[498] Grandmaster of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and defender of Malta against Solyman in 1565.

DECEMBER

December 1.—­There are two good libraries, on a different plan and for different purposes—­a modern subscription library that lends its own books, and an ancient foreign library which belonged to the Knights, but does not lend books.  Its value is considerable, but the funds unfortunately are shamefully small; I may do this last some good.  I have got in a present from Frere the prints of the Siege of Malta, very difficult to understand, and on loan from Mr. Murray, Agent of the Navy Office, the original of Boiardo, to be returned through Mr. Murray, Albemarle Street.  Mr. Murray is very good-natured about it.

December 2.—­My chief occupation has been driving with Frere.  Dr. Liddell declines a handsome fee.  I will want to send some oranges to the children.  I am to go with Col.  Bathurst to-day as far as to wait on the bishop.  My old friend Sir John Stoddart’s daughter is to be married to a Captain Atkinson.  Rode with Frere.  Much recitation.

December 6.—­Captain Pigot inclines to take me on with him to Naples, after which he goes to Tunis on Government service.  This is an offer not to be despised, though at the expense of protracting the news from Scotland, which I engage to provide for in case of the worst, by offering Mr. Cadell a new romance, to be called The Siege of Malta, which if times be as they were when I came off, should be thankful[ly received] at a round sum, paying back not only what is overdrawn, but supplying finances during the winter.

December 10, [Naples].—­I ought to say that before leaving Malta I went to wait on the Archbishop:  a fine old gentleman, very handsome, and one of the priests who commanded the Maltese in their insurrection against the French.  I took the freedom to hint that as he had possessed a journal of this blockade, it was but due to his country and himself to give it to the public, and offered my assistance.  He listened to my suggestion, and seemed pleased with the proposal, which I repeated more than once, and apparently with success.  Next day the Bishop returned my visit in full state, attended by his clergy, and superbly dressed in costume, the pearls being very fine. (The name of this fine old dignitary of the Romish Church is Don Francis Caruana, Bishop of Malta.)

The last night we were at Malta we experienced a rude shock of an earthquake, which alarmed me, though I did not know what it was.  It was said to foretell that the ocean, which had given birth to Graham’s Island, had, like Pelops, devoured its own offspring, and we are told it is not now visible, and will be, perhaps, hid from those who risk the main; but as we did not come near its latitude we cannot say from our own knowledge that the news is true.  I found my old friend Frere as fond as ever of old ballads.  He took me out almost every day, and favoured me with recitations of the Cid and the continuation of Whistlecraft.  He also acquainted me that he had made up to Mr. Coleridge the pension of L200 from the Board of Literature[499] out of his own fortune.