How British colonial rule took advantage of the Maltese carnival

Abstract

In 1822, the ‘Little Prisoner’, a Malta-based children’s novel written by an anonymous author was published in London. Claiming to describe ‘a visit to the island of Malta founded on fact’, it contains an intriguing account of a misadventure which occurred to the protagonist’s father, a British army colonel. While returning to his home in Valletta during Carnival time, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of masked Maltese revellers. His daughter, who was watching from the balcony, noticed that they had caught hold of him:

Soon after, Caroline exclaimed: “Oh! mamma, mamma, what will become of papa? only look, a great number of people have seized him: what are they going to do?” “Your papa is indeed fairly caught, my dear,” said Mrs. Melville, “but they will not hurt him much; they are only teasing him, as they do every one who appears in the street unmasked. The governor has given orders that no British officer or soldier shall appear masked during the carnival, and therefore I suppose the inhabitants like to tease them, now they have an opportunity. Your father hoped to have escaped by coming down a back street.” Caroline continued watching.”