delicate circumstances. These necessarily arose out of the treaty of Amiens, and chiefly respect the stipulations relative to the independence of the islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino, the inhabitants of which must be allowed to have merited the protection and friendship of the English, by the constancy and resolution, as well as the good faith, with which they conducted themselves during the late contest.

As the possession of these isles has at least afforded the ostensible reason for a new war, we shall conclude this article with some communications relative to this subject, as they will serve to evince with what nicety, and even pertinacity, rival powers are accustomed to dispute their respective pretensions.

During the previous conferences between Lord Hawkesbury and M. Otto, as well as in the body of the preliminary treaty itself, Malta and the rights of the knights, together with the pretensions of the natives, occupied the chief attention of the negociators. Nor did less difficulty exist on this topic, when the claims of their respective nations were discussed by the Marquis Cornwallis and Joseph Bonaparte at Amiens, for both a French and an English langue were respectively demanded and refused; and the proposition was at last only got rid of by the abandonment of both.

It appears by the official papers, that from the 13th to the 18th of January was entirely occupied relative to the affairs of this island alone.* Even after every

FRENCH PROJET,

Delivered at Amiens, Jan. 18, 1802.

Art. I. "The islands of Malta, of Gozo, and of Comino, shall be restored to the order of St. John of Jerusalem.

II. "The

other article had been adjusted, the qualified sovereignty asserted on the part of the king of Naples,

II. "The knights of that order shall be invited to repair thither, as soon as the ratifications of the present treaty shall have been exchanged. They shall there assemble in a general chapter, and proceed, within the space of three months, to the election of a grand master, if the choice has not been made on the Continent before that period.

III." The forces of his Britannic Majesty shall evacuate the island and its dependencies within three months after the exchange of the ratifications: it shall be restored to the order in its present

state.

IV. "There shall be established a Maltese langue, which shall be maintained by the territorial revenues and commercial duties of the island.

V." One-half of the garrison, at least, must always be com posed of Maltese; for the remainder, the order shall have power to recruit them among the natives of the countries which continue to possess langues. The Maltese troops shall have Maltese officers. The chief command of the garrison, as also the appointment of the officers, shall belong to the grand master of the order. VI. "The island is put under the protection and guarantee of France, Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Spain, and Prussia.

VII. "The permanent neutrality of the Order of Malta is proclaimed.

VIII. The ports of Malta shall be open to the commerce and navigation of all nations, who shall therein pay equal and moderate duties. The duties shall be applied to the maintenance of the Maltese langue, the civil and military establishments of the island, and also to that of a general lazaretto open to all flags,

IX. "The powers of Barbary are alone excepted from the dispositions of the preceding article, until they themselves shall have renounced their system of habitual hostility. In that case the contracting parties engage to preserve for them the enjoyment of the same rights in Malta as are enjoyed by every other nation.

the temporary retention by foreign troops, and the guaranty by the principal states of Europe, all became

X. "The order shall continue to be governed, both as to spiritual and temporal affairs, by the same statutes which were in force at its departure from Malta.

XI. "The powers whose guarantee is invoked in the sixth article, are invited to accede to the present arrangement.

"Lord Cornwallis has reserved to himself to answer the ante cedent proposition, at an early conference.

I. "The island of Malta, Gozo, and Comino shall be restored to the order of St. John of Jerusalem, on the conditions and under the stipulations following:

II. "The knights of the order whose langues shall continue to subsist after the exchange of the ratifications of this present treaty, shall be invited to return to Malta as soon as the exchange shall have taken place. They shall there form a general chapter, and shall proceed to the election of a grand master, if this choice have not previously taken place in consequence of the declaration of the Emperor of Russia, of the 16th March last year. It is understood that in as much as is compatible with the dispositions made in the 4th article of the present arrangement, the order shall be considered as consisting only in those of its knights who were qualified to vote at the election of grand master at the period of this declaration.

III. "The forces of his Britannic Majesty shall evacuate this island and its dependencies in the three months which shall follow the exchange of the ratifications. At that period it shall be returned to the order in the state it may then be in, provided that the grand master, or commissaries fully authorised according to the statutes of the order, be in the island to receive possession, and that the provisional force which his Sicilian Majesty shall fur

in their turn objects of jealousy and discussion; the more wonderful, indeed, when it is considered that

nish, according to the twelfth article, shall actually have arrived at Malta.

IV. "The contracting parties having agreed to discontinue the French and English langues, a Maltese langue shall be established, which shall be supported by the territorial revenues and commercial duties of the island. To this langue shall be annexed specific dignities with competent appointments and a hotel. No other qualification shall be required from the knights of this langue than that of actual nobility. They may hold any situations whatever in the order; and they shall enjoy all the privileges which shall be enjoyed by the knights of the other langues. The native inhabitants of Malta shall be admitted to all municipal, administrative and other employments, under the government of the island.

V. Half the garrison, at least, shall be always composed of native Maltese; for the remainder, the order shall have power to recruit among the natives of those countries, only, who continue to possess langues. The Maltese troops shall have Maltese officers. The command in chief of the garrison, as well as the appointment of officers shall belong to the grand master of the order.

VI. "The independence of the islands of Malta and Gozo, as well as the present arrangement, is placed under the protection and guarantee of Great Britain, France, Austria, Russia, Spain

and Prussia.

VII. "The permanent neutrality of the order is proclaimed.

VIII. "The ports of Malta shall be open to the commerce and navigation of all nations, which shall there pay equal and moderate duties. These duties shall be applied to keeping up the Maltese langue, in the manner specified in article 4; to the civil and military establishments of the island, as likewise to that of a general lazaretto open to every flag.

IX. "The Barbary states are alone excepted from the dispositions of the preceding article, until a favourable opportunity

present

this barren but important isle, with its dependencies, never did and never can maintain its own inhabitants.

present itself for abolishing the system of hostility which has subsisted between the order of St. John of Jerusalem, and those powers.

X. "The order shall be regulated, spiritually and temporally, by the same statutes which were in force when the knights gave up the island, in as much as may be compatible with the rules herein specified.

XI. The regulations contained in articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10, shall be converted into perpetual laws and statutes of the order, in the usual form; and the grand master, when the island shall be given up, as well as his successors, shall be bound to take an oath, punctually to observe the said rules, which shall be for ever preserved by the order.

XII." The rights of sovereignty of the king of the Two Sici lies, over the islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino, are formally acknowledged and confirmed, as being unalienably annexed to the crown of the Two Sicilies. For this cause his Sicilian Majesty shall furnish a force of 2000 men, to serve as a garrison in the fortresses of the island, until the order is in a state to raise a sufficient number of troops, in the manner proposed by article 5; and the grand master, or his representative, shall renew, when the island shall be restored, the oath of fidelity to the crown of Sicily, which was taken from the first grant of the island to the knights; as also an oath, similar to that which the overseers of the order take at this time, to all the rights and privileges of the people of Malta and Gozo.

XIII. "The different powers specified in article 6, to wit, Great Britain, France, Austria, Russia, Spain, aad Prussia, shall be invited to accede to the present arrangement. The Citizen Joseph Bonaparte has reserved to himself to answer at the next conference.

(Signed)

"JOSEPH BONAPARTE.

"CORNWALLIS."

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