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19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

atlasobscura.com

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Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#2
> He was so convincing that 250 poor Scots went on board the ship, the Edinburgh Castle, armed with his guidebook to Poyai. They then spent two years dying in the jungle. Forty of them come back and stand for his defense to say, ‘No, we just got lost because obviously we didn’t find the land in the guidebook.

People said he was the best conman.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#3
I've got an old map of Massachusetts from 1799 which, while not fraudulent, is completely wrong in several places. For one, where my town is supposed to be, it names another town that is actually much closer to Boston (and is also duplicately labelled on the map in its correct spot). It isn't like my town didn't exist at that point. It incorporated 50 years before that, and already had a major road from Concord going through it.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#4
post #2

> He was so convincing that 250 poor Scots went on board the ship, the Edinburgh Castle, armed with his guidebook to Poyai. They then spent two years dying in the jungle. Forty of them come back and stand for his defense to say, ‘No, we just got lost because obviously we didn’t find the land in the guidebook. People said he was the best conman.

The lengths of self delusion people will resort to rather than accept the fact they've been conned.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#5
If you're looking for the most valuable forgery/con in history, a good candidate is the Donation of Constantine[1], a forged document which claimed to transfer sovereignty over western europe to the pope.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donation_of_Constantine

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#6
post #2

> He was so convincing that 250 poor Scots went on board the ship, the Edinburgh Castle, armed with his guidebook to Poyai. They then spent two years dying in the jungle. Forty of them come back and stand for his defense to say, ‘No, we just got lost because obviously we didn’t find the land in the guidebook. People said he was the best conman.

[deleted]

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#7
I was reading the article posted on HN yesterday from Matt Lakeman about Guyana. Then I read this quote about this fictionalized country:

  "...a local Indigenous population that for some reason loved British colonizers," 
Grifters don't really have to come up with a truthful sounding story. They need to come up with something absurd.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#8
post #7

I was reading the article posted on HN yesterday from Matt Lakeman about Guyana. Then I read this quote about this fictionalized country: "...a local Indigenous population that for some reason loved British colonizers," Grifters don't really have to come up with a truthful sounding story. They need to come up with something absurd.

Maybe he found the Oompa Loompas.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#9
post #8
post #7

I was reading the article posted on HN yesterday from Matt Lakeman about Guyana. Then I read this quote about this fictionalized country: "...a local Indigenous population that for some reason loved British colonizers," Grifters don't really have to come up with a truthful sounding story. They need to come up with something absurd.

Maybe he found the Oompa Loompas.

LOL. I wish I could give you two upvotes.

But, your idea is not plausible. Oompa Loompas are too believable.

Re: 19th Century Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

#10

I've got an old map of Massachusetts from 1799 which, while not fraudulent, is completely wrong in several places. For one, where my town is supposed to be, it names another town that is actually much closer to Boston (and is also duplicately labelled on the map in its correct spot). It isn't like my town didn't exist at that point. It incorporated 50 years before that, and already had a major road from Concord going…

Such maps can reveal a lot about the focus and priorities of early cartographers
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