s no bets would be laid against
him. In the spirit of vague curiosity, this parrot was opened by two
surgeons, as if to discover the secret of his cleverness; but nothing
was seen, except that the muscles of the throat were peculiarly strong;
nothing to account for its death was discovered.

* * * * *

Andreossi, the French ambassador, has arrived. He is a rude and rough
specimen even of the Republican, but a man of intelligence, an engineer,
and distinguished for his publications. Still the bone of contention is
Malta, and the difficulty seems greater than ever. The French consul
insists on its abandonment by England, as an article of the treaty of
Amiens; but the answer of England is perfectly intelligible,--You have
not adhered to that treaty in any instance whatever, but have gone on
annexing Italian provinces to France. You have just now made a vassal
of Switzerland, and to all our remonstrances on the subject you have
answered with utter scorn. While you violate your stipulations, how can
you expect that we shall perform ours? But another obstruction to the
surrender of Malta has been produced by the conduct of France herself.
She has seized the entire property of the Order in France, in Piedmont,
and wherever she can seize it. Spain, probably by her suggestion, has
followed her example, and the Order now is reduced to pauperism; in
fact, it no longer exists. Thus it is impossible to restore the island
to the Order of St John of Jerusalem; and to give it up at once to
France, would be to throw away an important security for the due
performance of the treaty. Government are so determined on this view of
the case, that orders have been sent to Malta for all officers on leave
to join their regiments immediately.

Malta is one of the remarkable instances in which we may trace a kind of
penalty on the rapaciousness of the Republic. While it remained in the
possession of the Order, it had observed a kind of neutrality, which was
especially serviceable to France, as the island was a refuge for its
ships, and a depot for its commerce, in common with that of England. But
Bonaparte, in his Egyptian expedition, finding the opportunity
favourable, from the weakness of the knights, and the defenceless state
of the works, landed his troops, and took possession of it without
ceremony. No act could be more atrocious as a breach of faith, for the
knights were in alliance with France, and were wholl