Attracted by Logwood 89
 On 29, April 1820, King George Frederick of Mosquitia
granted to His Highness Sir Gregor Mac Gregor, Cacique of
Poyais, several thousand square miles of land on the Black
River or Rio Tinto. The bonds and securities turned out to
be a sham and a loss to speculators on the London Stock Ex-
change. "The Times" and "The Scotsman" had articles, an
inquiry was held, lawsuits and actions for libel came up, but
Gregor Mac Gregor had powerful backers to stand bond for
him after his imprisonment. Colonel Francesco Maceroni,
who had been an aide-de-camp to Napoleon's brother in law
Murat, King of the Two Sicilies, and a brigadier in New
Granada was a fellow schemer in London.
 Colonel Hector Hall, Baron of Rio Tinto, was appointed
governor of this colony. In February and March 1823 two
vessels, the "Honduras Packet" and the "Kinnersley Castle"
landed about 200 colonists on the coast of Poyais "where sil-
ver is more common than clay." They had little provisions,
and the natives took them across the lagoon to the desolate
site where the capital was to be. On the first night they re-
mained in the heavy dew with their astonishment and the
insects. Most of them were Highlanders and sheep farmers.
Meanwhile Mac Gregor was living in luxury in England and
the Baron of Rioc Tinto at the Royal Court on the Wanks
River. Scarcity of food and clothing, heatstroke and fever,
bad water and dysentery, caused them to lie on leaves under
ill-constructed palm shacks in the midst of great uncleanli-
ness and shiftlessness where a dozen died. Belize heard of it,
and the commander-in-chief, General Codd, sent for them in
June, and the women and children of these deceived people
were properly cared for in twos and threes in private houses
in Belize.
 When the brig "Skeen" arrived off the Black River from
Leith with the third shipload of 105 immigrants and found
no sign of a settlement they refused to land on the lonely
shore, and they induced their leader Campbell to land them
at Belize. But such an unusual influx of immigrants threat-