The authorship of the anonymous publication Recherches Historiques et Politiques sur Malte (Paris, 1798) had never been properly discussed until Giovanni Bonello, in an article in The Sunday Times of Malta (September 6, 1991) attributed the curious book to the father of the Maltese language, Mikiel Anton Vassalli (1764-1829).

The connection, which Bonello endeavoured to make between the book and Vassalli as well as his dismissal of Onorato Bres as being the author of the work, drew support from other scholars and the work was consequently removed from Bres’s bibliography and moved to that of Vassalli.

Though the attribution to Vassalli is understandable and based on fair considerations, new evidence clearly indicates that the author was, in fact, the Maltese prelate Onorato Bres (1762-1818).

This evidence shall be first brought to light during a conference next month and published later next year.

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