The Islands were uninhabited when discovered by Europeans. France established a colony on the islands in 1764. In 1765, a British captain claimed the islands for Britain. In early 1770 a Spanish commander arrived from Buenos Aires with five ships and 4,400 soldiers forcing the British to leave Port Egmont. https://cosmos.phys.sci.ehime-u.ac.jp:443/~kobayashi/COSMOS20_wiki/index.php?curriebutler394288