5 JANUARY 1962, Page 26

MALTA PRESERVED

SIR,—It would be uncivil of me to quibble with Mr John Hale after his kind review of my book Th Great Siege; at the same time I wonder whether he i correct in his statement that the plan of Fort St Elmo shown in my book is 'an eighteenth-centur one.'

I had a photocopy of this plan made while I was in Malta and it says quite clearly : 'Renvoi. Cet fort a dtd Vol en 1552 sous le G.M. Omedes, etc. etc.' It was certainly shown to me by Dr. DePasquale of the Royal Malta Library as being the plan o' the original fort. Perhaps Mr. Hale has some further information to which I have not had access? ERNI.E BRADFORD 10 Exmouth Place. Old Hastings, Sussex