The ''Journal de Malte'' was

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

's first newspaper, and it was published between July and September 1798 during the

French occupation of Malta The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in M ...

. Written in French and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, a total of ten issues of the newspaper are believed to have been published, although only seven seem to still survive today and it is unclear if the other three are

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

or if they were ever actually published at all.

Publication history

On 27 June 1798, shortly after the French invasion and

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

of Malta,

Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois (1 October 1748 in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, Aube – 5 November 1839) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for the surrender of Malta to the British in 18 ...

approved a request which theoretically allowed

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

in the islands. Despite this, the government retained full control over any publications. The first issue of the ''Journal de Malte'' is believed to have been published on 14 July 1798, and it was the first newspaper ever published in the Maltese Islands. A prospectus for another newspaper entitled ''Malta Libera'' also exists, but no copies of this publication are known and it has been speculated that ''Malta Libera'' might have been the original planned name for the ''Journal de Malte'', but the name was changed before the first issue was published. On 28 July, Jean de Boisredon de Ransijat wrote to

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

that the aim of the journal was "to fulfil the dual purpose of praising with dignity apoleon'sfurther and glorious enterprises, and to enlighten the Maltese about the advantages of their union with France." The newspaper's editor was

Michel-Louis-Étienne Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély Michel Louis Etienne Regnaud, later 1st Count Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély (3 December 1761, Saint-Fargeau – 11 March 1819, Paris) was a French politician. Biography Early activities He was a lawyer in Paris and lieutenant of the maritim ...

. The newspaper was short-lived and publication stopped in September after a rebellion against French occupation broke out among the Maltese population.

Format and content

The ''Journal de Malte'' was bilingual, and each page was divided into two columns with French text on the left and

on the right. The paper was headed by the motto '' Liberté, Égalité'', and its full title was ''Journal de Malte. Feuille Nationale, Politique, Morale, Commerciale et Litteraire.'' (French for "Journal of Malta. National, Political, Moral, Commercial and Literary Folio."). The newspaper was a form of

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

, and it was aimed at boosting the morale of the French garrison as well as indoctrinating the small portion of the Maltese population which was literate. The first page of the ''Journal'' contained news, and this was followed by instructions and texts by Vaubois and Saint-Jeun d'Angély. It included speeches and editorials which supported the French occupation, and one issue included a

pastoral letter A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumst ...

by bishop

Vincenzo Labini Vincenzo Labini (28 April 1735 – 30 April 1807) was an Italian archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1780 till 1807. Biography Labini was born in Bitonto, Italy on April 28, 1735. In 1758 he was ordained priest of the Sovereign Milita ...

Distribution

The print run of the ''Journal'' was set at 500 copies in August 1798, and efforts were made to distribute the paper in both the urban area around the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...

(consisting of the capital

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

and the

Three Cities The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. Th ...

) as well as the rural towns and villages. Subscriptions to the newspaper were payable to Matteo Rizzo, the librarian of the '' Bibliotheca Publica''.

Issues and surviving copies

It is believed that 10 issues of the ''Journal'' were published between July and September 1798, with the dates of issue according to a 19th century source being as follows: *Issue 1 – 14 July 1798 *Issue 2 – 24 July 1798 *Issue 3 – 9 August 1798 *Issue 4 – 12 August 1798 *Issue 5 – 15 August 1798 *Issue 6 – 18 August 1798 *Issue 7 – 20 August 1798 *Issue 8 – 27 August 1798 *Issue 9 – 28 August 1798 *Issue 10 – 26 September 1798 One source from 1916 stated that there were actually 12 issues, but this claim seems to be unsubstantiated. Seven issues of the newspaper are preserved at the

National Library of Malta The National Library of Malta ( mt, Bibljoteka Nazzjonali ta' Malta), often known as the Bibliotheca ( mt, Bibljoteka), is a reference library in Republic Square, Valletta, Malta. It was founded by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc in 1776 ...

, with the three that are missing being issues 2, 5 and 9. Two pages from the copy of issue 10 preserved at the library are also missing. The seven surviving issues have consecutive page numbers, so it is possible that issues 2, 5 and 9 were never actually published. Four issues of the ''Journal'' (issues 1, 3, 4 and 10) are also preserved at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

in Paris.

Legacy

Despite being short-lived, the ''Journal de Malte'' had a significant impact since it was the first newspaper ever published in Malta. The Maltese word ''ġurnal'' (meaning "newspaper") is believed to be derived from the name of this publication. It is also regarded as the predecessor of the '' Malta Government Gazette'', which was first published by the British colonial authorities in 1813 and continues to be published by the

Government of Malta A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

today.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Journal Malte 1798 establishments in Malta 1798 disestablishments in Malta Defunct newspapers published in Malta French-language newspapers published in Europe French occupation of Malta Italian-language newspapers Propaganda newspapers and magazines Publications established in 1798 Publications disestablished in 1798 Newspapers of the French Revolution