Brookthorpe.
ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.
(Vol. vii., p. 407.)
R. L. P. asks "What members of the British language were present, when, in 1546, the English commander Upton attacked and defeated the famous corsair Dragut at Tarschien, in Malta?"
In answer to the above question I would beg to remark, that in September, 1536, John d'Omedes ascended the Maltese throne on the decease of Didier de Saint Jaille; and his reign continued seventeen years, i. e. to 1553. In looking through several histories of the order, I am unable to find any mention made of a Turkish descent on the island in 1546. Had such an occurrence taken place, it doubtless would have been recorded; but as it is not, it would have been impossible for the Commander Upton to have distinguished himself in any such conflict as your correspondent supposes.
R. L. P. then asks, "What members of it were present (that is, the British language) when the Chevalier Repton, Grand Prior of England in 1551, was killed, after signally defeating the Turks in another attack on the island?"
With all due deference I would beg to state, that there was not in July, 1551, when Dragut made an attack on Malta, any English knight of the name of Repton; and it can be satisfactorily shown by the following extract, that at the period referred to by R. L. P., Nicholas Upton was Grand Prior of England, and was not "killed" after signally defeating the Turks, but died from the effects of a coup de soleil:
"L'isola del Gozzo fu presa da Sinam Bassa, a persuasione di Dragutte, il 1551, essendosi renduto a discrezione F. Galaziano de Sesse Aragonese, Governatore, che vi rimase schiavo. Ma poco dopo il Cavaliere F. Pietro d'Olivares, la ristaurò da danni patiti e vi richiamò nuove famiglie a ripopolarla. Sinam, prima di andare al Gozzo, fece una discesa in Malta, ma fu rispinto da Cavaliere: nella quale azione pel molto caldo sofferto, mori Nicolas Vpton, Gran Priore d'Inghilterra."—Vide Codice Dip., vol. ii. p. 573.; as also Vertot's History of the Order, vol. iv. p. 144., date July, 1551.