I wish to thank wholeheartedly Godwin Agius for correcting my imperfect memory regarding the author of the school textbook Outlines Of Maltese History (August 9). It was indeed Mgr Laspina and not Mgr Lapira.

This lapsus calami, however, detracts absolutely nothing from my arguments. The fact is that the origins of the Maltese colours are unknown and hence neither I nor anybody else can supply any documentation - which is the case with most of Maltese history in the 11th century. I assume Mr Agius knows the principle that "onus probandi incumbit ei qui allegat" and if he knows that it was Count Roger who gave the colours to the Maltese, the burden of substantiating his allegation rests on his shoulders not on mine.

The key source to Count Roger's landing and expedition in Malta are the chronicles of Goffredo Malaterra, an 11th century Benedictine monk who is the main existing source of Count Roger's Sicilian expeditions and Malta. Nowhere does Malaterra mention the apocryphal bestowal of the colours by Count Roger to the Maltese. Who knows, perhaps Mr Agius has hitherto unknown primary sources which prove that Count Roger did give us the colours - in that case he could publish them and render a monumental service to Maltese history.

With all due respect to the venerable Outlines Of Maltese History, comparing this book with the works of the authors I quoted is an exaggeration.