MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands, First Chilean Consul in the Islands was FIC General Manager in 1877

FIC General Manager Frederick E. Cobb, appointed first Chilean consul to the Falkland Islands in 1877

This week 148 years ago, Queen Victoria signed and approved the appointment of British citizen Frederick E. Cobb as the first Consul of Chile in the Falkland Islands. According to the Chilean digital News agency Infogate, the message was published in the “Stanley Gazette”, September 1877.

Mr. Cobb at the time was General Manager of the Falkland Islands Company, then the all mighty master of the Falklands and its very lucrative sheep and commerce businesses.

Allegedly the recognition of the Falklands by the Chilean government had been preceded by the visit to Stanley of the Chilean corvette “Chacabuco, under Captain Oscar Viel, who had been Governor of Magallanes Region (Punta Arenas, 1867/1874), plus then Magallanes Governor, Diego Duble Almeyda on December 1876.

From Stanley the corvette sailed to Keppel Island, to visit the Anglican Church Mission, and some indigenous faithful, that were closely linked to a tribe from the Beagle channel.

Apparently according to a report on the occasion visitors, officers and crew members of the “Chacabuco” enjoyed their time in Keppel, with abundant food including jam and cream, and when they left transported some ewes, lambs and rams they purchased from the Mission. It is well known that both in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia the ovine industry, stared with the first flocks of sheep originated in the Falklands.

One of the destinations of some of the sheep was Ushuaia (Ooshooia), which had been founded by the Anglican bishop Waite Hockin Stirling in 1869, with the Union Jack flying in the village until 1884. Apparently much of the Chilean incursion is documented in a magazine from SAMM (South American Missionary Magazine, May 1877)

In related news Argentine president Javier Milei is scheduled to visit Ushuaia next Monday 29th September, as part of his campaign for the midterm election in October, boosted with Trump’s support following his recent trip to the UN in New York. However it must be remembered that last April the Ushuaia local elected council declared president Milei “persona non grata”, given his policy towards the Falklands and the elimination of certain industrial maquila privileges Tierra del Fuego enjoyed. As can be expected the Libertarian Milei candidates to the Lower Chamber and Senate did very badly in local and regional elections.