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| Context | Settle issues betweenBritain andSpain |
|---|---|
| Signed | 14 January 1739 (1739-01-14) |
| Location | Royal Palace of El Pardo,Madrid |
| Effective | Not ratified |
| Signatories |  SirBenjamin Keene |
| Parties | |
TheConvention of Pardo[a] was a 1739 draft treaty betweenBritain andSpain. Signed by the negotiators on 14 January 1739, it was rejected by theBritish Parliament and never ratified, leading to the outbreak of theWar of Jenkins' Ear on 23 October 1739.
The terms included compensation for alleged commercial losses incurred by British and Spanish merchants, and a Commission to settle boundaries inNorth America betweenSpanish Florida and the recently established BritishProvince of Georgia.
The terms of theTreaty of Utrecht that ended theWar of the Spanish Succession in 1713 gave Britain a number of commercial concessions. These included access to closely guarded markets inSpanish America, namely theAsiento de Negros, a monopoly to supply 5,000 slaves a year, and theNavío de Permiso, permitting British ships to sell 1,000 tons of goods inPortobelo, Colón andVeracruz.[1] In reality, these were rarely used,[2] the real profits coming from smuggled goods that evaded customs duties, with demand from Spanish colonists creating a largeblack market.[3]
Accepting smuggling could not be stopped, the Spanish used it as an instrument of policy. During the 1727 to 1729Anglo-Spanish War, French ships carrying contraband were let through, while British ships were stopped.[4] While the British accepted the occasional confiscation as part of the cost of doing business, they were concerned at being permanently replaced by the French.[5] This increased following the 1733Pacte de Famille betweenLouis XV of France and his unclePhilip V of Spain.[6]
TheTreaty of Seville (1729) allowed theGuarda costa to search British vessels trading with Spanish colonies. During one such inspection in 1731,Robert Jenkins claimed his ear had been cut off, an incident forgotten as restrictions eased in 1732.[7] However, the establishment of the BritishProvince of Georgia in early 1733 appeared to threatenSpanish Florida, vital for protecting trade between mainland Spain and its colonies.[8] A second round of 'depredations' in 1738 led to demands for compensation, British newsletters and pamphlets presenting them as inspired by France.[9] This placed political pressure onRobert Walpole, the long-serving BritishPrime Minister, to reach a satisfactory deal.
Delegates from both sides met at theRoyal Palace of El Pardo inMadrid from late 1738. By January 1739, they had drawn up a basic agreement. The British had initially demanded £200,000 in compensation but ultimately accepted just £95,000. Spain originally demanded unlimited rights to search vessels, but this was eventually restricted to those in Spanish waters.
In return, the BritishSouth Sea Company would payPhilip V of Spain £68,000 to settle his share of proceeds from theAsiento de Negros and a Boundary Commission established to settle borders between Georgia and Florida. The chief British negotiator SirBenjamin Keene felt this was a good deal and signed on 14 January.
The Convention was extremely unpopular in London. Many merchant captains were unhappy that the British compensation claim had been more than halved, theSouth Sea Company being concerned by the agreement allowing the Spanish limited rights to search British ships. Within months, the situation had turned sharply towards war, and the Convention grew increasingly fragile. Opponents published a list of all those who voted in favour of the Convention, including details of their income from government positions.[10]
When theSouth Sea Company refused to pay the agreed £68,000,Philip V rescinded theasiento de Negros. On 20 July 1739, theAdmiralty sent a naval force underAdmiral Vernon to theWest Indies, reachingAntigua in early October. Three British ships attackedLa Guaira, principal port of theProvince of Venezuela on 22 October; Britain formally declared war the next day, beginning theWar of Jenkins' Ear.[11]
Sir Benjamin Keene was closely associated with Walpole and after his fall, there was some discussion of impeaching him for negotiating the Convention. The war later become submerged into the widerWar of the Austrian Succession. The issues that had started the war were largely ignored during theCongress of Breda and theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle that ended it in 1748, as they were no longer priorities for the two sides.
Some issues were eventually resolved in the 1750Treaty of Madrid, but illegal British trade with the Spanish colonies continued to flourish. The Spanish Empire in the Caribbean remained intact and victorious despite several English attempts to seize some of its heavily defended and fortified colonies. Spain would later use its trading routes and resources to help the rebels' cause in theAmerican Revolution.
The issue resurfaced in the dispute between theUnited States and Spain known as theWest Florida Controversy; it was initially resolved byPinckney's Treaty in 1796, then settled when Spanish Florida was relinquished in the 1819Adams–Onís Treaty.
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