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

APPE^'r)Ix. 155 sa Majeste Britannique, le port et fort du Port Egmont, commc aussi toute I'artillerle, les munitions, et efFets de sa Majeste Britannique, et de ses sujets, scion I'inventaire qui en a ete dresse ; et le dit ambas- sadeur s'etant de plus engage, au nom de sa Majeste Catholique, que le contenu de la dite declaration sera efFectue par sa Majeste Catho- lique, et que des duplicatas des ordres de sa dite Majeste Catholique a ses ofRciers seront remis entre les mains d'un des Principaux Secre- taires d'Etat de sa Majeste Britannique, dans I'espace de six semaines ; sa dite Majeste Britannique, afin de faire voir les memes dispositions amicales de sa part, m'a autorise a declarer, qu'eUe regardera la dite declaration du Prince de Masserano, avec I'accomplissement entier du dit engagement de la part de sa Majeste Catholique, comme une satisfaction de I'injure faite a la Couronne de la Grande Bretagne. En foi de quoi, moi, soussigne, un des Principaux Secretaires d'Etat de sa Majeste Britannique, ai signe la presente de ma signature ordinaire, et k icelle fait apposer le cachet de nps armes. A Londres, ce 22 Janvier 1771. (L.S.) (Signe) " Rochford." James Harris, Esq. to the Earl of Rochford. " Madrid, 14th February 1771. " They keep the declaration here as secret as possible. I do not find any to whom they have sho'rni it, except those to whom they are obhged to communicate it. They also report that we have given a verbal assiu-ance to evacuate Falkland's Island in the space of two months." The Earl of Rochford to James Harris, Esq. " St. James's, 8th March 1771. " His Majesty has been pleased to order the Juno frigate of thirty- two guns, the Hound sloop, and Florida store-ship, to be prepared to go to Port Egmont, in order to receive the possession from the Spa- nish commander there ; and as I have spoken so fuUy to Prince Mas- serano on the manner of its being executed, it is needless for me to say any more to you upon it. " I think it right to acquaint you, that the Spanish ambassador pressed me to have some hopes given him of our agreeing to a mutual abandoning of Falldand's Islands, to which I repHed, that it was impossible for me to enter on that subject with him, as the restitution must precede every discourse relating to those islands. r 2