ETON, William. Authentic Materials for a History of the People of Malta. First, Second, Third, and Fourth Parts; Now first published - to be continued. These four Parts contain, the Form of Government under their own Magistrates, under the Grand Masters, and under the British Civil Commissioners; their former Efforts to regain their Ancient Rights and Liberties, and their present Claims thereto; A Memorial to the King; Revenues, Expenditure, Coins, Corn Measure, Agriculture, &c. London: Printed by Luke Hansard & Sons, for T. Cadell and W. Davies. 1802, 1805, and 1807.
Four parts in one volume, 8vo. Contemporary full polished calf, spine ornamented in gilt and with red morocco lettering-piece, contemporary bookseller's label inside front cover; pp. [4], viii, 78, [2, blank], [viii], 270, [2 errata], [2, advertisement for Eton's Survey of the Turkish Empire]; a near-fine copy from the library of the Murrays of Dollerie, Crieff, Perthshire, with their armorial engraved bookplate inside fron cover.
Extremely rare first edition of all four parts together, beautifully preserved and bound at the time for the Murrays of Dollerie, Crieff, Perthshire. The Superintendent of Quarantine William Eton in this work, the publication of the single parts being delayed several times, deals with the turbulent period in Maltese history, after the French occupation ended the rule of the Maltese Knights, rulers sine 1530. The relation between the population sored quickly, there was an uprising and the British intervened, promising to reinstitute the Maltese Knights and ancient liberties. Of course the British did not release the island until 1964. William Eton argues with much sympathy for the old institutions of the island and the way of life of the islanders. He expresses his support for traditional nationalism, in particular, through the argument for a restoration of the Consiglio Popolare, and, secondly, in the context of his general thesis that the laws of Malta were perfectly adequate and that the Island’s problems stemmed from the fact that the laws were not properly enforced by an autocratic British Civil Commissioner.
Eton praises as well the Code de Rohan, instituted by the enlightened Prince and 70th Grand Master of the Order of St. John in the late 18th century. 'The Code is divided into eight books, containing 434 pages of small folio-large and open print. The greater part of the matter regards the military and naval regulations of the Order-and bulls of the pope-and many other things, which have no relation to the present state of the island' (p. 153). Of course the British ruled without any concessions to representation of the population. 'The King's representative must not be a despotic Grand Master under another name' Eton exclaims n p. 152. It took a few more decades before the Maltese under George Mitrovich gained a constitution.
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