Mississippi Bubble
Preserved but no longer current.
The French "South Sea Scheme," and equally disastrous. It was projected by the Scots financier, John Law (1671-1729), and had for its object the pay- ment of the National Debt of France, which amounted to 208 millions sterling, on being granted the exclusive trade of Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi. Inaugurated in 1717, it was taken up by the French Govern- ment, and in 1719 the shares were selling at forty times their original value.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Mississippi Bubble” mean?
The French "South Sea Scheme," and equally disastrous. It was projected by the Scots financier, John Law (1671-1729), and had for its object the pay- ment of the National Debt of France, which amounted to 208 millions sterling, on being granted the exclusive trade of Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi. Inaugurated in 1717, it was taken up by the French Govern- ment, and in 1719 the shares were selling at forty times their original value.
Is “Mississippi Bubble” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.