The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-09-05
MALTA.

india. The knights of ST. John. La VIII
,atta and its Show Places.
.spscial Correspondence of The Journal.]
yILETTA, MALTA, August 2, 1901. 1t
,,ould never do to leave this end of the
Mediterranean without paying respects,
,t least by flying visit, to the most
,suoas watch-tower that guards the
,oute to the Orient. Owing to Malta's
.,mmanding position between Europe,
ASIA and Africa, the little limestone
,n,k-only about seventeen miles long
,,y ripe wide-has from earliest times
t,e1 Considered of paramount import
.nsp Ever since the PhpnicianS set
-.-i 5ere. after their expulsion from
canaan by Joshua, seven centuries be-
l..eta birth of Christ, Malta has been
horne of contention. Byzantine en-
,.sror, aud Abbasside Caliphs fought
tart )ong and tiercely; Roger the Nor
msn cine to it's rescue in the tenth
-u..... Charles ", Richard Occur de
r..9 ~olyman the Magnificent, the
,r.-, If Jerusalem and the Knights of
o., .h4n are all mixed up in it's story,
t.r- er with French and English valor
.,I 5rsair deeds of darkness. Bona
,.rt- army held the island for time,
terally starved out by the Eng
Isl. % TWO years siege; and in 1914,
- Treaty of Paris and with the APP
.-01i of all Europe, it passed into the
.-r.lUent possession of Great Britain.
.uublY MaltaS most interesting
,r.... was the two hundred and sixty
U AIS during which the Knights of
8. i'm held sway. The history of that
mus. celebrated Order of medieval
sly reads like a Walter Scott TO-
r..Of \ few merchants of Amaltilem,
UtIu-d permission of the Caliph to
-, ,jsh hospital at Jerusalem for
.. and sick pilgrims to the Holy
>Y thre, and they dedicated the chart
p, ~aint John The Almoner After
..f 3pture of Jerusalem lin 1099), the
atetul fraternity suddenly developed
np a band of warrior-monks, who
agaodIng to rector Du Puys-'' without
8rmJuning their vows or principles,
added thereto the further obligation of
0moatmg on behalf of their faith"
iaral sanction was obtained, the King
ri 'eusalem approved, princes and
loles bestowed lands and money, the
Ur. at once became rich and power
I'd, aud its white-cross banner waved
.y- many bloody field to the routing
.1 Atidel hosts. There were three
uses in the Order of St John-known
q. Knights of Justice" 'Chaplains''
fly. serving Brothers" The rector
alled Grand Master" and Com
..utries" were established in every
Y- of Europe. The eighth Grand
Mastery by the way, was an English
Lam named GARNER, and he fell in one
e battles before Jerusalem. In
}ichard Occur de Leon establish
.'- order ofWAcre; and it remained
M a full century. When Acre was
y captured by Sultan khalil the
Is - is sought refuge i'll Cyprus. In
Grand Master Villeret sieged the
sd Of Rhodes after four-years'
gle. Then for upwards of two
les Rhodes remained the home of
Knights; until Solyman the Mag
lly compelled them to surrender
siand Their defence OF it, how
against overwhelming odds, was
-. Iautly conducted as to win the adj
non of the world, and gave rise to
joe wing: Nothing was ever so well
81 s Rhodes" After several years of
uuress wandering, Charles Y. made
. .le island of Malta to the Order:
..- .enceforth the knights of st. John
N-r- known as the Knights of Malta.
: original deed, which conveyed to
-M The property in perpetual sover-
-lAty, dated March n, 1880, and signed
BIS aries own hand, may be seen to-
ar III the palace armory at Valletta.
Isle Adams, who was Grand Master
II e time, Immediately proceeded to
4 reat things in the line of fortress
Edug. And none too soon, for pres
e4t.Y all his resources were taxed to the
rnost to keep the Turks at bay. One
" .he greatest battles of history was
-a' of 1886, when the Porte made its
asst desperate attempt to regain Malta
de la Vallette had succeeded L Isle
Adams as Grand Master, and had less
tlau nine thousand Knights under his
Command. The invading Aeet consisted
ol l5S vessels and forty thousand men,
atterwards joined by the Corsair Dragut
WITH considerable force. The siege last
I'd four months, marked on both sides
by Extraordinary skill, patience and
7a-or But the efforts of the Turks
We're unavailing, and they finally with
li5W with but ten thousand men left
our Of the original forty thousand;
While of the nine thousand under Vii
stta hardly a hundred were capable of
tearing arms. Though well nigh crush
ed ont of existence, the Knights of
Malta has proved themselves the heroes