st as a sacred
festival, in remembrance of their great deliverance, and of the brave
Knights who fought and died so heroically.

The capital of Valetta, or rather Valette, founded in 1566, and named
after the chivalrous Grand-Master, John de Valette, was subjected to
such extensive and judicious improvements under the late governorship of
Sir Gaspard le Marchant, as to compare with many a fine colonial city.
An infinite amount of interest centres round the old Phoenician Citta
Vecchia, with its numerous catacombs, and the ancient palace of St.
Antonio, where, within the last decade a little English princess,
Victoria Melita, first saw the light. A very peculiar stone quarry-like
appearance is given to Malta from the fact of its being much divided off
into small gardens, surrounded by extraordinarily high and thick walls,
in order to protect the valuable orange, lemon, and other numerous and
varied fruit-bearing trees, from the tempestuous and destructive winds
which frequently visit the island--by the name of scirocco, etc.--and
from this cause little verdure can be seen until you are on a level with
the plantations.

Though tradition says that most of the soil was originally brought to
Malta in ship-loads, etc., from Sicily and other places, I am not very
much inclined to believe it; still, there is comparatively little soil
in the island, and it is therefore astonishing to see how the place
abounds in vegetables and fruits, and almost every kind of flower, among
which are some very rare and high order of orchids. It is said that even
potatoes are exported from Malta to Greece, Turkey, and also to England,
though the root was introduced into the island only forty years ago.
What little land there is, is certainly marvellously cultivated, and
speaks volumes for the thrifty industry of the Maltese; indeed, I have
often heard that a Maltese could live luxuriously where even a canny
Scotchman would starve. It is said that a greater number of people live
in Malta than in the same number of square miles anywhere else in the
world.

There is a fishing industry at Malta, some of the more extensive bays
being completely interlaced with huge nets sunken perpendicularly. This
kind of preserve extends some miles, and is, I think, used chiefly for
catching the great tunny-fish. I shall not easily forget some little
experience of these nets during my Naval career. Being caught in a
fierce gale of wind outside Malta, we ran for a