ew Doria, nephew of the
great Andrew, and worthy of the name he bore, had command of the galleys
of the republic. To these was added the reinforcement of the
grand-master of Malta. The whole fleet amounted to more than a hundred
sail, fifty-four of which were galleys; by much the larger part being
furnished by Spain and her Italian provinces. Fourteen thousand troops
embarked on board the squadron. So much time was consumed in
preparation, that the armament was not got ready for sea till late in
October, 1559,--too late for acting with advantage on the stormy African
coast.

[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST TRIPOLI.]

This did not deter the viceroy, who, at the head of the combined fleet,
sailed out of the port of Syracuse in November. But the elements
conspired against this ill-starred expedition. Scarcely had the squadron
left the port, when it was assailed by a tempest, which scattered the
vessels, disabled some, and did serious damage to others. To add to the
calamity, an epidemic broke out among the men, caused by the bad quality
of the provisions furnished by the Genoese contractors. In his distress,
the duke of Medina Celi put in at the island of Malta. He met with a
hospitable reception from the grand-master; for hospitality was one of
the obligations of the order. Fall two mouths elapsed before the duke
was in a condition to reembark, with his force reduced nearly one third
by disease and death.

Meanwhile Dragut, having ascertained the object of the expedition, had
made every effort to put Tripoli in a posture of defence. At the same
time he sent to Constantinople, to solicit the aid of Solyman. The
Spanish admiral, in the crippled condition of his armament, determined
to postpone the attack on Tripoli to another time, and to direct his
operations for the present against the island of Jerbah, or, as it was
called by the Spaniards, Gelves. This place, situated scarcely a league
from the African shore, in the neighborhood of Tripoli, had long been
known as a nest of pirates, who did great mischief in the Mediterranean.
It was a place of ill-omen to the Spaniards, whose arms had met there
with a memorable reverse in the reign of Ferdinand the Catholic.[1272]
The duke, however, landing with his whole force, experienced little
resistance from the Moors, and soon made himself master of the place. It
was defended by a fortress fallen much out of repair; and, as the
Spanish commander proposed to leave a garrison there