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STEPHENS’S HISTORY 
most part surrounded by the waves, and it is 
built on the declivity ee hill called Scebera. 
The front which looks towards the sea, and 
is protected by the castle of St. Elmo, has 
always been considered as inexpugnable ; 
that flank facing the principal harbour is de- 
fended by Ricasoli and the castle of St. An- 
gelo, while the forts Manoel and Tigné guard 
it on the side of Mursa Murcet. Bastions, 
cavaliers, covered-ways, the Bourg, Burmo- 
la, the Cotoner, in short, all the means of 
defence that the genius cf Vulpurga could 
point out, had been employed. 
«« As every thing was considered as sub- 
ordinate to the protection of Valetta, the old 
city, nearly in the centre of the island, was 
aly intended to hold out during a few 
hours; neither could the entrenchment call- 
ed Nasciar, constructed along the chain of 
hills which traverses Malta, long resist a 
powerful enemy ; but ample precautions were 
taken to prevent a disembarcation. Batte- 
ries and towers had been erected for this pur- 
pose on every point, the chief of which are 
demonstrated St. Paul and Marsa Sirocco, 
built so as to command two of the ports, and 
produce a cross-fire of red-hot builets. In 
addition to this, the rocks were cut at inter- 
vals into the form of immense mortars, and 
being loaded with grape-shot, are so caleu- 
lated as to overwheim the invaders with ine- 
vitable destruction. In short, according to 
‘the system of defence laid down ‘for Malia, 
it might be considered as impregnable if 
‘maintained with skill and courage. 
_ The progress of the revolution had been 
highly disadvantageous to the order of St. 
Thin: but an emperor, smitten with the love 
of chivalry, had lately evinced a pariiality to 
its institutions ; and the head of the Greek 
church, although considered as a schisma- 
tic by this orthodox confraternity, promised 
to restore the consequence of knights, wliose 
splendor had been eclipsed in consequence 
of the lack of zeal on the part of the chris- 
tian princes of ihe north in a former age, and 
the French revslationists during the present. 
—Tne Count Ferdinand de Hompesch, de- 
scended from an ancient and ilustrious fa- 
mily, and the first grand-master who had 
ever been a German, presided at this moment 
as the sovereign. ‘Vibe chevaliers were in 
number three hundred and thirty-two; but 
as fifty were incapable of service on acconnt 
of their age, two hundred and eighty-two 
only weré able to carry arms. The troops ~ 
and militia, consisting of seventeen thousand 
two hundred and eighty-two men, were ca- 
pable of affording’a formidable resistance, but 
they were not actuated by similar motives. 
Great dissentions had unfortunately taken 
lace between the order and its subjects ; the 
Jatter were accordingly disaffected ; many of 
the French knights were also dazzled with 
the glory lately acquired by their prince 
and the arrival of the conqueror of an 
ul 
supported by a numerous army and power 
261 
fleet, was calculated to make a great impress 
sign on all the other tongues. 
«« However, the grand master, on the first 
appearance of an armament which still con- 
tinaed to keep all Europe in suspense, had 
assembled the militia, ordered the troops kept 
in reserve to march into the forts, and all the 
necessary preparations to be made for the de- 
fence of the island. The great council, con- 
sisting of twenty grand commanders, priors, 
baillies, treasurers, an admiral, a bishop, and 
a grand“ chancellor, were assembled; the 
Prince Camille de Rohan, as seneschal, mus- 
tered the armed inhabitants; the bailli de 
Loras, as marshal, undertook the defence of 
Valetta; the old city was regulated, accord- 
ing to established custom, by a Maltese go- 
verner; all the commanders repaired to 
their respective posts, and the -gaileys then 
cruising were enjoined to return immedi- 
ately. P 
<¢ Tn the mean time, Bonaparte only want- 
ed a pretext to seize on the island: he began 
therefore by demanding leave for his fleet to 
enter the port ; on this the grand master and 
council informed the Consul of France, that 
it was contrary to the laws of the order that 
all the squadron should enter, but that every 
necessary refreshment should be distributed 
among the soldiers and seamen. No sooner 
was this answer made public than the com- 
mander Bosredon Rasijeat, after reading a 
letter.from Dolomieu, another chevalier, then 
on board of the Orient, informed his chief 
‘that he begged leave to resign his employ- 
ment, as he had only sworn to wage war 
against the Turks, and was not disposed to 
carry arms against his countrymen.’ 
«© By break of day next morning all the 
boats of the fleet were seen rowing to the 
shore, and a letter was presented to the grand 
master from the representative of France, 
threatening to obtain by force what had been 
so inhospitably denied; but at the same time 
promising to respect the religion, customs, 
and property, of the Maltese. The debarca- 
tion, however, was not effected until seven 
o'clock at night, when the soldiers were land- _ 
ed at the roadsted of la Madelaine, the only 
place in the island where the rocks were 
neither mined nor cut into mortars; ample 
means of defence, however, presented them- 
selves, and the progress of the enemy might 
have been instantly arrested. Inclination 
alone was wanting. After firing a single 
cannon, the knight who commanded the 
tower of St. George deserted with his garri- 
son to the enemy. The battery at the point 
of St. Julian was also abandoned, and the 
regiment of militia of Birkarhara, posted 
there, took refuge under the cannon of fort 
Manoel. 
«¢ While terror and distrust seized on all 
in consequence of these unexpected events, a 
report was suddenly spread and believed, that 
all the French, Spanish, and most of the Ita- 
lian knights, had entered into a conspiracy 
on 
OF THE LATE WARS. 
