Seven men in a tavern discussing the peace convention with Spain. Etching by Barlow, 1790, after S. Collings.

The peace convention with Spain settled the Nootka Sound (Vancouver) crisis on terms favourable to Britain and led to the foundations of British Columbia. The agreement prevented illicit trade with Spanish settlements but allowed Britain to erect temporary huts for the purposes of the fishing trade. The convention was a diplomatic triumph for William Pitt but was opposed by others as an unmeaning conclusion and means of boosting Pitt's popularity prior to the general election