[MALTA ECONOMICS]. Ten-yearly balance sheet of the common treasury : from 1st May 1778 to the end of April 1788. Malta: Mallia, 1789. Rare work, unrecorded at auction (RBH) and known in only one copy in OPAC SBN, providing a detailed account of the Order of Malta's finances over a full decade. The balance sheets are preceded by detailed legends explaining each cost item. Revenue sources include the 'Redemption of Slaves', i.e. the ransom paid by Ottoman citizens captured during raids in exchange for their freedom; while on the expenditure side, in addition to a meticulous breakdown of naval expenses, are the 'relief payments to the city of Messina and the Province of Calabria following earthquakes'. A significant document for understanding the state of the Order of Malta just a few years before its dissolution. Folio, (360 x 230mm). Title-page with coat of arms of Malta, parallel text in French and Italian, financial statements and summary tables. Contemporary patterned paper boards. (1)