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Questions regarding the “Sensible” later “HMS Sensible”
The Sensible was a 32-gun Magicienne-class frigate of the French Navy built in 1788.
She was captured by the British Royal Navy on the 27 June 1798 by HMS Seahorse, and subsequently taken into service as HMS Sensible. http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/S/04185.html http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/S/04203.html
Writing in 1881, in his THE WORKS OF ART IN THE CHURCHES OF MALTA AND THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE, VALLETTA, Giuseppe Calleja recounts the following:
“in 1798 the French took from the churches, the palace, and the auberges (of Malta), gold, silver, jewels and other valuables to the amount of 3,000,000 Maltese scudi.
For further details see the Storia Ecclesiastica di Malta by Sig. A. Ferris. This rich plunder was placed on board the flagship “L' Orient” and the frigate "La Sensible," but none of it ever reached France. “L’Orient” was blown up at the Battle of the Nile, and “La Sensible” was captured by the English. But we have said enough about the Church of St. John.”
Calleja does not elaborate, but now that we know that “La Sensible” was taken by the English, we have some questions:-
What happened to the Maltese treasure aboard the ‘Sensible’?
Who has it today?
Should it not be restored to the Maltese People?
More questions arise when one considers that the plunder took place within days of the French taking possession in June 1798 and not later in September.
Many standard books on Maltese history during this period assert that the Maltese took umbrage immediately as soon as the French started stripping the churches. http://schoolnet.gov.mt/mtarfasecondary/history/docs/account.pdf In fact the Maltese rose only on the 2 September 1798.
This begs the question: If the Maltese rose against the French because of the looting of the churches, why did they react only as late as September, and not immediately in June?
The answer lies in part in Articles I and VII of the terms of the 1798 treaty of surrender, aptly termed a ‘Convention’:-
Article I – The Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem shall give up the city and forts of Malta to the French army, at the same time renouncing in favour of the French Republic all rights of property and sovereignty over that Island, together with those of Gozo and Comino.
Article VII – The inhabitants of the islands of Malta and Gozo shall be allowed, the same as before, the free exercise of the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Religion; their privileges and property shall likewise remain inviolate; and they shall not be subject to any extraordinary taxes. https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/1887/4576/4/Thesis.pdf
and in part in the events which took place during the stay of Napoleon himself:-
We have learnt from an intercepted letter dated 11 December 1800 from Vaubois to Fossetti, that between June and September 1798, the Maltese were relatively happy under French rule and that the locals only rose after a ‘change in regulations’ and not because of the plundering.
“we made the Maltese free; they were governed by their own magistrates, without our interference, and we guided them like children, when unfortunately new instructions arrived form France; and having persuaded ourselves that we could treat them as a conquered nation, we made new regulations. The consequence was, that the whole country rose in an instant. In two hours, every man was in arms; fell upon, and cut off our troops in every part in the island. We were all in perfect security; no symptom of discontent having appeared. The garrison of Valetta was shut up on every side. We made several sallies – we had to combat enraged lions – no trace of their former docile character appeared.” http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/SME2/The_appeals_of_the_nobility_and_people_o.pdf
This apparent initial French benignity to the locals’ religious sentiments appears to be corroborated by a general strategy adopted elsewhere by Napoleon before and after the capture of Malta, also explaining why some Maltese joined Napoleon in his Nile expedition. On the 30th of June 1798, Bonaparte had the following proclamation printed on board the L’Orient, and issued it to the army: -
“Soldiers! You are going to undertake a conquest, the effects of which, upon commerce and civilization, will be incalculable. You will give the English a most-sensible blow, which will be followed up by their destruction. We shall have some fatiguing marches – we shall fight several battles – we shall succeed in all our enterprises. The destinies are in our favour. The Mamelouc Beys, who favour the English commerce exclusively, who have injured our merchants and who tyrranise over the unhappy inhabitants of the banks of the Nile, will no longer exist in a few days after our arrival. The people, among whom you are going to live, are Mahometans. The first article of their faith is ‘There is no other God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet. Do not contradict them. Act with them as you did with the Jews and with the Italians. Treat their muftis and their imams with respect, as you did with the rabbis and the bishops. You must act with the same spirit of toleration towards the ceremonies prescribed by the Koran, that you did to the synagogues and the convents, to the religions of Moses and of Jesus Christ. The Roman legions protected all religions. You will find here customs which differ to those of Europe: you must accustom yourselves to them. The people among whom we are going, treat women differently from us; but in every country, he who violates them is a monster. Pillage enriches but a very few men: it dishonours us, it destroys our resources and it renders those our enemies whom it is our interest to have for friends. The first city we shall arrive at was built by Alexander, and every step we take we shall meet with objects capable of exciting emulation”. (The miscellaneous prose works, Volume 2, Walter Scott, page 262)
In drawing up the terms of surrender, the Maltese had already distinguished between what belonged to their nation and what belonged to the Order. We have seen how in the events leading to this document the Maltese assembly had formulated a petition to Grand Master Hompesch asking that he surrender to the French on behalf of the Order and the Maltese http://www.saidvassallo.com/SME/SME2/muddiedchampion.html
It is reasonable to suggest that Napoleon had given assurances that the rights and religious sentiments of the Maltese would be respected.
It appears that the sequence of events is as follows: the French took over the Maltese Islands and immediately took possession of the prizes consisting of plunder from the Order’s coffers and precious objects (which by right of conquest and in terms of the Treaty, already belonged to the French). During the period June–September 1798, the French did not touch any Maltese properties and the locals took to living under a new regime which appeared less oppressive than that of the Order. (The churches that Calleja is referring to reads in the context of the palace and auberges: Calleja does not appear to include the houses, palaces and churches of the local population).
It follows that the bounty on the ‘Sensible’ had become French property by right of the 1798 Convention and the Maltese willingly did not regard it as their own.
It was not the looting of the Order’s erstwhile possessions in June 1798 which brought about the Maltese insurrection against the French; What had angered the Maltese was the perception in September 1798 that the French had breached the assurances contained in the Convention made in June by looting their churches.
But where is the booty of the ‘Sensible’ lamented by Calleja? The following might help us:-
The frigate was passing along the southern Sicilian coast on a northeasterly course from Malta to Toulon when sighted at 16:00 on the 26 June 1798 by HMS Seahorse. The captain Bourdé, knowing that his ship was overladen, undermanned and carried only 36 guns, some of which were only 6-pounders, turned away and sailed south, hoping to outrun his opponent during the night. For 12 hours Sensible fled southwards, but Seahorse's pursuit was relentless and Bourdé found the distance between his frigate and Seahorse gradually disappearing. At 04:00 on 27 July, with the island of Pantelleria 36 miles (58 km) to the northwest, the Seahorse pulled alongside his opponent and opened a heavy fire from close range. At the first shots, many of the galley slaves deserted their positions and fled below decks, leaving the French ship dangerously exposed. The French frigate received 36 cannon shot in the hull and significant damage to the masts. Casualty estimates vary, but between 18 and 25 men were killed and 35 to 55 were wounded from a total of approximately 300. Within eight minutes Sensible was battered into submission. Seahorse by contrast suffered only light damage, losing two men dead and 16, including first Lieutenant Wilmot, wounded.
Seahorse’s captain Edward Foote (later remembered for his involvement in the controversy concerning Nelson’s massacre of the leaders of the Parthenopean Republic in 1799) removed much of the treasure and prisoners from Sensible before despatching the vessel under a prize crew to Earl St. Vincent. Among the goods seized from the frigate were copies of the French naval code books, as well as information about the destination of Bonaparte's invasion fleet.
Among the treasures removed from the ship was a decorated brass cannon captured from the Ottomans in the seventeenth century and presented to the Knights of St. John by King Louis XIV of France, as well as a model of a galley made from gilt silver. These were sold, along with the other cargo and ships fittings at Sheerness in November 1799, the prize money shares subsequently awarded to the crew of Seahorse.
See also: The Naval History of Great Britain: 1797-1799, By William M. James;
The naval history of Great Britain: from the year MDCCLXXXIII to MDCCCXXII. by Edward Pelham Brenton;
Adkins, Roy & Lesley (2006). The War for All the Oceans. Abacus. ISBN 0-34911-916-8.
Clowes, William Laird (1997 [1900]). The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume IV. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
Cole, Juan (2007). Napoleon's Egypt; Invading the Middle East. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403964311.
Gardiner, Robert, ed (2001 [1996]). Nelson Against Napoleon. Caxton Editions. ISBN 0-86176-026-4.
James, William (2002 [1827]). The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 2, 1797–1799. Conway Martime Press. ISBN 0-85177-906-9.
Keegan, John (2003). Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda. Pimlico. ISBN 0-71266-650-8.
http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_History/Vol_II/P_208.html
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www.maltagenealogy.com is dedicated to celebrating and reassessing the history of the Maltese People