Land Grant for the Scam Colony of Poyais in Central America

"[Poyaisian Scheme] Poyaisian Land Grant - 500 Acres - Class B. No. 1730 Grant of 500 Acres",

This fascinating document is an artifact of the Poyaisian Scheme, one of history's great scams. In 1820, Scottish soldier, adventurer, and conman Gregor MacGregor (1786-1845) returned from a visit to present-day Honduras claiming to have been granted eight million acres from George Frederick Augustus, the nominal king of the Mosquito Coast. MacGregor declared himself "Cacique of Poyais" and began ingratiating himself with the British aristocracy and launched a comprehensive publicity blitz promising a land of opportunity in Central America. He raised some £200,000 and sent seven ships of settlers across the Atlantic to the fictional colony of Poyais in 1822 and 1823. What they found there was a barely inhabitable swampland; nearly 200 of the would-be colonists contracted tropical diseases and died. Despite the fact that his scheme now had a body count, MacGregor evaded justice. He fled to France and in 1826, he was acquitted in a fraud trial. Upon his return to London in 1827, MacGregor continued to sell land in Poyais. MacGregor would continue to run variations on the con until 1837. He died in Venezuela in 1845.

This grant for 500 acres, dated April 28, 1834, is signed by MacGregor and four of his marks. It features text in both English and French, with a copy of the original grant to MacGregor from George Frederick Augustus (with various endorsements), followed by the grant of 500 acres to whoever has signed the document. Across the top and on verso of the grant is the invent coat of arms of Poyais, featuring natives of the region, two unicorns, and the Latin motto "In Libertate Sociorum Defendena."

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Condition: B

Issued folding with light dampstaining at top. There are fold separations and small chips at fold intersections, with a few small areas of loss to text, all of which have been repaired with archival materials.