaker 1: their new home. In eighty two, some two hundred and
Speaker 1: forty people, many of them older in age, set out
Speaker 1: for Poia's in two ships. When they arrived, they obviously
Speaker 1: didn't find the paradise McGregor had described. Instead, they found
Speaker 1: an empty, inhospitable buggy land. Malaria and yellow fever soon
Speaker 1: swept through the group. Killing three quarters of them. Eventually,
Speaker 1: fifty people made their way back to London, where McGregor
Speaker 1: was exposed as a fraud, but by then he had
Speaker 1: snuck away to France. The French were as easily swept
Speaker 1: away by the concept of poias as the Brits and Scots,
Speaker 1: but French authorities grew suspicious and McGregor landed in jail
Speaker 1: in France and later in England. Incredibly, authorities in both
Speaker 1: countries released him after short stays. Nonetheless, in eighteen thirty nine,
Speaker 1: penniless and friendless, Gregor and McGregor moved back to Venezuela,
Speaker 1: where he persuaded authorities to grant him a pension for
Speaker 1: his years of service as a general in the Venezuelan
Speaker 1: War of Independence. He'd id on December four at the
Speaker 1: age of fifty nine. Today, Pious remains undeveloped. Today's episode
Speaker 1: was written by Melanie red Zekei McManus and produced by
Speaker 1: Tyler Clain. To learn more about Gregor McGregor, check out
Speaker 1: the podcast Ridiculous History and their episode Gregor McGregor invented
Speaker 1: a country and convinced people to invest in it and
Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other topics, visit
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