~TOWARDS AN ECONOMIC HISTORY OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MALTA Buzzaccarini Gonzaga's Correspondence to the Venetian Magistracy of Trade 1754-1776. Victor Mallia-Milanes The restraining late medieval legacy of allegiance and dependency which the Knights of St. John inherited on settling in the tiny central Mediterranean island of Malta had never been compatihle with the Order's grand aspirations 1. The history of Malta's foreign relations from 1530 to 1798 is the story of the Order's conscious and protracted efforts to remove the negatIve structural and institutional forces which debarred growth and development in order to mOhil­ ize the positive forces which would lead to economic progress. It was a dif­ ficult task to break away from the pattern of politico-economic subjection - to powers like France and Spain to conditions which would reduce Malta's complete dependence on traditional markets, manufactures and capital. Veneto-Maltese mutual economic approaches during the eighteenth century were just one outstanding example of this complex process of economic 're­ orientation. It is my purpose here to examine these "approaches" within the broad framework of the island's economy as a whole and the conceptions of it entertained by the Venetian Magistracy of Trade - the Cinque Savi alla Mercanzia 2, My examination will draw heavily on the large collection of Mas­ similiano Buzzaccarini Gonzaga's orginal, manuscript despatches from Malta to the Cinque Savi 3. I BUZZACCARINI GONZAGA professed a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem on 20th January, The Man 1712 liZ. On 25th September, 1754 h~ was the first to be accredited Huomo On 21st April, 1776 Antonio Pous­ della Repubblica di Venezia to the sielgues, the Venetian Consul in Grandmaster's Court in Malta 13, and Malta 4, wrote to the Cinque Savi in on the morning of 4th December he Venice to tell them of the sad and arrived on the island in that capa­ sudden death of Buzzaccarini Gon­ city 14. Soon after, he paid courtesy zaga 5, Still a minor 6, Commendatore calls on all members of the Venerable Fra Massimiliano Emanuele 7, March­ Council 15. ese a Buzzaccarini Gonzaga 9, from In his letter, the consul paid tribute Padua 10, son of the noble Antonio de to the Knight for his "rare and ster­ Buzzaccarini, Knight of San Giorgio n, ling qualities" he had demonstrated 2 HYPHEN throughout his long term of office as light on the island's trade links with Venetian Minister in Malta 16. For an other European, Levantine and North almost 17 uninterrupted stay of over African markets 26, twenty years on the island, Buzzac­ carini Gonzaga had been entrusted Buzzaccarini Gonzaga's correspon­ with protecting and helping all dence ranges from an analysis of Venetian subjects who either "pro­ matters of far-reaChing influence on ceeded to Malta for purposes of Venetian policy in the central Medi­ trade", or who were "conducted to terranean 24 to items of purely local that place by shipowners and Chris­ significance, ,25'; from an accurate tian corsairs". In the latter case he rendering of the certain repercussions was 'to, procure, by care and effort,' of the "Ottoman Crown" episode on the immediate release of ships, effects the whole of Christendom 26, probing and persons", and to take cognizance with precision into the state of of ",all minute details of the circum­ fortifications of the Maltese Islands in stances", particularly, the exact lo­ the 1760s 27 and into the psychology cality in which such "arrests" had of the local inhabitants faced with an occurred '18. imminent Turkish assault 28, to fre­ quent passing references to a long­ drawn-out postal dispute between the His Correspondence Goverment of Malta and Sicily 29; from a meticulous description of During his tenure of office, Massi­ Malta's trade potentialities 30 to the miliano Buzzaccarini Gonzaga kept in attempt by Robert Damiens on the life constant touch with the Venetian of Louis XV 31; from the feasibility Magistracy of Trade, writing an of establishing through Malta perma­ average of one letter a fortnight 19, nent trade links between Venice and giving what may be defined as a Denmark 3rl to the celebration on the regula.r news-sheet, enriched by island of the feast of "Our Glorious frequent, sound value-judgements of Protector St. Mark" 3B; from news that all that was happening in and around Algiers had declared war on the Dutch Malta. The whole collection is an and Livornese 34 to news of the enlightening and vociferous primary "immense damages caused by a sourCe for a socio-economic history of terrihie earthquake" in Lisbon, of eighteenth century Malta, It owes its fioods in Cadice 35, the wild spread of importance to four basic reasons, plague in Algiers' arid of an epidemic Firstly, it records not only the major in Naples 36. events in the history of Malta during The collection of Buzzaccarini the period covered by the letters, but Gonzaga's correspondence, in con­ also the daily occurences which junction with the equally important usually pass unnoticed, and therefore consular despatches 37, provides ample unrecorded, in normal official corres­ documentation for a reconstruction of pondence 20. Secondly, it penetrates the gradual evolution of Veneto­ deeply into the nature, character and Maltese commercial relations during potentiality of Malta's economy 2'1, the eighteenth century 3a;: from the Thirdly, Veneto-MaItese day-to-day very poor facilities available to commercial and mercantile relations Venetian merchants and seamen in are presented in a clear and vivid Malta in 1700 39 to the formal perspective 22. Finally, it throws sharp establishment in the 1750s of a AN ECONOMIC HISTORY 3 Maltese Consulate in Venice and a general an innate preference for Venetian Consulate in Malta 40; from anything that was French. French the negligible trade carried out commodities enjoyed a privileged between Venice and Malta in 170041 position in Malta. The knights in to the lucrative bilateral commercial their majority were prejudiced against agreement between the two countries anything else 52. This frame of mind in the 1760s 42; from the occasional on the part of the administration was appearance in the Maltese harbours of bound to restrain the conduct of an insignificant number of Venetian trade and restrict the extent of trading vessels at the opening of the century operations. On the other hand the to the Venetian Republic's fun exploi­ Maltese merchant, accustomed as he tation of Malta as a naval base in the was to the traditional slow rhythm of 1780s 43, his unadventurous and unsophistica­ ted trade, to the small range of his II AN ECONOMIC SURVEY? land's agricultural yield and to his unrivalled, regular sea links with Buzzaccarini Gonzaga's description Sicilian ports, was by nature conser­ of Malta vative 53. The process of change would have to be gradual 54. Only "with It took Massimiliano Buzzaccarini industry and confrontation", confessed Gonzaga seven years to survey Buzzaccarini Gonzaga, would he be Malta's econmic condition and poten­ able to overcome these difficulties 5i tialities, In 1761 he defined the island Not that the Maltese merchant was as "a country extremely limited in unresponsive to initiative or ambition, natural resources" 44, producing only to risk or adventure. His bold piratical cotton fibres 45 and a very limited incursions in the Adriatic were not amount of ashes 46, The latter were an uncommon o~currence, even as mostly imported from Sicily 47, to early as the fourteenth 56 or fifteenth 57 be in turn resold to a number of century, while his daring corsairing foreign markets, including Venice 48, activity in the Levant during the next For almost everything else the island two centuries was as dreadful to the depended on foreign sources of Turks as it was devastating to the supply 49, Malta, implied Buzzaccarini Venetians 58. By the time Buzzaccarini Gonzaga, would gain in economic Gonzaga was writing, the Maltese significance to the Venetian emporium merchant - partly with the conni­ if only its purchase-market potentiali­ vance of the Order, partly on his own ties were fully exploited, The process initiative - had previously tapped the would prove feasible and the attempt Venetian market as a secure source of viable if the island would be en­ supply59. Large assortments of com­ couI'aged to redirect its search for raw modities - from timber, wax and materials to the Adriatic port 50. The ironmongery to paper, copper, mirrors only difficulties were of a partly and other glassware - were shipped psychological character. On the one from the old Adriatic port to Malta, hand the Order had always been very often in exchange for ashes of ready to grasp at every opportunity Kalimagnum 60. This commercial ser­ to offset its old ties of politico­ vice was of long standing 61. Other economic dependence on Sicily, Spain vast shipments of foodstuffs and and France, but due to the nature of other products were purchased from its composition 51, it still harboured in Levantine markets, whereas it was 4 HYPHEN only recently that the Maltese mer­ ceremonial, became through the years chant had been venturing on more sophisticated, and sharpened its Dalmatian markets, particularly for members' ever increasing appetite for wine 62. He had also lately resolved to luxury. Economically this was another start buying ironmongery from effective force of change. On the other Trieste, seemingly unaware, according hand, the Maltese inhabitants' ex­ to the Venetian Minister, of "loss of perience of "prosperity and a com­ time on the longer voyage and of fortable standard of living" 72 was differences in weights and quality" 63. mirrored in the island's steady demo­ The Maltese merchant sailed to these graphic growth.