Ferdinand Von Hompesch, the last grand master of the order of St. John, horn in Dussel-dorf, Germany, Nov. 9, 1744, died in Mont-pellier, France, in 1803. He was of a noble Prussian family, and at the age of 12 went to Malta, where he became a page of the grand master Rohan, and gradually rose to the rank of grand cross, through the influence of Austria, of which he was for 25 years the representative at Malta. In 1797 he became grand master, succeeding Rohan. In June, 1798, Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt, touched at Malta and took possession of the island, seizing 1,200 guns and a large amount of treasure. Hom-pesch received 100,000 crowns as the value of his plate, and was offered an annuity of the same amount, which he refused to accept. He was sent to Trieste, and upon his arrival there protested against the seizure of Malta, and made over his grand mastership to Paul I., czar of Russia, who granted him a pension. This ceasing on the death of the czar, Hom-pesch fell into want, and went to France to urge the French government to pay him the annuity which he had previously declined.

He received a grant of 5,000 francs in 1803.