Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/710

674 subjects, or the bitterest and most dangerous enemies. The French oomrnitted the serious error of despising their new subjects, and they soon had cause to rue their shortsighted policy.

The government had advertised the sale of some tapestry and other decorations from a church in the Cittá Vecehia, and the crowd assembled on the occasion shewed the first symptoms of revolt. This event took place on the 2nd September, 1798, and brought on a riot of so serious a character that the sale was necessarily postponed, a step which, for the moment, quelled the disturbance. The commandant Masson at once despatehed a message to General Vaubois, in Valetta, informing him of what had occurred, and praying for a reinforcement. This letter did not reach the general until eight o’clock in the evening, so that he was unable to send any assistance until the next morning. This delay was probably one of the main causes of the loss of Malta to the French. In the afternoon the riot, which had been suppressed, once more broke out. The garrison, including the commandant, were all massacred, and the town fell into the hands of the insurgents. The example thus set was speedily followed in the neighbouring villages, and before night the revolt had spread far and wide. Ignorant of this fact, early on the morning of the 3rd September, Vaubois despatched a body of 200 men to the assistance of Masson. Before they had proceeded far on their route they were assailed on every side, and met with so obstinate a resistance that they were forced to retreat with all haste into the town, having lost several of their number, who were cut off by the rebels.

The revolt now spread over the whole island, and the French were closely invested within their lines by the people of the country. Even in Valetta the same spirit manifested itself, but here the superior power of the garrison enabled it to check the outbreak, and a few summary executions of the leaders reduced the mass of the inhabitants to a state of sullen submission. These vigorous acts on the part of the Maltese had been much encouraged, if not, indeed, originally prompted, by the intelligence brought five days previously by the French line-of-battle ship, Guillaurne Tell, and the two frigates, Diane and Justice, which had effected their escape from Egypt