Nations. Nevertheless, it too has its own significance. That is what the principle of sovereign equality is all about; and when we think in terms of indivrdual people -as indeed the United Nations must think-the size and the power of Member States cannot be the only criteria. 123. My country’s association with the Bahamas is a long one. In the early seventeenth century the islands were well known to British sailors. In 1648 about 70 British settlers, known as the Company of Eleutherian Adventurers, sailed for the Bahamas and founded a settlement on Eleuthera. Since then it has not been only British sailors who have been back again and again. It is perhaps hardly fair, as we scuttle, perspir- ing, from one air conditioner to another, to remind my fellow representatives that in the Bahamas summer temperatures rarely exceed 90 degrees while in winter 70 degrees is the average. The blue lagoons, the coral reefs, the golden beaches and, above all, the warm hospitality of the Bahamians every year bring thousands of my fellow countrymen to the Bahama Islands, refugees from the British winter. 124. But Britain’s association with the Bahamas has been much more substantial than that. In 1671 those early settlers established a regular system of govern- ment. In 1729 the Bahamas’ first Constitution was instituted, and it may be fairly said that the country’s development towards independence began at that time. The legislature introduced by the 1729 Constitution, which is among the oldest in the British Commonwealth, comprised a Legislative Council of 11 members and an elected House of Assembly with 33 seats. TWO hundred years later, in 1964,, a new Constitution pro- viding for a ministerial system of government and allowing the Bahamas a wide degree of self-govern- ment was introduced; and in 1969 yet further powers 
**Analysis**
This text appears to be a speech or statement from a representative of a country, specifically the United Kingdom, discussing their relationship with the Bahamas. The text mentions historical events, government systems, and cultural exchanges, but does not focus on economic or environmental issues. It seems more focused on the diplomatic and cultural aspects of the relationship between the two countries.

**Category**
Culture, International relations