Trade and port activity in Malta, 1750-1800

Abstract

Much has been written locally about the long sojourn of the Knights of St John on the island of Malta. Besides, several unpublished M.A. theses concerning their rule have also been accepted by the Department of History of the University of Malta. Historians have been interested mainly in the internal and external affairs of the Order, foreign relations, including the activities of the corsairs based on Malta, fortifications, town planning and public works, as well as the social life of the time as revealed mainly in the Inquisitorial archives. Throughout this literature there is one noticeable omission - the role of maritime and mercantile activity in the economic sphere in and around the Grand Harbour, apart from corsairing and Carmel Vassallo's recent research now in the press. 1 The present study is an attempt to focus attention on this missing aspect so vital in Maltese history. These last few years have witnessed the compilation of some well researched books on some of the individual towns and villages in Malta. Two such books 'Birgu: A Maltese Maritime City 2 and 'The Malta Grand Harbour and its Dockyard 13 are very informative in this respect. They relate how the history of the particular area under review, including that of the people inhabiting it, was essentially intertwined with that of the harbour and its hinterland. The city of Birgu enjoyed prosperity all along the years of the sojourn of the Knights of St John in Malta, due to the nearby location of the Order's arsenal, a hive of movement and activity by craftsmen, seamen, and slaves. other publications are more concerned with the ecclesiastical and social character of the area rather than with the economic situation. [...]