HISTORY OF MALTA.

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manded the fleet to cast anchor (September 7^ and to ride nearthe small islands of Cumin and Cumino. The next morning thevessels entered the creek or cove of Meleeha, where they disem-barked the troops, arms, provisions, and ammunition, with everything that could contribute to the relief of Malta; but the viceroymerely landed to take a survey of the whole, and, after having seenthe re-inforcement begin its march towards the City Notable, he,according to the orders he had received from the king of Spain, re-turned to Sicily.

Mustapha and Piali having always judged, from the informationof their spies, that the viceroy intended to attack the Ottoman fleet,and bring in his supplies at the Great Port, had employed all theirmarine forces in that place ; had blocked up the entrance by a chaincomposed of sail-yards, stakes, and boats; and, from the momentthe Christian fleet first appeared off Linosa, the Turkish admiraland all his fleet held themselves constantly in readiness to weightheir last anchor in order to defend it. But w'hen they learnt that thesupplies had been landed in an entirely different part of the island,they, without inquiring into the number of the newly-arrived troops,precipitately raised the siege, recaled their garrison from Fort St.Elmo, leaving behind them even their heavy artillery, and immedi-ately re-embarked with a dispatch that had the appearance of abso-lute flight.

No sooner had the bashaw entered his vessel, than he feltashamed of the sudden panic with which he had been seized. Trem-bling for his head, and dreading the reproaches of the sultan for re-