On June 6 the vanguard of the French appeared off the island, and on the 9th it was joined by the main fleet, the whole now numbering about 450 sail, of which 14 were ships of the line and 30 were frigates; the Grand Master had about 300 Knights and 6,000 men, chiefly Maltese, under arms.  Had this garrison been resolute and united, the fortifications of Valetta could have held the French for a considerable time.  But the natives were divided, many regarding the French, despite their doubtful career of the last few years, as liberators from a detestable tyranny.  Two-thirds of the Knights were French, and many of them had become infected with republican principles, though the French langues also contained the fiercest opponents to the invaders.

Bonaparte sent for permission for his fleet to enter the harbour for water and for his soldiers to land—­a request which was tantamount to a demand for surrender.  Von Hompesch sent back a conciliatory letter, saying that treaty obligations forbade the entrance of more than four vessels at a time.  Napoleon thereupon threw off the mask, and during the night landed troops at seven different parts of the island.  A slight resistance was encountered from a few detached forts, but by the evening of the 10th Valetta was closely invested.  The mob was encouraged by hired emissaries to attack as traitors the Knights, who were really the most bitter enemies of the invaders.  While Napoleon’s agents were busy throughout the town, Von Hompesch sat motionless in his palace, and no subordinate commander would take the responsibility of firing on the besiegers.  Finally, a party of citizens interviewed Von Hompesch and threatened to surrender the town if he refused to capitulate.

At this point a mutiny broke out in the garrison, and the Grand Master and his Council, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, sent for an armistice preliminary to surrender.  The armistice was concluded on the 11th, and on the 12th Napoleon entered Valetta, full of amazement at the might of the fortress he had so easily captured.  On the 12th the capitulation was drawn up, of which the main clauses were: 

  1.  The Knights surrendered Malta and its
  sovereignty to the French army.

2.  The French Republic would try to secure to the Grand Master an equivalent principality and would meanwhile pay him an annual pension of 300,000 livres.

3.  The French would use their influence with the different Powers assembled at Rastadt to allow the Knights who were their subjects to control the property of their respective langues.

  4.  French Knights were allowed to return to
  France.

5.  French Knights in Malta were to receive a pension from the French Government of 700 livres per annum; if over sixty years old, 1,000 livres.

Such was the end of the Order at Malta.  Napoleon treated the Knights and the Grand Master with extreme harshness.  Most of them were required to leave within three days, and some even within twenty-four hours.