s of the Mediterranean.

From the eastern side of this basin shoot out two projecting headlands,
forming smaller harbors within the Great Port. The most northerly of
these strips of land was defended by the Castle of St. Angelo, round
which clustered a little town, called by way of eminence _Il Borgo_,
"The Burgh,"--now more proudly styled "The Victorious City." It was here
that the order took up its residence,--the grand-masters establishing
themselves in the castle; and great pains were taken to put the latter
in a good state of defence, while the town was protected by a wall. On
the parallel strip of land, known as the island of La Sangle, from a
grand-master of that name, stood a fort, called the fort of St. Michael,
with a straggling population gathered around it, now busily employed in
strengthening the defences. Between the two headlands lay the Port of
Galleys, serving, as its name imports, as a haven for the little navy of
the order. This port was made more secure by an iron chain drawn across
its entrance, from the extreme point of one headland to the other.

Such were the works constructed by the knights in the brief period
during which they had occupied the island. They were so far imperfect,
that many a commanding eminence, which the security of the country
required to be strongly fortified, still remained as naked and exposed
as at the time of their arrival. This imperfect state of its defences
presented a strong contrast to the present condition of Malta, bristling
all over with fortifications, which seem to form part of the living rock
out of which they spring, and which, in the hands of a power that holds
possession of the sea, might bid defiance to the world.

The whole force which La Valette could muster in defence of the island
amounted to about nine thousand men. This included seven hundred
knights, of whom about six hundred had already arrived. The remainder
were on their way, and joined him at a later period of the siege.
Between three and four thousand were Maltese, irregularly trained, but
who had already gained some experience of war in their contests with the
Barbary corsairs. The rest of the army, with the exception of five
hundred galley slaves, already noticed, and the personal followers of
the knights, was made up of levies from Spain and Italy, who had come
over to aid in the defence. The useless part of the population--the
infirm and the aged--had for the most part been shipped off to S