the possession of Malta, Gozo, and Tripoli, the latter
situated on the adjacent coast of Barbary. He was in reality glad to get
rid of dependencies which cost him a large sum of money annually to
garrison and maintain, but from which he received no equivalent
whatever. They were empty possessions to him, ministering neither to his
pride nor his treasury. The emperor, nevertheless, made a virtue of
their relinquishment, and bound the order, as a condition of the gift,
never under any circumstances to take up arms against his lineage. These
terms were acceded to, and were ever after scrupulously observed, though
on more than one occasion the loyalty of the Knights was sorely tried.

As to Tripoli, the order did not desire to possess it at all, and would
have been glad not to have taken charge of it. Tripoli was indeed a
white elephant, to speak figuratively, but the emperor was
persistent,--the three dependencies must go together. His pride would
not permit him to abandon the place to the Turks, so he insisted on its
going with Malta and Gozo into the custody of the Order of St. John. He
knew very well that the Knights were in no condition to dictate terms,
and he took advantage accordingly. So the fraternity in their then
weakened condition were forced to take charge of a distant dependency,
the maintenance of which must draw heavily upon their circumscribed
resources.

The order is said to have been upon the point of making a permanent
settlement at Genoa, where it had long before established one of its
most successful commanderies, but the decision was finally made in favor
of Malta. The Grand Master was influenced by the strategic situation,
and also on account of the advantages it presented for being most
effectually fortified. Against these considerations, however, he was
obliged to weigh the sterile character of the rocky group, which at that
time presented a most inhospitable aspect. The latter cause so affected
a large portion of the Knights, who looked more to the present than the
future, that a strong party was raised in open opposition to the choice
of this group for their future home, but the decision of the Grand
Master was final; there was no appeal from his mandate when it had been
issued. L'Isle Adam's decision proved ultimately to be the grandest move
ever made by the order, viewed from the results which were thus brought
about.

As regarded Tripoli, its situation was more than precarious from the
ve