French find themselves masters of the island, than they required all the knights to leave it within three days. About £10 was advanced to each knight for the expenses of his journey, but he was not allowed to depart till he had torn the cross from his breast, and mounted the tri-coloured cockade. Hompesch, the last Grand Master, embarked, accompanied by twelve knights, on board a merchant vessel bound to Trieste, and in 1804 this unfortunate man died at Montpelier, in the sixty-second year of his age. The knights who fared best in the general dispersion were those who took refuge in the Russian dominions. The Emperor Paul was solemnly inaugurated as the seventieth master of the Order in the year 1798. At the same time the standard of St. John was hoisted on the walls of St. Petersburgh, where it continues unfurled to this day.

I HAVE been this morning to see the palace, which is now the residence of the British Governor, who is absent on a visit to England. It was formerly the abode of the Grand Masters, and is situated on one side of the Strada Reale, having a spacious square in front, called Piazza St. Georgio. This square is the usual evening promenade of the fashionables of Malta; and every evening the military band perform. here for their gratification. On the opposite side is situated the " Casino," or Exchange, where the merchants generally meet, either for business or conversation. The external appearance of the palace presents nothing striking, the whole forming a pile of massive building, about 300 feet square, surrounded on three sides by open balconies. It has two principal entrances in front, which open into a large central court. At the back of the palace is situated the market; and the stalls, which are fixed up against the whole length of the building, tend greatly to spoil the appearance of this part of the structure. The interior of the palace was beautified and adorned by Grand Master Emmanuel de Pinto. It consists of an upper and lower story, each containing a range of noble apartments, which run round the building. The interior court is surrounded with arches, and opposite the entrance is a fountain, ornamented with a bronze statue of Neptune, fixed in the wall behind it. In a smaller court adjoining the former is a racket ground, where I observed several military officers amusing themselves with this healthy exercise. On ascending the staircase to the upper suite of apartments, I found the person whose duty it is to conduct strangers through the palace. After proceeding through several spacious halls, embellished with old paintings of the battles of the " "Order," executed by Matteo da Lacce, I passed into the waiting-room, the walls of which were hung with the productions of two modern Maltese artists of considerable merit-Caruana and Bussatil. The former of these is certainly the most pleasing master; and his painting of St. Michael is very

good, both as regards composition and colouring. The other pictures which more particularly attracted my attention were, St. George and the Dragon, St. Peter, Mary Magdalen, and Eneas. Some of the works of art in the suite of apartments are by Caravaggio, Guisippe d'Arpino, and the Cavalier Favray. There is a full-length portrait of the Grand Master Wignacourt, clad in a splendid suit of steel armour chased with gold, by Caravaggio, and is one of the finest works of art in the palace. Several ancient scriptural paintings, the gift of the Grand Master Zondadari, adorn the walls.

In the corridor, leading to the armoury, I was shown a room entirely hung with very beautiful tapestry, each piece was about twelve feet high, and from six to eight feet in width, and represented an infinite variety of animals, birds, flowers, and insects, tastefully grouped together, of the size of life, and all exquisitely worked in their natural colours. These extraordinary specimens of needlework were brought from France about the year 1700 yet even at the present day the colours look quite fresh and new. But by far the most interesting sight in this palace is the armoury, which occupies a large saloon at the end of the corridor, and into which I was shown after examining the tapestry. Here are preserved the armour, and many of the warlike instruments belonging to the Knights of Malta, together with trophies of their splendid victories over the Turks. There are ninety complete suits of armour for mounted knights, and 450 cutlasses, cuirasses, and gauntlets for the infantry. These latter arms are arranged around the upper part of the room, with their respective shields, on which are portrayed the white cross of the order on a red field. The suits of armour for the men at arms are placed upright on pedestals at equal distances from each other, and are posted along the rows of muskets, looking like so many sentinels placed to guard the whole. One of these suits of armour was pointed out to me as having been experimented upon to try its power of resistance against a musket-ball; several of which were fired at it from sixty yards distance, and only produced a very slight impression upon the steel. At one end of the room was a gigantic suit of black armour, seven feet in height, and three feet and a half in width; it must have been impossible for any man of the present age to have worn it, and I should think it only fit for a Cyclops of Mount Etna. I lifted the helmet, which alone weighs thirtyseven pounds. Adjoining this grim armour figure, stands a case containing a large assortment of musketry, daggers, guns, and other arms, which were taken by the knights from the Turks in their various engagements. Amongst them the sword of the famous Dragut was shown to me as a valuable relic. The workmanship of some of these ancient weapons is very curious, when compared with the improvements made in modern warfare. My conductor pointed out to me a cannon made of tarred rope, bound around a thin lining of copper, and covered on the outside with a coating of plaster painted black; this curious machine was captured from the

hands of the Turks in one of their attacks upon the city of Rhodes. At the other end of the hall is the complete armour of the Grand Master Alofio Wignacourt, beautifully chased in gold. Above it is a painting of the same, copied from the original by Caravaggio. The regular arms for the use of the British troops are arranged in the middle of the room, and consist of

and besides these there

19,555 muskets and bayonets,

1,000 pistols,

30,000 boarding pikes,

are numerous other curious weapons of warfare, arranged in various parts of the hall. There is something melancholy in witnessing these instruments of bloodshed and death, which were wielded by men in days of yore, who have long since finished their warfare, and now sleep silently in the grave; and one can but exclaim on viewing them, "How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"

E

AUBERGES OF THE KNIGHTS-HOSPITALS.

"They meet in mirth and wassail,

Within their lighted halls;

The red wine sparkles in the cup,

The banners deck the walls.

Each noble knight and courtly page,

The gallant and the free,

They meet in Malta's palaces

With shouts of revelry!"

HAVING in my last chapter described the Palace of the Grand Master, I shall now speak of the various "Auberges," or "Inns," of the Knights. Each language of the order possessed one where they all assembled and met together for the various purposes of business and entertainment. The superior of every language was dignified with a distinctive title, and held some commanding post in the government.

The Auberge de Provence is situated in the Strada Reale, and is now occupied by the Malta Union Club.

The Auberge de Castile is the largest of the whole, and occupies a delightful situation, commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country. Over the principal entrance is a marble bust of the Grand Master Pinto; and in the interior is a magnificent pyramidal staircase. This Auberge is at present in the occupation of the officers belonging to the British garrison. The other Auberges are those of Auvergne, Italy, France, Germany, Arragon, and England. When the English Commanderies were confiscated by Henry VIII., this language was succeeded by the Anglo-Bavarian. Most of these languages, besides their respective churches, had small chapels in the cathedral of St. John where many of the Knights lie buried. The present military hospital was formerly used by the Knights of Malta for the reception of the sick. It is a large building, situated at the foot of the Strada Mercanti, not far from the castle of St. Elmo; in the interior is a spacious court with a fountain in the centre. During the existence of the order, this establishment was open to strangers, as well as to the citizens, for whom suitable accommodations were provided. The Knights con