Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-13
The Growth, Power, Final De-
cay OF the Knights ofMaIta.
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
vaIetta and Its Mighty FortIhcatio ns-A
City Massive as the Pyramids and
as Fnmy as Lace, Carved
Out of Stone.
[Copyright, 1899, by Edgar L. wakeman. ]

| paucity of dead-age lore on the part OF
| those who are occupied in making the
glorious present glow, has no patience with
US common folk who wish to know, when
| we read or write of ancient places, bit
about what gave them their olden fame and
| present interest.
Being all the way through a commoner
| myself, and rather liking to be disliked by
the self-appointed bashaws of didactic
knowledge, I often find and perhaps give
| some profit and pleasure in beginning a
| theme, as it were at ''the beginning of the
world" as did dear old Knickerbocker in
| his wonderful history of New York, and by
| pleasant and by no means dreary stages
| reaching the thing to be considered or be
| described in that comprehensive way
| which will leave it all distinct and COM
| pact entity in the recollection. That is at
least my own habits of enjoying travel and
| observation; and l have abundant reason to
| believe that those who follow my wander
ings find genial enjoyment in travelling in
| just that sort of ruminative, lettering and
| altogether pleasant way.
Malta IS such a very little place that
! something like personal explanation is par
donable when one refers to its history.
And yet in that history lies nearly all that
makes it worth talking about at all Over
fifteen hundred years before the birth of
| Christ Malta was taken possession of by
| the Phonicians, and they held 1t for nearly
| eight hundred years. The Greeks who had
| founded the important colony at Syracuse
| then made themselves masters of the island
| and gave it the name of Melita, on account
| of the delicious honey obtained there; and
| Maltese honey is noted delicacy at this
very time During the Punic wars the
Carthagenians took Malta and the two con-
tiguous islets of Coco and Comino from
| the Greeks. During the domination of the
Carthagenians the islands were so thor
oughly colonized by the Berber and Arab
races that to them can, undoubtedly be
traced the ancestors of the Maltese of our
own time.
The Romans now secured dominion of
the islands; lost it for g time: but about
two hundred years before the Christian
era they regained possession, which lasted
upwards of six centuries. In all this record
of barbaric and semi-barbaric conquest
there is nothing of greater interest than
dreary tale of pillage, raplne, slavery and
blood. Then suddenly, shortly after the
beginning of the Christian era, one ship
wreck makes Malta eternally famous. Ii
you will read the two last chapters of the
Acts of the Apostles, you will know the
whole story: How Paul, after his defense
beforeSAgrippa, when in charge of the CEN
turiee, Jlfius, was proceeding by sea to the
eedrt of Caesar at Rome, was shipwrecked
upon Malta, where he was kindly enter
tainediby the barbarians among whom he
L
l4sfand," and many others that were sick,
and finally proceeded in ''ship of Alex
andria'' via Syracuse, on his way to Rome.
The Arab races gained dominion of
Malta in S33. About 200 years later the
Sicilians drove out the Saracen rulers and
annexed the islands to Sicily, under the
government of Roger, the youngest son of
Tancred, hero of the Crusades. Then, in
1894, France took both Malta and Sicily
from the Normans; when at the massacre
of the Sicilian VeSpers in 1898, F. ench su-
premacy in all these islands was at an end.
They were seized by Pedro of Arragon and
made dependency of Spain for nearly $50
years The only career of real glory and
independence which ever came to the NAL
tese island opened in 1880.
After the famous seige of Rhodes by Su-
lieman the Magnificent, in 1922, when the
Knights ,Hospitallers were expelled from
their shattered towers, though with fade
less honor and glory, they retired first to
Crete and then to Sicily. The Emperor
Charles V, moved by their renown and
homelessness, as well as by stragetic con-
si6erations, finally coded to them Malta,
with Coco and Comino, the only conditions
of the same being that the knights should
repress the audacity of the African cor
sairs, and in token of homage every year
present a single falcon to the viceroy of
Sicily
Twenty-eight grand masters exercised
the chief authority during the 267 years in
(which the now knights of Malta held sway
over the island and the various branches of
the order which acquired riches and power
in eveRy portion of Christian Europe. No
ordafT on earth ever attained the same
xeSfh and influence The latter was Sc
'crefy courted by monarchs and their aid
'iul&l crusades against Moslem countries
Ms invoked. The order was divided into
three classes: The knights of justice, the
chaplains and the serving brothers of arms.
There were besides persons called brothers
de stage or donats, given distiction by the
demi-cross for having served well in sub
altern positions.
Conceived in the purest and most intense
emulation of Christian chivalry, the order,
admitting only those of noble blood, and at
a period when nobility meant something
more than title and inherited possessions,
drew into the commentaries of its eight
''languages' the very cream of the men and
means of the entire Christian world. The
chivalrous spirit of the age everywhere lent
wealth, luSter and power to the order.
kiuES and emperors sent splendid en-
bassiesstofts courts. The properties of It's
Communicates in various countries became
enormous. The votive offerings of Malta
were of incalculable value. And the grand |
master of the order possessed not only mill
tary and absolute authority over all its |
members, but sovereign power and regal |
rights over all his subjects.
From 1851 to 1896, period of barely two |
and half centuries after the first settle |
ment of Malta by the knights of ST. John, |
nearly all the majestic monuments of their |
wealth and power which may be found here |
to-day, were resultant from their military |
and ecclesiastic handiwork; while during |
the same brief period were marshalled the |
events which have crowned their memory |
with imperishable glory and renown.
Most impressive of all remains of their /
tremendous power are the colossal fortifi- |
cations of Naletta- When the handiwork 1
Of man IS considered, Gibraltar pales into 1
in comparison with Malta.
God made Gibraltar. Gods Wears. |
Malta =, teonce exclaimed an enthusiastic /
admiral when his eyes first rested upon I'M
pregn able Valetta. The conformation of |
the part, or double port, is in shape some
thingii like gigantic mouth with protrud-
ing tongue. The latter would represent |
Valatfa proper;stii upper and lower
spaces tsha GEaRd and quarantine ports, and
the curvature of the upper and lower lips
the upper and neither harbor sides; the
whole water front sweeping away past |
suburban promontories in either direction
and forming one mighty mass of fortifca-
lions as defensible as art and nature can
combine -
The landward lines are equally as vast 7
md wonderful They enclose the various
quarters of the capital for square mile and
! half. These are called La Floriana and
constitute five successive lines, of such ex-
ent ana intricacy that 500 men would be
'equired to completely man them, but one