Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

236 FALKLAND ISLANDS. drew this small garrison, and left the Falkland archipelago uninhabited by man, I am not certain ; but it must have been early in this century, because from 1810 to 18^0 there was no person upon those islands who claimed even a shadow of authority over any of them. In 1820, a ship of war was sent from Buenos Ay res to Port Louis ; her captain, Jewitt, hoisted the Argentine flag, and saluted it with twenty-one guns ; notifying, at the same time, to the sealing and whaling vessels present, that he was " com- missioned by the Supreme Government of the United Provinces of South America to take possession of these islands in the name of the country to which they naturally appertain." (Weddell, p. 103.) This act of the Buenos Ayrean Govern- ment was scarcely known in Europe for many years ; and not until 1829 was it noticed formally by Great Britain. After reading this short statement of facts, one may pause to consider what nation is at this moment the legitimate owner of the Falklands. Do the discovery, prior occupation, and settlement of new and uninhabited countries give a right to possession ? If so, Great Britain is the legal owner of those islands. Davis first discovered them ; Hawkins first named them ; Strong first landed on them ; and (excepting the French), Byron first took formal possession of them ; and (again excepting the French), Macbride first colonized them. Respecting the French claim, depending only upon first settle- ment, not discovering, naming, or landing ; whatever validity any one may be disposed to allow it, that value must be destroyed, when it is remembered that Spain asserted her superior claim, and that France actually admitted it, resigning for ever her pretensions to those islands. Whatever France might have been induced to do for political reasons, of which the most apparent now is the continuance of the trade she then carried on with Chile and Peru, England never admitted that the Spanisli claim was valid : and France having with- drawn, the question is solely between Spain and Great Britain. Spaniards neither discovered, landed upon, nor settled in the Falklands before Englishmen ; and their only claim rests upon