William Dickson, born

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland (died 26 August 1833) was an Irish-born settler in

Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's e ...

in the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

during a pivotal time in its history. He was hired by

Luis Vernet Luis Vernet (born Louis Vernet; March 6, 1791 – January 17, 1871) was a merchant from Hamburg of Huguenot descent. Vernet established a settlement on East Falkland in 1828, after first seeking approval from both the British and Argentine autho ...

as Port Louis storekeeper. Following the removal of the Argentine administration, Dickson was given into custody the British flag. Dickson wrote a diary where he documented the life in Port Louis shortly after the British landing. He became one of the victims of the Gaucho Murders, on 26 August 1833.

Vernet's storekeeper

Dickson was appointed storekeeper by Vernet at Port Louis. Dickson's customers were mostly gauchos working around the settlement. They bought him commodities in notes issued by Vernet's itself, which were legally valueless.

Custody of British flag and log

On 2 January 1833, Captain Onslow, of the brig-sloop HMS ''Clio'', arrived at Louis Vernet's settlement at Port Louis to request that the flag of the United Provinces of the River Plate be replaced with the British one, and for the administration to leave the islands. While Major

José María Pinedo José María Pinedo (21 June 1795 – 19 February 1885) was a commander in the navy of the United Provinces of the River Plate, one of the precursor states of what is now known as Argentina. He took part in the Argentine War of Independence, the ...

, commander of the schooner ''Sarandí'', wanted to resist, Destéfani, 1982, pp. 90 his numerical disadvantage was obvious (See

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here Television * Here TV (form ...

for a comparison of the forces), particularly as a large number of his crew were British mercenaries who were unwilling to fight their own countrymen. Such a situation was not unusual in the newly independent states in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, where land forces were strong, but navies were frequently quite undermanned. As such he protested verbally, but departed without a fight on 5 January. Initial British plans for the Islands were based upon the continuation of Vernet's settlement at Port Louis. William Dickson was requested to fly the British flag on Sundays and whenever ships were in harbour. Dickson attempted to sent a letter to Vernet, then in Buenos Aires, reporting to him the news about the British landing and the situation in Port Louis, but ''Clio'' departed before Dickson could entrust the missive to Onslow. Dickson wrote a diary from 3 March to 26 August 1833, where he describes the day-after-day life in the settlement. Dickson depicts its inhabitants as unruly and troublesome, amid a hostile environment. Dickson log is the only documented narrative of the events that preceded the Gaucho Murders.

Gaucho murders

On 26 August 1833, armed with weapons provided by American sealers, a gang of creole and Indian

gauchos A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

led by Antonio Rivero ran amok in

. The gang killed five settlers including William Dickson. The survivors (13 men, 3 women and 2 children) took refuge on Turf Island in Berkley Sound until they were rescued by the British sealer ''Hopeful'' in October 1833.

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