I refer to Godfrey Wettinger's letters in reply to the historical introduction to the publication entitled Tristia ex Melitogaudo (The Sunday Times, March 21 and April 18).

I cannot understand how Prof. Wettinger is basing his historical conclusions on fallacious arguments. He gives us the impression that what happened in Malta had also happened in Gozo. This is not true.

Let us take some simple examples: in 1551, Gozo succumbed to the Turkish invaders while Malta in comparison suffered few losses, if any. In 1565, Malta suffered a great siege while Gozo was not attacked. Again, in 1798, Gozo ousted the French invaders in just 30 days, while Malta had to wage a two-year siege to force the French to surrender. During World War II (1940-43), Malta suffered heavy bombardments and acute food shortages, but Gozo's war casualties were minimal and Gozo's farmers even sent grain to Malta to mitigate the food shortage.

There are many other minor historical instances that exhibit such glaring differences between the two islands. So how can Professor Wettinger state that Malta of Al Himyari "must (sic) have included Gozo"? The further back we go in history, the greater must have been the differences. Another erroneous statement is: "Bishop Burchard... was himself no doubt talking comprehensively of the whole Maltese archipelago..."

Is Prof. Wettinger unaware that Gozo is often ignored even today? How can he be so sure about Bishop Burchard's times?

With regard to Count Roger's invasion of Gozo in 1091, can Prof. Wettinger assure us that the Count managed to overcome the town perched on the hill without the necessary siege engines? If he didn't, how can anyone say how the Gozitan population was composed at the time of that invasion? In my opinion, laying waste to unfortified Victoria and pillaging the countryside was not enough for a complete victory by the Normans of Count Roger.

Gozo's history runs parallel to that of Malta, but surely whatever happened in Gozo at any point in, time cannot be deemed to be a copy of what took place on the larger island.