636 



MALTA. 



spurs branch off, giving variety to the landscape. 

 The southern shore consists of high or shelving 

 rocks, without creeks or ports, or where a landing 

 could be effected. To the east there is the port 

 of Marsa (Marsa, in Arabic, signifies port or har- 

 bour) Scala, and towards the south-west that of 

 Marsa Sirocco, capable of containing a great num- 

 ber of vessels. On the west there are two bays, 

 called Antifaga and Magiarro. 



The port of St Paul is on the coast opposite 

 Sicily, and is so called from a tradition that the 

 vessel in which St Paul was sent prisoner to Rome 

 was driven in thither by a storm. St George's 

 port, towards the north, is not far distant from 

 that of St Paul, St Julian's bay is on the same 

 shore. 



Directly facing Cape Passaro are the two most 

 considerable ports ; that to the left termed Marsa 

 Musceit, in the midst of which is a small island 

 where quarantine is performed ; the other, situate 

 to the east, is called the Great Harbour. These 

 two are separated by a tongue of land, on which 

 the city of Valetta is built, the extreme point hav- 

 ing on it the castle of St Elmo, which defends the 

 entrance of both ports. Projecting into the Great 

 Harbour are two parallel points of land, shaped 

 somewhat like two fingers : on one is built the 

 castle of St Angelo, nearest the entrance of the 

 port, with the Burgh (il Borgo) to the eastward ; 

 on the other equally small peninsula is the fortress 

 of La Sangle, which divides the Galley Port from 

 the French Port. Fort St Michael is on the land 

 side, and defends the two ports of La Sangle. 



Cittcl Vittoriosa, or Borgo, is built on the same 

 point of land as the castle of St Angelo, but sepa- 

 rated from it by a wet ditch. It has a line of 

 works on its land front, extending from the Galley 

 Port to Calcara Bay. 



La Sangle, or Isola, is built on the other point 

 of land, having its land front covered in a similar 

 manner to that of Vittoriosa, by a line of works 

 extending from the Galley Port to the French 

 Port. 



More in the rear of La Sangle than St Angelo 

 is the city of Cospicua, or Burmola, commanded 

 by St Margaret's Hill, on which is a fort of the 

 same name, and covered to the eastward by a con- 

 tinued line of works, called Fiorenzola. Still 

 further in the rear, and forming a crescent, joined 

 at either end to La Sangle and St Angelo fortifi- 

 cations, are the strong Cotoner lines, consisting 

 of a succession of bastions without any advanced 

 works, which were intended to be effected, but 

 circumstances prevented their completion. By 

 sweeping round the French Port to Calcara Bay, 

 towards the interior of the country, a considerable 

 space is left in front of the St Margarita lines, 

 which is intended to afford shelter to the inhabi- 

 tants in the event of the island being attacked. 

 The two points of land which jut out to meet the 

 promontory on which St Elmo Castle is built, are 

 also strongly fortified. The one, Fort Ricasoli, 

 which is very large, but irregularly built, this, in 

 conjunction with Fort St Elmo, defends com- 

 pletely the entrance of the Great Harbour ; the 

 other, Fort Tigne, protects Marsa Musceit Har- 

 bour, which is also further guarded by Fort Man- 

 oel, which is built on the quarantine island before 

 adverted to. This fort is regularly and beautifully 

 built, has five bastions, a half moon, and a covert- 

 way : it is mined. 



In addition to these powerful works, Valletta is 



effectually protected on the southward or laud 

 side, where the neck of the peninsula joins the 

 main, by the fortifications termed La Floriana, a 

 line of works extending from the great Port to 

 that of Marsa Musceit, and in advance of which, 

 on the side near the great Port, there is a beauti- 

 ful crowned horn-work, with a covered way. 



The Floriana constitute five successive lines, 

 any one of which, well manned, would be sufficient 

 for defence. The ditches in some instances are 

 ninety feet deep, and excavated in the solid rock ; 

 the greater part of the ramparts being in like man- 

 ner formed by hewing the rocks into the required 

 shapes. Thus Valetta city is protected on three 

 sides by the waters of the harbour, which no hos- 

 tile fleet could enter without being immediately 

 blown to atoms: the batteries of St Angelo, for 

 instance, rising in four tiers of very heavy metal, 

 a single discharge from which would sink the 

 largest vessel. The entrance to the port is still 

 further secured by an enormous chain or chains, 

 capable of resisting the shock of any force that 

 may be brought to bear on them. These extraor- 

 dinary, and, it may be added, impregnable works, 

 are the result of continued and unremitting exer- 

 tions for upwards of two centuries. 



The old city stands upon a hill which overlooks 

 the whole country as far as La Valetta; it has a 

 front, with a ditch and covered way. Above the 

 top of the hills which cross the island and separate 

 the inhabited and cultivated parts of Malta from 

 the remainder, a wall five feet thick was erected 

 by the knights as a retreat for the troops to fall 

 back on if unable to prevent the landing of an 

 enemy. Forts and batteries were also erected at 

 ports St Paul and Marsa Sirocco, which would 

 place a vessel attempting to anchor under a cross 

 fire ; and towers and redoubts were erected along 

 the whole coast in such a manner as to communi- 

 cate almost immediately with each other. The 

 lines also are of immense strength, enclosing the 

 various quarters of the capital for the space of a 

 square mile and a half, and forming works of such 

 extent and intricacy, that it is said 25,000 men 

 would be required to man them in their full extent, 

 when they might well be deemed impregnable. 

 The French had but 6000 men to defend them, 

 and yet could only be reduced by famine. Up- 

 wards of 1000 pieces of cannon were mounted on 

 all the works, and Bonaparte entertained so con- 

 firmed an opinion of the strength of the place, that 

 when he was asked on his departure for Egypt to 

 give instructions relative to the defence of the 

 garrison and fortifications, he told the officer in 

 command (Vaubois) to lock the gates and put the 

 key in his pocket. In fine, it may be said that 

 Malta is as defensible as nature and art combined 

 can render it. To sit down regularly before Val- 

 etta and its surrounding fortifications would require 

 a well appointed army of many thousand men ; and 

 if the fortress were well manned and provided, 

 there can be no estimate formed of the time it 

 would hold out, as the besiegers, in addition to 

 their land forces, ought to be able to blockade the 

 port and command the dominion of the Mediter- 

 ranean. 



La Valetta, the modern and chief city of the 

 island, founded by the celebrated grand master of 

 that name in 1566, and completed in 1571, may 

 be considered one of the finest towns in Europe ; 

 the kings of France, Spain, and Portugal, the 

 Pope, and all the knights who resided out of 



