|
|
In 1829 Britain's consul general in Beunos Aires protested
against the appointment of a governor in the Falklands and old claims to sovereignty were re-asserted.
In September 1832 Buenos Aires despatched another Governor Juan Esteban Mestivier but his office was abruptly terminated when he was murdered by mutineers just after his arrival and Jose Pinedo, Captain of the Sarandi assumed control.
News of these events and also the anarchical acts of the North American sealers forced the British Government to take action and two British vessels Clio and Tyne  were sent to re-assert British rights. They arrived in Berkeley Sound on 2nd January 1833. Don Pinedo was forced to leave on the warship Sarandi taking his soldiers and the convicts that had arrived with him. The penal settlement was closed, and William Dickson, Vernet's storekeeper, was left in charge until Brisbane could return. Puerto de la Soledad fell to the mercy of a gang of gaucho indians, previously convicts, and reluctant to return to lawful life.
The Port Louis murders
On his return Brisbane tried to salvage Vernet's enterprise and attempted to create law and order. The volatile situation errupted when there was not a suitable currency with which to pay the men. Led by Antonio Riverio and armed by American sealers, they murdered Brisbane, William Dickson, Juan Simon (capitaz of the gauchos), Don Ventura Pasos, and Anton Wagner (a german settler). |
Surviving settlers, thirteen men, three women and two children fled first to Hog Island and later to Turf Island Berkeley Sound where they remained, living off the land, until help arrived in the form of a passing naval vessel some months later. On hearing the tragic news, HMS Challenger was sent to the Falklands to land Lieutenant Henry Smith RN as Governor. Rivero and others were arrested and taken to England but due to the dispute over the islands there was no trial and all were returned to Montevideo by the Admiralty.
The colony at Port Louis was re-established and from 1834-42 was supervised by naval superintendents, aided by a small naval party to keep law and order. A superintendent was registrar, judge and shipping master. Efforts were made to co-ordinate general behaviour, marriages took place and minor offences tried. Mutual contracts and letters of agreements were signed by the superintendents.
Visits by Charles Darwin
In 1833 and in 1834 was visited by the world's great naturalist Charles Darwin. Captain Fitzroy of the Beagle (1833) visiting Port Louis, found the early inhabitants rather menacing. Of the gauchos he wrote: While idling at the settlement they gamble, quarrel, and fight with long knives, giving each other severe wounds. With their loose ponchos, slouched hats, long hair, dark complexions and Indian eyes, they are characters fitter for the pencil of an artist than for the quiet hearth of an industrious settler. He also saw five Indians, prisoners from Buenos Aires allowed to leave prison to go to the Falklands under the care of Mr Vernet.
He noted the crews of thirty whale-ships hovering about or at anchor amongst the islands, the men of American vessels all armed with rifles, the English sealers with clubs if not also provided with rifles; the cut throat looking gauchos and downcast Indian prisoners and the crews of several French whalers –(who could not or would not see why they had not as good a right to the islands as Englishmen), made for a dangerous situation.
Lieutenant Smith did much to restore order and by 1836 life was again normal at Port Louis with Vernet's house repaired, whitewashed and occupied by Smith and his son. At this point there were 18 persons living there including a French boy, a German, an American some English and some South Americans. In 1841 John Bull Whitington arrived at Port Louis, along with 16 colonists, 2 children, 12 sheep and 2 pigs, to take control of land bought by his brother from Captain Langdon, a naval officer and colonist with estates and interests in Tasmania, and who had twice called on Vernet at Port Louis en route. Vernet had granted Langdon possession of ten square miles of East Falklands. The enterprise got off to a disappointing start when the master of one of the two brigs 'Mary Anne' which had brought them safely to the islands (belonging to Whitington's brother) took control of the ship with their provisions, selling them off to other settlers and sailors and finally left taking the ship. Life at Port Louis at this point seemed still to have a lawless element with some people doing as they pleased. Whitington went on making the most of the situation building a 'Falkland House' attempting to establish a fish salting plant which employed 10 people, farming sheep, trading in cattle hides and promoting sealing.
Moody and the move to Stanley
In 1841 Lieutenant Richard Clement Moody, at the age of 28, arrived at Port Louis or 'Anson's Harbour' and was to be appointed first Governor of the Falkland Islands on 23 June 1843. He converted Bougaineville's stone chapel into a Government House. In 1841 John Bull Whitington arrived at Port Louis, along with 16 colonists, 2 children, 12 sheep and 2 pigs, to take control of land bought by his brother from Captain Langdon, a naval officer and colonist with estates and interests in Tasmania, and who had twice called on Vernet at Port Louis en route. Moody did not get along with Whitington for long with Moody protesting Whitington's treatment of employees. Whitington was notably one of the first to farm sheep in the islands and remained at Port Louis until 1849 when he and his family too relocated to Stanley. After the administrative centre moved to Stanley Port Louis declined in importance and Whitington's land devalued. Port Louis was next leased by Robert Packe (arriving in the islands in 1851). Packe introduced large scale sheep farming to the Falklands. Finally Port Louis was farmed by Robsons until the 1940's when it became the 'Estate T. Robsons', owned and shared by many landlords. Port Louis was farmed by Robsons until the 1940's when it became the 'Estate T. Robsons', owned and shared by many landlords.
Today Port Louis is owned by P & M Gilding. In 2020 it had a population of 3 and carried 8241 sheep. |
