British sovereignty is reasserted over the Falkland…

British sovereignty is reasserted over the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic.

Luis Vernet had approached the British Consulate in Buenos Aires in 1826 and 1828 seeking permission to form a settlement on the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands); the Government of the United Provinces, the precursor to the Republic of Argentina, had assigned Vernet the same task.

After receiving consent, Vernet agreed to provide regular reports to the British and expressed the desire for British protection for his settlement should they decide to reestablish their presence in the islands.

In 1829, the United Provinces had proclaimed Vernet as Governor of the islands, ignoring British diplomatic protests at the appointment and declarations of sovereignty were ignored.

The United Provinces also granted Vernet exclusive rights to seal hunting in the islands.

The British and American consulates disputed this but once again, the diplomatic protests were ignored.

In 1831, Vernet began to seize American fishing vessels hunting seals in Falklands waters, confiscating their catch and arresting their crews.

Vernet returned to the mainland with senior officers of the American vessels to stand trial for violating restrictions on seal hunting.

On December 28, 1831, the American corvette USS Lexington destroyed the Puerto Luis settlement in response.

The captain declared the islands free of government.

This latter incident finally convinced the Foreign Office to reassert its sovereignty claim over the islands.

Throughout much of 1832, the United Provinces did not have a Government representative in the islands.

The Buenos Aires government commissioned Major Esteban Mestivier as the new Governor of the Islands, to set up a penal colony, but when he arrived at the settlement on November 15, 1832, his soldiers mutinied and killed him.

Lt. Col. José María Pinedo, commander of the United Provinces schooner Sarandí, put down the mutiny with aid from a French ship in Puerto Luis.

Order was restored just before the British arrived.

The brig-sloop HMS Clio, previously stationed at Rio de Janeiro, had reached Port Egmont on December 20, 1832, under the command of Captain John James Onslow.

It is soon joined by HMS Tyne.

Onslow arrives at Puerto Luis on January 2, 1833.

Pinedo sends an officer to the British ship, where he is presented with a written request to replace the Argentine flag with the British one, and leave the location.

Pinedo entertains plans for resisting, but finally desists because of his obvious numerical inferiority and the want of enough nationals among his crew (approximately eighty percent of his forces are British mercenaries who refuse to fight their countrymen).

The British forces disembark at 9 AM of January 3 and promptly switch the flags, delivering the Argentine one to Pinedo, who leaves on January 5.

The British vessels depart two days later, leaving William Dixon (Vernet's storekeeper) in charge of the settlement.

The dispute will remain unresolved for over one hundred and fifty years.

Argentina claims that the population of the islands was expelled in 1833; however, sources from the time suggest that the colonists were encouraged to remain under Vernet's deputy, Matthew Brisbane.

HMS Beagle arrives on March 15, 1833.

Charles Darwin comments, "After France, Spain, and England had contested the possession of these miserable islands, they were left uninhabited. The government of Buenos Aires then sold them to a private individual, but likewise used them, as old Spain had done before, for a penal settlement. England claimed her right and seized them. The Englishman who was left in charge of the flag was consequently murdered. A British officer was next sent, unsupported by any power: and when we arrived, we found him in charge of a population, of which rather more than half were runaway rebels and murderers." (The Voyage of the Beagle.)

Vernet dispatches his deputy Brisbane to the islands to take charge of his settlement March 1833.

Meeting with Captain Fitzroy of the Beagle, he is encouraged to continue with Vernet's enterprise provided there is no attempt to further the ambitions of the United Provinces.

In August 1833, eight members of the settlement run amok, killing the five senior members.