Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/707

Rh reasons given for the exemption was that they had made contributions towards the invasion of England. The property of all English, Russian, and Portuguese merchants was seized. Then came the plunder decree, which ran as follows:—

“Citizen Berthollet, controller of the army, accompanied by a commissariat paymaster, will seize all the gold, silver, and precious stones which are to be found in the church of St. John and other places connected with the Order of Malta; the plate belonging to the auberges, and that of the Grand-Master. They will at once melt the gold into ingots for convenience of transport, and they will make an inventory of all the precious stones, which will be deposited in the army chest. They will sell plate to the amount of from 20,000 to 300,000 francs to merchants of the country for gold and silver coin, which will be deposited in the chest. The remainder of the plate will be sent to the Maltese mint to be coined, and the money so obtained will be used for the payment of the garrison. Nothing is to be left in the various churches beyond what is actually necessary for the services of religion.”

All these decrees were published on the 13th June, and on the 16th a further batch followed, the most important of which was one directing the formation of a company of volunteers, to be composed of young men, of from fifteen to thirty years of age, taken from the principal families of Malta, to be named by Bonaparte. These were to be clothed and armed at the expense of their families, and were to accompany the army to Egypt. Another body of sixty lads, from nine to fourteen years of age, also belonging to the leading families, was to be sent to Paris to be brought up in the colleges of the republic. Their parents were to pay 800 francs a year for their maintenance, and 600 francs for the expenses of their journey. Six more youths, similarly selected, were to be placed with the fleet to be educated for the navy. Numerous other decrees of a similar character followed during the few days that Bonaparte remained in the island, and marked the nature of the rule under which the Maltese were henceforth destined to dwell.

On the 21st June the expeditionary force left Malta, taking