Malta, the isle of the “white rocky mountains”, in Bernardin de Saint- Pierre’s works

Abstract

Jacques-Bernardin-Henri de Saint-Pierre’s life is a story of adventures. He was in Martinique at a very early age. He went over Holland, Germany, Poland, Russia and Finland, and left Europe for the second time to set up as an engineer in île-de-France (actual Mauritius). But, in addition to travelling, he also took note of his journeys.
The northern European countries were portrayed in his Observations sur le Nord. With regard to Mauritius, the isle was tackled in Voyage à l’île-de-France. Bernardin also went through the Mediterranean and the island of Malta, where he arrived in 1761 to face the Turkish threat.
None of Bernadin’s works is devoted to Malta. Despite this, some of them provide notes of his passage through the island. Bringing his notes together and taking them as a base to outline the impression Malta left on him is the aim of this proposal.