Episode 8: Eden to Ashes

02/16/21 • 37 min

In this episode, we venture into the tragic story of the 1902 volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique. Consul, Thomas Prentis and his family were among the 30,000 victims of this natural disaster. We will discuss the eruption itself, and the diplomatic consequences for Martinique. Show notes are at https://consolationprize.rrchnm.org/2021/02/11/episode-8-eden-to-ashes/.

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Episode 7: Selah in Jerusalem

We go to Jerusalem to find out more about Selah Merrill, the longest-serving consul there before 1948. Despite his desire to be in Jerusalem, Merrill didn't like the city or the people he encountered. He positively hated Jews; he disdained the American tourists; and he picked fights with the American colonists. So why did he stay?

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Episode 9: Victims of Independence

James Leander Cathcart and Richard O'Brien were uniquely suited to their jobs, from one point of view: they had spent a lot of time in the region they were consuls to--as captives of the ruler during the previous decade. Their struggles to do their jobs in the Barbary states was complicated by their inability to get along with each other, and in the end they couldn't accomplish the mission they'd been charged with: to make peace without payment with the Barbary states. Shownotes are at consolationprize.rrchnm.org.