Famous Impostors

Bram Stoker spent his last years collecting history's great frauds: pretenders to thrones, alchemists and witch-finders, the Tichborne Claimant — and the strange Cotswold legend that Queen Elizabeth was really a boy.

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents

7 cases in this part of Famous Impostors.

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents

THE great "Mississippi Scheme" which wrought havoc on the French in 1720 is the central and turning point in the history of John Law, late…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: Banque

This was done by Letters Patent and the Banque Générale came into existence in 1710, and was an immediate success. Its principle was to…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: France

Law had promised high dividends to the speculators in his scheme, and had so far paid them; so it was no wonder that "The System" raised…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: Naturally

The time for trying to sell them had not yet arrived. Naturally such a locality rose in value, and as demand emphasises paucity of space…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: John

John Law married, quite early in life, the daughter of the Earl of Banbury and widow of Mr. Seignior. His widow died in 1747. Some of the…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: India

The following list will typify. Of all these John Law had knowledge sufficient to judge of difficulties to be encountered in the early…

The Mississippi Scheme and Its Antecedents: England

England had been gradually making a commerce of her own in the Indies, and all that was required was an official acknowledgment, so that…

Rights & ReuseThe complete text of Famous Impostors (1910) is in the public domain in the United States — like all works published before 1928 — and is free to read, download, quote, teach from, and reuse. This digital edition (its transcription, restored images, and site design) is © 2026 PhotoOpAI, and any editorial commentary we add is clearly marked as ours; the underlying public-domain text carries no such restriction.