HISTORY OP MAtTA.

253

fatal period when other conspirators, whose crimes were of avery different nature, delivered up Malta into the hands of theFrench.

The deference and respect shewn to the court of France bythe order, in the affair of the bashaw of Rhodes, were afterwardsamply recompensed by his Christian majesty, whose interfer-ence again prevented the Turks from besieging Malta; thegrand-signior being particularly incensed against the order, onaccount of the capture of one of the principal vessels belongingto his navy, which happened in the following manner.

The bashaw Mehemet, going to levy the taxes in theislands of the Archipelago, anchored towards the end of Sep-tember (1760) at Stamio, Avhere he disembarked the greatestpart of his crew. The Christian slaves who were left on boarddetermined to take advantage of his absence to possess them-selves of the vessel; they therefore, to the number of seventy-three, fastened down the hatches on the rest of the crew, and,cutting the cable, set sail. After a voyage of eighteen days,they reached Malta ; the inhabitants of which island perceived,on the 6th of October, a large Turkish vessel making signalsthat they could not understand. It was some time before theyventured to approach her; but at last they boarded her, andtowed her into the great port. This vessel was a first-rate, veryrichly laden. The Christian slaves generously presented theship to the order, and divided its cargo among themselves.

The grand-signior, irritated beyond measure at such a