Evening star., 1940-06-30
Molto Capable of
Resisting Siege
By Frederic J. HaSkin.

the very midst of the Middle Sea, would
be among the first objectives of Musso-
linis air attacks. This proved to be tha
case, but those familiar with the princi-
pei island Of the Maltese group do not
believe the stronghold will be taken
easily.
The name of Malta is known through
out much of the world in connection
with the Maltese cross, one of the most
famous cross forms, and Maltese cats.
but 1t has many other claims to fame
and one of them is that it Withstood one
of the most famous sieges of history.
Times have changed and methods of
warfare have altered, but it seems more
than likely that Malta again can resist
siege for protracted period
To begin with, Malta, like Gibraltar, is
really one vast rock. Geologically 1t is
the highest step in a series of stepping
stones or land bridge, which, ages ago,
connected the continents of Africa and
Europe. Malta proper is only 171z miles
long and 81 miles wide. Its chief char
acteristic, making it difficult to take by
force, is that the length of the island is
SApftioSN ny n dl4SC IOO 1CCG IllSll, WHICH
is crossed at almost right angles by an
other ridge which rises to a maximum
height of 726 feet. AS the whole island
embraces only 80 square miles it will be
seen that it is little more than a lump
of rock rising out of the sea. All around
the island is deep water.
Over parts of the island there are
earth deposits of age-long accumulation
which make some agriculture possible,
yet, on the whole, Malta must be consid-
cred a natural fortress.
But to revert to the great siege. The
| order of Crusaders known as the knights
of st. John were given the grant OF
Malta by the Emperor Charles v in $780,
Ever afterward they were to be known as
the Order of the Knights of ST. John of
Malta and have a special interest to
Americans in that once they were posses
sors of our own Virgin Islands
Those were days of incessant conflict
and in that part of the world the wars
between the Saracens and the Crusaders
were by no means at an end The issues
were not precisely the same. but the
hoStilitieS continued. In 1851 African
Arabs under Selim PaSha ravaged Coco
lesser island of the Maltese group, and
made an abortive attempt on Malta it.
self. This put the knights of ST. John
on notice that they might expect more
severe attack by the great Solyman II.
Sure enough, in May, 1865, the sails Of
the invaders appeared. The knights of
the order had fighting men numbering
6,0O0-knightS and their men at arms. The
Mohammedan host numbered nearly 40
900. great army for those early times.
The Sultan Solyman had placed his foot
soldiers under Mustapha, one of the most
noted captains of his period, while the
galleys were commanded by Piai Pasha.
Also, the great Admiral Dragus, with a
strong force of allies from Algeria, was
momentarily expected to assist in the
siege
st. Elmo, one of the Maltese fortresses,
finally was taken and its 1900 defenders
killed to man. But the attack had cost
the Mohammedans 1000 men, or more
than the total number of the defenders
of all the Malta forts. During the entire
summer the siege was continued, with
many attempts to storm the walls and
several sorties on the part of the defend
ers. Thousands more fell and Dragus
was mortally wounded.
At length, in September, final sortie
of the knights drove the remaining Mo-
hammedans to their galleys and the siege
was over. It's historical importance lies
-, +I1o
ing checked the advance of the Moham.
medan power in Southern and Western
Europe and kept the Western Mediter-
ranean part of the Christian world.
The native Maltese are Phoenicians,
still speaking. in part, the same tongue
spoken in the days before Carthage.
Maltese history begins with the Phoeni-
clans and, down the ages, has had
reputation for independence. When oc-
cupied in turn by the Carthaginians and
by the Romans, the Maltese were treated
not as conquered people but as equals
and given municipal rights. Although
the knights of st. John held from the
King OF Spain by right of annual tribute
of falcon, they found it expedient to
allow the Maltese full civil status.
The end of the occupation by the
knights came when Napoleon captured
the island by treachery in June, 1873.
His rule was brief, however, for after the
battle Of the Nile Lord Nelson estab-
hshed blockade which resulted in ulti-
mate English occupation of Malta and
it has been British ever since. 1t is true
that the treaty. of Amiens of 1912 nrn-
vided for the establishment of the
| knights of st. John, but the Maltese
themselves protested and, finally, by the
treaty of Paris m 1914, English possess
sion was confirmed.
Malta is densely populated BY an odd
series of condolences, there are fair
accurate statistics on the islands popu-
lation. In 1914, when census taking was
unusual, the knights took one and
found $4,000 inhabitants. At the end of
the rule of the knights in 1898 the popu-
lation was 100000. The figure now is
5000.
Such population has been supported
on so small an island, most of which,
being rock, produces nothing, because Of
its strategic position in the Mediter-
ranean. 1t has been a center of trade
from the earliest times and from the
earliest times most of its food has been
imported.
IL