MALTA. 247 
are not, pray read the History of the Knights of Malta, and of the 
Crusaders, published in Constable’s Miscellany, which we have at 
home,—both very interesting books. There are no remarkable orna- 
ments or very fine rooms in the palace, and but little good marble. 
The rooms are so far modernized as to be suitable for an unwar- 
like Governor of Malta, and are often disfigured by atrocious 
copies of the old masters. There are a few interesting old 
paintings, as a portrait of L? Isle Adam, one of the oldest Grand- 
Masters, and especially that of the Grand-Master Vignacourt by 
Caravaggio, a black and much-disfigured picture, often copied. 
The Tapestry-chamber contains about twelve immense panels of 
Gobelins workmanship, apparently much superior to what is 
at Blenheim: they represent allegorically the Four Continents, 
Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. An Armoury is shewn as 
something wonderful, but it really is disappointing ; 17,000 stand 
of muskets is not attractive, and there is little old armour of 
interest, except the coats of armour of L’ Isle Adam, Valetta, who 
built the town, and of Vignacourt, being the original suit of steel 
inlaid with gold in which he is always represented. There are also 
two cannons, with Arabic inscriptions, said to be 550 years old. 
The Church of Saint John, the only other remarkable building 
whose interior I saw, is externally very plain, but within over- 
loaded with sculpture and carving : except the tombs of some of 
the old Grand-Masters, and some of the more valiant Knights, 
there were few objects of interest. Being built of soft limestone 
rock, the whole interior is most elaborately carved, and the surface 
picked out with gold and blue stars, flowers, &c. Frescos, in a 
bad style, adorn the ceiling and walls, together with some miserable 
paintings. One of the latter is ascribed to Andrea del Sarto, a 
Flagellation, which I had much difficulty in finding, and, when 
found, saw only a mass of blackened dirty canvas, strained all 
awry and torn across the lower half. The shrines were profusely 
ornamented with gold and silver utensils, altar-pieces, &c. Con- 
Spicuous in this, a Roman Catholic place of worship, stands a 
throne on the left of the grand altar, with the arms of England 
worked on it, and thus betraying its appropriation to our Queen, 
2D2 
