In the collection of the Vernadsky National Library in Kiev, Ukraine, there is a rare pamphlet that incorporates a map of Malta and a plan of Valletta together with the explanation of the most important buildings and places found in the capital city.

In the exemplar found in Kiev, the pages are separate and their edges have been extended with paper for the protection of the original edges. The unnumbered pamphlet was published in St Petersburg in 1801 when Emperor Paul I had assumed the role of Grand Master of the Order of St John of Malta after the expulsion of the Knights of St John from Malta by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798.

On the title page [page 1] of the small unnumbered pamphlet, there is the title and the imprint in French and Russian. In French it says: Carte de Malthe, de Commino et de Gozzo avec la Vue de la Ville de Malthe vers l’Orient. Le Plan de la Capitale la Valette, de ses Forts etr de ses Ports, et l’explication du Plan en François et en Russe. The map of Malta is Plate 1 and the plan of Valletta is Plate II.

The map of Malta, titled Carte des Iles / de Malthe / du Goze / et de Commino (sic) /1801, is marked as Plate I. The size of the engraving is 39 x 48cm, has very detailed place names and is almost an exact copy of the larger-sized map of Malta (49.7 x 58cm) published in Nuremberg, Germany c. 1715 by Johann Baptist Homann. This map had become very popular because of its decorative elements and five states are known of this map with the rare fifth state being published by Homann heirs in 1808.

It is worth pointing out that the title of the map in the fifth state was changed to Die Inseln Malta und Gozzo from the Latin title Insularum Maltae et Gozae.

The title is found on the map of Malta inside a cartouche at the bottom left corner. The cartouche is shaped like a shield surmounted with a plumed Cuirassier helmet decorated with the imperial double-headed eagle. At the foot of the shield, there is the Russian coat of arms with the double-headed Imperial Eagle which is charged with the eight-pointed cross of the Order of St John underneath the image of St George in complete armour.

The view of Valletta taken from just outside the Grand Harbour is shown along the bottom below the map and the cartouche and is titled Vue de la Ville de Malthe vers l’Orient. It is also almost exactly copied from the Homann map, except that in this map one of the galleons found at the right corner on the Homann map has been removed and the Latin title Munitissima Urbis Maltæ versus Orientem prospectus has been translated into French.

This map had become very popular because of its decorative elements

It has two scale bars, one of five geographical miles, measuring 46mm and another of Italian miles, measuring 45mm. It is oriented north and has the coordinates in the border surround.

Plate II shows the map of Valletta and the three cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea and measures 39cm x 24cm. It has no title. The plan enclosed within a double line border is surmounted with the crowned coat of arms of the Order and the motto Pro Fide inside a banner. An open-winged angel above is blowing a trumpet. It is very similar to the one found in the Homann’s map but,  nonetheless, the plan has been updated from latter map.

Fort Tigné, written as Tignié on the map, has been added at Sliema Point, also called Dragut’s Point. The legend which was originally engraved on the Valletta inset map of Homann has also been removed and the key to places and buildings written in both French and Russian start from a-n on page 2 of the pamphlet, which is the verso of the title page, while o-z plus A-B, is carried forward on to page 3.

Johann Baptist Homann, Die Inseln Malta und Gozzo, 1808. 49.7 x 58cm

The only difference in the legend from that of Homann’s map are the last three entries: ‘z’ for Fort Emmanuel on Manoël bâti par le Gr. Maître Vilhena, ‘A’ for Le Mail referring to the Mall, in Floriana, though the engraver forgot to engrave the corresponding letter ‘A’ on the plan and, finally, ‘B’ for Fort Tignié construit par le Grand Maître Rohan.

On the back page [page 4], there is written in Russian: “His Imperial Majesty has deigned, in his grace, to allow the foreigner Augustus Vitsman, on his petition, to engrave, print and put on sale as permitted, the Maltese town plan and the map of the islands Malta and Gozo, presented to His Imperial Majesty’s maps depot. The book, enclosing the description of the drawings is to be given to the official censorship department.

Artillery General Major Tomilov

“The description of the map and plan in Russian and French languages was sanctioned to be printed by St Petersburg’s print censorship on 15 December in 1800.

Michael Tumansky

“August Vitsman is the rightful owner of the book.”

The above approval shows that Vitsman (1767-1805) was the engraver, publisher and distributor of this pamphlet that included the Malta maps. He was a German citizen who settled in St Petersburg as a teacher. In 1779, he opened a French language class for children, which enjoyed great success and lasted until 1804.

This year, the Russian Centre for Culture and Science is celebrating its 30th  anniversary. This article has been written to commemorate the occasion.

The author would like to thank Elena Yasnetskaya Sultana for providing him with the English translation of the Russian script.