island home, its earlier history showing it to have been, like
Malta, at one time in the far past, a prosperous Phoenician colony.
There was no alternative for the Knights except to make the beat of the
situation, and so without wasting time in useless regrets, or repining,
they set to work energetically to introduce improvements, and to adapt
the locality to their most urgent necessities. The present site of
Valletta was then sparsely occupied by a few poorly constructed cabins,
Citta Vecchia, situated two leagues inland, being the capital of the
island. The Knights first selected their headquarters at Borgo, on the
shore of the present Grand Harbor. After the decisive victory over the
Turks in 1565, Borgo was named Citta Vittoriosa, that is, the
"victorious city," in honor of the gallant defense it made on that
memorable occasion, and thus it is known to-day.

As to the Maltese peasantry, who were thus summarily transferred from
one mastership to another without being permitted any voice whatever in
the matter, they naturally received the new-comers at first with
considerable reservation, but were soon on friendly terms with them, and
erelong they cordially joined interests. At the first coming of the
Knights, it is true, the Maltese were not in a condition to dispute the
new authority placed over them, yet they had influence enough to exact
from the brotherhood certain satisfactory terms as the price of their
yielding ready submission. The Grand Master, in behalf of the order,
solemnly swore to "preserve inviolate, for the inhabitants of the group,
all of their present rights, customs, and privileges." Realizing the
importance of retaining the good-will of the people, the fraternity as a
body were careful to exercise towards them, in these early days of their
settlement here, great consideration and generosity. They did not bear
themselves as conquerors, but rather as friends, a community having a
common interest, and they demanded no service from the Maltese for which
they did not honestly pay. They encouraged them to till the ground by
introducing new seeds, and by giving the natives valuable and practical
information. They brought fruit and ornamental trees from the mainland,
and in many ways stimulated the islanders to adopt progressive and
profitable ideas for their own special benefit. The Maltese were a
coarse, uncultured race, scarcely amenable to argument, and difficult to
reason with. They followed in the f