M A 
tlie treafury fuftained by the depreciation of paper money, 
when it became neceffary to realize the revenues clue from 
Spain and part of Italy. The left bank of the Rhine be¬ 
ing ceded to the French by the treaty of Campo Formio, 
the order was deprived of all its property in thefe four 
new departments; and the different new republics, formed 
on every fide, fucceftively robbed it of what it poflelfecl 
in Helvetia, and the Ligurian and Cifalpine republics. 
Malta, by thefe accumulated Ioffes, was deprived of two- 
thirds of its revenue. It was compelled to borrow to the 
amount of fix millions of livres ; and at laft its credit was 
fallen fo low, that no one could be found to advance more. 
In the year 1796, the plate belonging to the men of war 
and to the galleys was melted down, and coined into mo¬ 
ney, as was alfo part of the grand mailer’s, together with 
fome of that employed for the ufe of the fick in the hofpi- 
tal. It was very evident, therefore, that this noble order, 
which for (even hundred years had been the terror of in¬ 
fidels and the bulwark of Chrillendom, was no longer 
held in that eflimation and refpeft by the European po¬ 
tentates which the remembrance of its valorous achieve¬ 
ments might have been expected to infpire. Ruflia, un¬ 
der Paul I. certainly manifefted a defire to afford Malta 
relief; the order alio expedited the payment of about a 
hundred thoufand crowns from Spain, which moft unfor¬ 
tunately did not arrive till a few days after the French had 
landed in the ifland, and which, of courfe, became a prey 
to them. 
Notwithftanding the low ftate of the finances, Malta, at 
the time the French fleet made its appearance, was per- 
feftly able to have made a formidable refiftance againft 
any attempt at landing; and, if a landing had been ef¬ 
fected, a ftill more powerful defence of the city Valetta. 
« Never to reckon the number of the enemy” made a part 
of the oath of every knight, on his admiflion into the or¬ 
der; and “to die at his pod” was a firft principle of ho¬ 
nour. The bulwarks of the ifland were mailer-pieces of 
fortification ; and, if the knights and the Maltefe had been 
as faithful to themfelves and to each other as at the fiege 
by Solyman, Bonaparte would have retired from this rock 
ef refiftance abafhed, confounded, and defeated. The 
treacherous furrender of the ifland gives an ample verifi¬ 
cation to the ftatement of the Maltefe deputies : “The 
defection,” fay they, “and treafon of which the order 
was guilty, will form an epoch in the annals of the world. 
No one is ignorant that the plan of the invalion of Malta 
■was projected in Paris, and confided to the principal 
knights of the order, refident at Malta. Letters in ci¬ 
phers were inceflantly pafling and re-pa(fing, without how¬ 
ever alarming the fufpicions of the deceafed grand-mailer 
de Rohan, or of the grand-mafter Hompefch.’’ On the 
evening of the 9th of June, 1798, the French landed their 
troops at Magdalen Creek ; and, on their approach, “ one 
Angle cannon-fhot” was fired from Fort St. George! At 
day-break their fhallops were fe/11 advancing towards 
feven different points, Goza, Cumino, La Melleha, Sal¬ 
mon, St. George, St. Julian, and La Trombrella, none of 
which made any refiftance, except Goza, which was at¬ 
tacked by general Regnier, and defended by the com¬ 
mander de Megriny. A dreadful fcene of daughter en- 
fued : the Maltefe people fought with a two-edged fword ; 
they attacked the invaders with valour, and flew, without 
difcHmination, the knights of the order, by whofe trea¬ 
chery they had been luffered to effefl a landing. That 
fome among the Maltefe were deluded by the promif'es 
univerfally laviflied by the French, of liberty, equality, 
&c. cannot be doubted ; but by their fubfe-quent conduct 
it is fully proved, that the bulk of the people were molt 
determinedly hoftile to the admiflion of the French, and 
that their deteftation of the order was inexprellibly in- 
creafed by a detection of its treachery on this occafion. 
When Bonaparte fet fail, feme of the knights actually en- 
lilted under his banners! 
It is unneceflary to give an account of the conduct of 
Vol. XIV. No. 969. 
L T A. %Q) 
the French on their pofTeflion of Malta: every thing in 
the public buildings, “ which bore the (lamp of nobility, 
or recalled to mind the celebrated exploits performed bv 
illuftrious chiefs, was broken and deftroyed.” The arm? 
of the order, together with thofe of the principal chiefs, 
were effaced, not only in the principal inns, but in the pa¬ 
lace of the grand-mafter, himfelf being prelent on the oc¬ 
cafion ! The knights who were not in the French in- 
tereft were ordered to quit the ifland in three days; and 
a difgraceful falary was voted to Hompefch, as an equi¬ 
valent for the property annexed to the grand mafter- 
fliip.” 
Notwithftanding the flight of Hompefch and the 
knights who accompanied him, and notwithftanding tire 
treachery of thofe apoftate members of the order who re¬ 
mained behind, attached to the provifional government 
eftabliftied in the ifland by the French, the brave inhabi¬ 
tants rofe in arms againll their invaders, who were flint up 
within the gates of Valetta, without daring to iifue forth 
and face the terrible vengeance of the people. The block¬ 
ade of Malta by the Enghfh lalted two years; namely, from 
September 2, 1798, to September 4, 1800, when the city 
furrendered. The fituation of the city was fo deplorable 
from the alarming mortality among the troops and inha¬ 
bitants, arifing doubtlefs from the lcarcity of provifions, 
that a furrender appeared abfolutely certain. In Septem¬ 
ber 1799, a fowl, which, before the blockade, ufed to Fell 
for 6d. fold for 2I. 10s. Englifh ; a pigeon was worth 10s. 
a rabbit about the fame; a rat from is. to is. 6d. frelli 
pork fold for 7s. a pound, and cheefe for the fame; the 
flefn of mules and affes was in fuch requell, that the peo¬ 
ple complained bitterly whenever they were deprived of 
it. The French, however, railed vegetables, bred poul¬ 
try, rabbits, &c. and, under the vigilance and unceafing 
encouragement of their general Vaubois, contrived, as 
much as poflible, to relieve their wants aiid fupport their 
Spirits. The garrifon was put upon half-pay in the month 
of Auguft; in the following December it was entirely- 
flopped, as was their allowance of wine and brandy. To 
the honour of the French troops, for it is impollible to 
contemplate fuchcondudt without admiration, not a mur¬ 
mur was heard, and during a whole twelvemonth there 
were fcarcely twenty deferters, and the greatelt part of 
thefe were either volunteers or failors ! The fituation of 
the inhabitants now became every day more and moredif- 
aftrous j and fuch were the effefts of poverty, difeafe, and 
frequent emigration, that, of 40,000 fouls in September 
1798, there only remained 13,000 in 1799; thefe were re¬ 
duced to 10,000 in the following October, and to 7500 in 
March 1800. In the laft period of the blockade, provi¬ 
fions role to an incredible price ; a bottle of oil fold for a 
guinea, a pound of coffee for 2I. 8s. and a pound of fugar 
for a few (hillings dels; affes, mules, horfes, dogs, and 
cats, were almofl all confumed ; and general Vaubois was 
at laft compelled, by famine, to propofe terlns of capitu¬ 
lation. He received from the Englifh fuch as were due 
to fo perfevering and courageous a refiftance, and fuch at 
the fame time as proved that Britons pay juft homao-e to 
the bravery of an enemy. 
By the treaty of peace between Great Britain and the 
French republic, concluded at Amiens 27th March 1802, 
it was ftipulated, that theiflands of Malta, Goza, and Cu¬ 
mino, fliould be reltoied to the order of St. John of Jeru- 
falem, to be held on the fame conditions on which it pof- 
feifed them before the war, and under the following ftipu- 
lations. 1. The knights of the order, whole languages 
(hall continue tolubfift after the exchange of the ratifica¬ 
tion pf the prefent treaty, are invited to return to Malta 
as loon as the exchange (hall have taken place. They will 
there form a general chapter, and proceed to the election 
of a grand-mafter, cholen from among the natives of the 
nation which preferve their language, i. e. a right of elec¬ 
tion, as belonging to a particular catholic nafion, uniefs 
that election has Deen already made lince the exchange 'of 
3 L ° the 
