Raphael Cottoner, to whom the last letter was addressed, ascended the Maltese throne in October, 1663, on the decease of his brother Raphael. {265} All historians agree in stating that he was a man of a noble carriage, high and honourable character, and withal a clever diplomatist. He died in March, 1680, after a happy and glorious rule, in the seventy-third year of his age, and seventeenth of his reign. The following letter written by him may be of sufficient interest to excuse its length. Its perusal will show the great respect which was paid by the Order of St. John to an English monarch, and the "incorruptible" manner in which justice was administered at this island nearly two centuries ago. To the King of Great Britain. Most serene and invincible King: A short time since John Ansely, the attorney of Roger Fowke, delivered to us your most serene Majesty's gracious letters, in reply to mine regarding the affair of the said Roger; from which, not without great disturbance of mind, I perceived how incorrectly what had taken place had been reported to your Majesty. But my grief was in some measure assuaged by your Majesty's continued benignant protection of this my Order; through which it came to pass that it was determined to abstain from granting the letters of reprisal which it was the opinion of your Majesty's advocate in the High Court of Admiralty, inserted in the above-mentioned Royal Letters, might have been granted to the aforenamed Roger, for which I truly return your Majesty my most sincere and humble thanks. The above Roger still claims of right the sum of 4,500 pieces of eight, which he asserts had been formerly seized by some armed ships of this island; from which sum, together with the expenses incurred, or to be incurred, he forms another greater sum of about 24,500, which he also claims. But as it would sufficiently appear from your Majesty's letter, which contains the above-mentioned opinion of the said advocate, and also from the verbal report made to me by the said John Ansely, that your Majesty felt persuaded that the said Roger had both lost his cause before the Judge of the Prize Court, and subsequently been denied an appeal to the Supreme Court, and, lastly, that his attorney had been treated with violence, rather than under any order of right, I, to confess the truth, being much mortified, cannot but endeavour, with all due respect in my power, to demonstrate the real state of the case to your Majesty; and hope, by a more faithful narrative of all that occurred, to convince your Majesty of that equal distribution of justice which in this place is constantly observed, both to the inhabitants and foreigners, with incorruptible honesty.