Our Latest Acquisition 

 


A complete and original 1836 George Mitrovich pamphlet entitled “The Cause of the People of Malta” has been donated thanks to a gift from the Diss family of Malta. It is in a rather fragile, but readable state. There another original copy of this document held in the National Library of Malta in Valletta (and one in the British Library in London). It is not known how rare this pamphlet is today, but it is a very interesting snapshot of the social history of Malta. The text is now available online from Google and reprints of it may be ordered online.

A limited number of original copies of this pamphlet were printed and distributed in England at the expense of some Maltese notables who were campaigning for more political representation and better conditions in Malta. The intent was to make Maltese grievances known at the British parliament (and on the streets of London) in order to gain some attention where it could have an impact. Pamphleteering was a normal activity at the time. The degree of self-government in Malta was very limited in 1836 with most decisions being made by the Governor alone.

The 1830s were a time of some austerity. There had been plague outbreak of 1813-1814 and the Napoleonic invasion was still recent history. The invited British regime imposed significant tariffs on corn imported from Sicily as a means of raising funds to pay for their military activities sent up to defend Malta. As the local population grew under British rule, and many Maltese moved into urban areas springing up around the Royal Navy dockyards, the dependence on imported foodstuffs increased. The tariffs were bitterly resented (equivalent of income tax today perhaps) and blamed on the distant parliament.

Interestingly, George Mitrovich also used the pamphlet to press the claims of Maltese merchants and aristocrats for compensation from the British government in relation to stores/property taken by the French garrison in Valletta during 1798-1800. His logic that such reparations should be paid by the British was that they had allowed the French to surrender and leave without penalty - and without being searched for stolen items.

The pamphlet includes other commentaries that were topical in 1836 but may well seem strange to the reader today. The style is passionate and personal in keeping with its propaganda purpose.  The length is considerable compared to the reading habits of people today – 83 pages of dense, but clear writing.

This artifact is interesting for many reasons – its context and content plus the history of its making and its author.   Following this pamphlet, some reforms were enacted. The document is now safely stored as part of the FWA Melitensia collection.  Anyone interested in viewing the pamphlet should contact us via info@wirtartna.org

Also in March we featured this rare observer corps plotting instrument received as a donation.

 

FWA welcomes donations and has a significant collections of military and cultural items. All donations will be acknowledged and catalogued and then displayed.