File:Situation des Casaux de Malte, 1741.jpg

"This map of the Maltese islands was made to pinpoint the site of the various villages. Indeed, its title reads: SITUATION / des Casaux / de Malte / Avec les / Noms des / Vents, enclosed in a small strapwork cartouche at the top left corner. At the opposite bottom corner is the white cross of the Order of St John, surmounted by a crown and surrounded by trophies and the flag of the Order. This square map measures 120 x 125mm. The geographical situation of the islands is very roughly given. They are shown as being in the MER MEDITERRANÉE lying between EVROPE and AFRIQVE. The coast of BARBARIE is depicted to the south, while that of SICILE is to the north, divided from the Maltese islands by the CANAL DE MALTE. The sixteen points of the compass are inscribed in the border surrounding the map: 2 NORD (SEPTENTRION) EST (LEVANT) SVD (MIDI) OVEST (COUCHANT) Nord Ouest Nord N. Ouest Nord Nord est Nord est Est Nord est Est Sud est Sud est Sud Sud est Sud Sud Ouest Sud Ouest Ouest S. Ouest Ouest N. Ouest

The Maltese islands are drawn horizontally along the centre of the plate oriented with south to the top. Of the five islands only two are named: I. Cumin and I. Folfola. Cominotto is shown but not named. Names of villages and other sites complete the map as listed hereunder: Asciak (Gœaxaq) Attard Balzan Bircarcara (Birkirkara) C: Dingli C: Magdelaine (Madliena) C: Marsa scala (Marsaskala) C: Meleha (Mellieœa) C: S: Georg (San Æoræ) C: S: Julien (San Æiljan) C: S: Paul (San Pawl) C: S: Thomas (San Tumas) C: Saliner (Is-Salini) Courmi (Qormi) Gargur (Gœargœur) Goudia (Gudja) Grand Port (Grand Harbour) Kerkop (Kirkop) C.S. Dimitri (San Dimitri) Cale Cap de la Cale (Qala) Daklet Korot (Dahlet Qorrot) Garbo (Gœarb) Goze (denoting the capital Rabat) La Ramla Krendi (Qrendi) La Fontaine (the ‘Gran Fontana’) La Geneina (Ænejna) Lamileha (Mellieœa) Lia (Lija) Louca (Luqa) M. Siroco (Marsaxlokk) Micaba (Mqabba) Mosta Nasciar (Naxxar) Notable (Notabile, Mdina) P. Camea (Qammieœ Point) Sabar (Ÿabbar) Safi Sigio(?) (Siææiewi) Tarsce ( Tarxien) Zebougi (Ÿebbuæ) Zeiton (Ÿejtun) Zorico (Ÿurrieq) On the island of Malta Nadur Redum Sanat( Sannat) Sciara (Xagœra) Seuchia (Xewkija) Zebouo (Ÿebbuæ) It is to be noted that Valletta and other towns are not named as the map’s emphasis was on the villages and their coastal areas. The map was not published as a loose sheet, but it appeared in a French pamphlet titled Etat curieux, et militaire de l’Ordre de Malte pour l’année 1741. This essay is dedicated to Grand Master Ramon Despuig who reigned between 1736 and 1741. Although it is stated on the title page that the book was printed in Malta, this is one of the false ‘Malta’ imprints, as no press was in existence locally. At the National Library in Valletta there are two copies of this pamphlet, but the map is missing in both. In the single known copy in Malta of the pamphlet (in a private collection), the map is placed at the end of the book, facing p. 72. The title of the pamphlet is rather misleading. It is not a treatise, but rather a vade mecum or handbook for the Knights of the Order of St John. It starts with a calendar for 1741 and contains a short description of Malta which stated that the island had a circumference of 20 leagues according to Francesco Marandon who had measured it from the best maps of the island, and it had a population of 120,000 souls according to information passed on to Marandon. Actually, between 1727 and 1734, Francesco Marandon from Turin was the resident second engineer in Malta to Charles François de Mondion, then becoming the Order’s resident engineer until 1762. The pamphlet was compiled by a Knight of the Order of St John, presumably French. In his dedication to the Grand Master he did not sign his name but wrote simply Le plus humble & le plus soumis de vos religieux. Apart from being in contact with Marandon, he must have had access to the situation of the Order in Malta in 1740 as he gives details concerning the presence of Knights of Malta, the names of judicial functionaries, names and complements of the galleys, the improvement of the fortifications of Notabile, Valletta, Floriana, and Cospicua during the reign of Despuig (a Majorcan born on 8 September 1671), and several other matters. On consulting the French correspondence of the period, the writer came across some vital information. By a letter dated 12 November 1740, Le Bailly de Mesmes, the Order’s Ambassador in Paris to the Court of France, forwarded to Grand Master Despuig two copies of the pamphlet in question for which the author was requesting the protection of copyright. The pamphlet was printed in France, although de Mesmes was misguided by the title page, and the two copies had been sent to him by a French knight of the Order ‘Chev. Delivary’, obviously the author of the pamphlet, whose identity has thus been established. The name probably refers to Paul-Hippolite Sanguin de Livri, received in the Langue of France on 2 December 1687. The publication has no date, but the said letter shows that it was printed in France, presumably in Paris, in late 1740, intended for use in 1741. Indeed, on page 54 the compiler gave a list of the Grand Crosses of the Order from 1712 to 1740. De Mesmes found it instructive, but he opined that some items were dangerous and merited revision. It was too late for revision if all the copies had been printed. As a matter of interest the name of Bailly de Mesmes is well known to collectors of Malta maps. Indeed, a map of the Maltese islands, with the arms of the Grand Masters of the Order of St John in three lines along the foot, was dedicated to him. It has this title L’ISLE DE MALTHE / Et celles de GOZE et de COMINGO (sic) and it is undated. It was drawn; after Estiennne Vouillemont, by Nicolas de Fer (1646-1720) and published in Paris. The dedication reads: Haut et Puissant Seigneur Monseigneur Iean Iacques de Mesmes Commandeur de l’Ordre de Malthe, with his coat of arms; he joined the Langue of France on 15 November 1691. As the last escutcheon in the list of the Grand Masters is that of Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful (1697-1720), the map was done in 1715 or later, when de Mesmes was Ambassador, but before 1721. The map was reissued in 1722 with the arms of Grand Master Marc ’Antonio Zondadari (1720-1722). Jean-Jacques de Mesmes received his profession as a Knight on 12 April 1676 and he was appointed Ambassador to the Court of France in 1715. According to Claire Engel he was a clever diplomat, whose mistress was the lovely ballerina Mlle Prévost who eventually married his rival. He led an extremely colourful life like his predecessor as Ambassador Commander de Souvré, a noted gourmet at Court who had founded an exclusive dining club, a man of taste and courage. Once de Fer’s map was dedicated to de Mesmes it follows that de Fer had sought his sponsorship and financial support for its publication. The Order’s Ambassador in Paris was the obvious choice for the purpose, in the same way that Vouillemont had dedicated his 1662 map. His copperplate then passed to Antoine de Fer, who reissued the map in 1672. The title of Delivary’s pamphlet refers to the sites of the Casaux de Malte. In the text the author wrote that there were in all 6 towns and 28 Bourgs apellés Caseaux, all of which are to be found on the map. The author of the map is unknown and the engraver is anonymous. However, as Marandon is mentioned twice in the text as the supplier of the informaion, and as he was the resident engineer for many years, including 1740, it is quite probable that the map was drawn by