July 1698, fleet of 5 ships departed from the Firth of Forth with some 1,200 people onboard. Bound for the Isthmus of Panama, paradise in Central America, and their goal was to establish Scotland's first colony - New Caledonia. It was a bold, desperate gamble, intended to save Scotland from financial ruin. But only one year later, most of the settlers were dead, and the colony had been abandoned.
Podcast: Scotland's Disastrous Attempt at Empire