goleta the St. Philip, to retire, and the before-mentioned Captain Hunt's having, in a letter to my Governor, as explained in French by Mr. Bunze, the interpreter, expreffed, that fix months were allowed him to quit Solidad harbour, and its dependencies, which he faid belonged to the King of Great Britain) already warned him from my Governor to quit our dominions, his ftay in them being contrary both to the treaties and harmony fubfifting between the two crowns; and he not being willing to comply, I proteft three several times, in the moft effectual manner, against all he has faid; fignifying to him, that he fhall be anfwerable for all the ill confequences which may enfue. In the fame manner I protest against him for having threatened to fire into me, if I profecuted my commiffion, and efpecially for his having oppofed my going to their colony, which they faid was called Port Egmont. I likewife proteft, that the faid Captain Hunt's going into La Solidad harbour, though in an amicable manner, as he verbally told me, will be taken as an infult. And in order that this may publicly appear, after having caufed this proteft to be understood -by means of the interpreter Jofeph Bunze, I have hereunto fet my hand, on board the fame Tamar frigate, riding in Diamunta bay, the 10th day of December, 1769. MARIO PLATA. Don Philip Ruiz Puenta to Captain Hunt, dated at the Maluina island, December 12, 1769. SIR, On the 10th inftant I received your anfwer, both to my respectful letter of the 30th ult. and to the warning and requifition I fignified in the name of his Catholic Majefty, my mafter, on the fame 10th day of the month, by Don Mario Plata, an officer of this garrifon, commiffioned by me for that purpofe, and other affairs relating to his Majefty's fervice, that you would quit these territories, and no longer remain or navigate in these feas; but in the want of a translator fufficiently verfed in the English, to give me exact information of its contents, I fufpend for the present any answer to it. But confidering the contents of the protefts made to you in writing by the aforefaid officer, in the name of the King, my mafter, against the extraordinary menaces which he received from you, both in writing and verbally, and by your order declared to him by the interpreter, I now tell you, and in his royal name repeat to you, and to all who may come under your command as fubjects of his Britannic Majefty, that on receipt of this fecond warning and requifition, you with the greateft difpatch quit every fettlement made within these territories and islands of my government, the legal poffeffion of which belongs to my Sovereign, and without his fuperior licence or permiffion, which you have not produced, no perfon can navigate, much lefs make a fettlement, without violating the facredness of the prefent (A 4) treaties treaties and harmony between the two powers. I therefore again re new my warning to you, to conform to it; fince whatever refolution you shall take to the contrary, will be confidered as a manifeft excefs and attempt, diametrically contrary to the faid treaty; and from this time I protest against the contravention of it. God grant you a long and happy life. I remain, &c. PHILIP RUIZ PUENTA. Captain Hunt to Don Philip Ruiz Puenta, dated at Port Egmont, December 16, 1769. I have received your Excellency's fecond letter, which I am forry you fhould have the trouble to write, as it contains nothing but what is diametrically oppofite to the orders I have received from his Britannic Majefty, my mafter, therefore quite unneceffary for you to make any remonftrance; and I must repeat, you and your colony, together with your effects, are expected to depart from thefe iflands within the limitation fpecified in my first letter. I am extremely forry I have not a proper person to interpret the Spanish language, as it would enable me to be more explanatory with your Excellency. I am, &c. ANTHONY HUNT. Proteft of Don Mario Plata, dated at Port Egmont, Dec. 18, 1769. Don Mario Plata, Lieutenant of foot, being commiffioned by my Governor, Don Philip Ruiz Puenta, to vifit all the harbours and coafts of thefe Malouine iflands under his government, as dominions belonging to the King of Spain, my mafter. First, I protest against his having hindered me navigating into Port Egmont, where I now am, running on board of this goleta, and obliging me to come to an anchor, without allowing me to go on fhore. Secondly, I protest against his not permitting me to go out of its entrance; threatening me, that fhould I attempt it, he would com. pel me by force to go back; and the premiffes being in every respect contrary to the treaties of peace, and the prefent harmony between the two powers, I proteft againft Captain Anthony Hunt, and charge him as anfwerable for all the confequences; and to give it ftill a greater evidence, I caused this proteft to be explained in French, by Mr. Bunze, and fign it with my own hand, on board his Majefty's goleta the St. Philip, at anchor in Port Egmont, the 18th of December, 1769. MARIO PLATA. Don Don Fernando de Rubalcava to Captain Hunt, dated Feb. 20, 1770. SIR, Happening to come into this harbour, I was furprised to find in it a kind of fettlement under the English flag, which was flying on fhore, and fupported by his Britannic Majefty's fhips, yourself being commander in chief. As thefe dominions belong to his Catholic Majefty, this procedure is contrary to the fpirit of treaties, which do not allow of fuch intrufion into a foreign dominion, against all right; and therefore the subjects of the King of Great Britain have dared to violate the last peace, in the obfervance of which, his Catholic Majefty, to obviate all complaint, ftrictly obliges all his fubjects to the moft fincere harmony, fo conformable to his royal intentions; accordingly I proteft to you, both verbally and in writing, that you defift from your illegal ufurpation of this harbour and coafts, and leave my mafter in the free poffeffion of his dominions. I abftain from any other manner of proceeding, till I have acquainted his Catholic Majefty with the disagreeable affair, and receive his royal orders concerning it. God grant you a long and happy life. On board the St. Catharine frigate, the 20th of February, 1770. Yours, &c. DON FERNANDO DE RUBALCAVA. Captain Hunt to Don Fernando de Rubalcava, dated at Port Egmont, February 20, 1770. SIR, In anfwer to your letter of this day's date, I am to acquaint you, that these islands belong to his Britannic Majefty, my mafter, by right of discovery; and that it is with his moft gracious pleasure that I am here, with directions to protect them to the utmost of my power, and to remonftrate against the fubjects of any other power making a fettlement on any of the faid islands. I do therefore, in his name, warn and exhort you, and all under your command, to evacuate them. Captain William Maltby, of the Favourite frigate, to Mr. Stephens, dated at the Mother-bank, September 22, 1770. SIR, Please to acquaint the Right Hon. my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that his Majefty's floop under my command is arrived from Port Egmont in feventy days, but laft from Fyal, where I touched for water; have on board the officers and company of his Majefty's late floop Swift. The event of my coming home being of a fingular a fingular nature, I propose staying here, not permitting any com munication with the fhore, discovering the floop's name or from whence, &c. until I receive their Lordships orders. I herewith inclose the copies of my letters to the Spanish Commodore, with his letter and translation to me; the reft of the accounts Captain Farmer fends; Lieutenant Gower will inform you of any other particulars. WILLIAM MALTBY. I am, &c. John Ignacio Madariaga, the Spanish Commodore, to Captain Maltby, dated in the bay of Cruizada, June 8, 1770. MY DEAR SIR, Finding myself with incomparable and fuperior forces to the frigate you command, and attending to the good harmony that reigns between our respective Sovereigns, and confidering the humanity that fhould be used to people that are defencelefs, as you are, I intimate to you a first, a second, and a third time, to quit this port. Your acting contrary, will oblige me to proceed to hoftilities against you, in which action you will be rendered incapable of proceeding on your voyage. If you do not take this timely notice, you will oblige me to treat you in a different manner, although in my esteem you will always be the fame. I am always at your service, and pray unto God to preferve you many years. I kiss your hand, &c. JOHN IGNACIO MADARIAGA. Captain Maltby to the Spanish Commodore, dated in Port Egmont, SIR, As you have received the refreshments of water, &c. you flood in need of, my orders from his Britannic Majefty, my Royal Mafter, are, to warn you forthwith to quit this harbour and islands, called Falkland's, having firft been discovered by the fubjects of the crown of England, fent out by the government thereof for that purpose, and of right belong to his Majefty; and his Majefty having given orders for the fettlement thereof, the fubjects of no other power can have any title to establish themselves therein without the King's permiffion. Captain Maltby to the Spanish Commodore, dated in Port Egmont, SIR, June 9, 1770. I have received your letters of the 8th and 9th, in answer to mine. of the 8th, wherein you intimate, that in pursuance of your orders, you you will oblige me (if I do not peaceably) to retire from this port and iflands, by the power of your fuperior force, (both by fea and land); you do not admit that you have as yet committed any hoftilities, nor can I think you mean to do it in a time of profound peace; and more efpecially as you allow there is the greateft harmony, at this very juncture, subsisting between the two crowns. The time you have allowed me to give a categorical anfwer, though very short, will not have the least effect in altering my determined resolution, in defending and supporting the honour of the British flag to the utmost of my power. I am, &c. WILLIAM MALTBY, Captain Farmer to Mr. Stephens, dated on board the Favourite, September 22, 1770. The 4th of June the Industry, a Spanish frigate, anchored in Port Egmont harbour, having been, they faid, fifty-three days from Buenos Ayres, put in for water, and bound to Port Solidad. The 7th, anchored here four Spanifh frigates, which had been twenty-fix day's from Buenos Ayres, came out in company with the Industry, and parted with her four days before. On the arrival of those ships, the Industry hoisted a Spanish broad pendant. I now ordered most of the officers and men belonging to the late Swift on shore to defend the settlement; and ordered Captain Maltby to get the Favourite nearer in to Jafon's Cove. One of the Spanish frigates fent an officer on board, to acquaint Captain Maltby, that if he weighed, they would fire into him; which he took no notice of, but got under fail. The Spanish frigate fired two fhot, which dropt to leeward of the Favourite, three of them got under way, and kept working to windward, as did the Favourite. Captain Maltby sent an officer on board the Spanish Commodore, to know the reason why one of the fhips under his command had fired two fhot at the Favourite. His anfwer was, that they were not fired at the Favourite, but as fignals to him. Since the first appearance of those ships, I began to clear the ftores out of the blockhoufe. The, four twelve pounders at the battery were so funk down in water and mud, that they were entirely useless. I had them tranfported to the blockhoufe, and had port-holes cut out for them with a platform, before covered round with the cordage. We now wrote to the Spanish Commodore, defiring, as he had received the refreshments he ftood in need of, that he would depart from hence. His anfwers, with the preparations they were making, left us no doubt of their real intention. The Spanish Commodore, in one of his letters, defired us to fend to view the troops that were ready for landing; which we did in the evening of the 9th. Our officers reported them to be (feamen and all included) about fixteen hundred, with a train of artillery fufficient to reduce a regular fortification, and five frigates, from twenty to thirty-two guns. By |