Captain Ball had transmitted a painful picture of the wretched state of the inhabitants of Malta, but their Sicilian Majesties were incapable of affording them relief; Captain Troubridge had been obliged to part with all his flour, to preserve the recovered islands from starving. "I have," says his lordship, in another letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, dated the 17th of April, "eternally been pressing for supplies; and represented that a hundred thousand pounds, given away in provisions, just now, might purchase a kingdom. In short, my dear lord, my desire to serve, as is my duty, faithfully their Sicilian Majesties, has been such, that I am almost blind, and worn out; and cannot, in my present state, hold out much longer. I would, indeed, lay down my life for such good and gracious monarchs; but I am useless, when I am unable to do what, God knows, my heart leads me to." Happily, this sombre state was a little relieved a few days after, by the arrival of a cutter from England; which brought considerable supplies, both of consolation and money, for his Sicilian Majesty. On the 21st of April, his lordship now writes to Captain Ball, that his efforts to obtain a small sum of money for the unhappy Maltese had been useless, till the arrival of this vessel from England; "which," says he, "brought the court such accounts of goodness, that Sir William and myself again touched the point about Malta, when the queen gave up seven thousand ounces; for, although the island has granted two millions of money, yet not one sixpence is collected; therefore, they are in distress enough. If any person can keep the Maltese in good humour, it is, my dear friend, you and you only; therefore, for all our sakes, try hard till the arrival of the Russians, who cannot now be long before they make their appearance." Then, adverting to Naples, his lordship adds--"All goes on as it should, on the other side. The lower order only want a little support from the regular troops, and the business is over."