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The Island by Lord Byron5/13/2023 Since the Spanish claimed ownership of the Falklands and would object to any revival of the 1749 plan, Egmont prepared the expedition in some secrecy. They protested strongly and since the British government was at this time trying to negotiate a trade treaty with Spain, it decided to cancel the expedition to appease the Spanish.Īfter Lord Egmont became first lord of the Admiralty he decided in 1764 to carry out a modified version of the 1749 plan his principal interest at this time was in securing British command of the Falkland Islands, which he regarded as controlling the southern gateway to the Pacific. Preparations for this expedition were carried out openly and details soon reached the Spanish. The hope was to find a base from which Britain could break into Spanish trade in the Pacific. After reaching the Juan Fernandez Islands they were to head due west for 3000 miles across the ocean, searching for islands or other undiscovered land. In 1749 Lord Sandwich, first lord of the Admiralty, put forward a plan, probably suggested by Anson, to send British ships to the Falkland Islands and then into the Pacific. Anson's circumnavigation of 1740-44 had had the effect of renewing British interest in the South Atlantic and the Pacific.
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