David Jewett - Piracy of Portuguese and US Ships

Piracy of Portuguese and US Ships

Jewett had earlier crossed the line between privateer and pirate by taking the Portuguese ship Carlota as a prize, as Argentina and Portugal were not at war. He would probably have taken the Carlota to Buenos Aires, but he lost her in a storm. Jewett may have visited the Falkland Islands for other reasons apart from claiming sovereignty over them. Firstly to repair his vessel which Weddell viewed as barely seaworthy, secondly to prevent his crew from deserting him, thirdly to replenish his supplies and lastly, to seek any Spanish ships that might be anchored there as prizes. When Jewett found none, he seized the American Schooner Rampart as a prize, as it was carrying cargo for Spain. This second act of piracy caused a diplomatic incident as the United Provinces was not at war with the United States of America.

Jewett wrote a long report to Buenos Aires dated 1 February 1821, describing his voyage but not mentioning any sovereignty claim to the Falklands, and asked to be relieved. He left the islands in April 1821; his successor as captain of the Heroína, the Englishman William Mason, left Port Louis three weeks later, leaving the Falkland Islands uninhabited again. Mason also captured a Portuguese ship, but was caught by the Portuguese in March 1822, convicted of piracy by a Lisbon prize court, and sentenced to imprisonment; the court also accused Jewett of piracy, though he was by then in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.