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HISTORY OF MALTA.

kind of battle took place ; and, in order to favour the retreat of theTurks, Piali, their admiral, kept up a constant fire from his ships.But the fury of the Christian soldiers was so great, that they pur-sued the fugitives into the sea, and killed a great number of them.

The admiral having embarked the poor remains of his own for-midable army, set sail and proceeded towards Sicily. The viceroyseeing the fleet from the top of the castle of Syracuse, learnt, withoutthe information of a courier, the happy effects of the assistance hehad afforded, and the raising of the siege.

La Valette no sooner perceived the first embarkation of the in-fidels, than he instantly filled up their trenches, and destroyed alltheir works. Every one of the inhabitants, men, women, children,and even the knights, were indiscriminately employed night and dayon this occasion ; and that with the pleasure and dispatch of pri-soners who wish to escape from captivity. In the mean time thegrand-master placed a garrison in Fort St. Elmo; and the Turkshad the grief and mortification to see, from their ships, the ensignsof St.John waving in the wind.

Ihus ended this memorable siege, in which twenty-five thou-sand infidels were slain; and two hundred and sixty knights, toge-ther with more than seven thousand soldiers and inhabitants, fellvictims to the Christian cause. In fact, at the moment when thel 1 urks departed, there scarcely remained six hundred effective men,including the knights in the Burgh; and even the greatest part ofthat number were severely wounded. The newly-arrived troops re-tired near the City Notable, in order to refresh themselves after the