the
most important of the English dependencies. It is in no sense a colony,
but is much more of a military focus than Gibraltar. Naval men consider
Malta to be the warden of that great aqueous expanse, embracing nearly a
million square miles, which separates the continent of Europe from the
northern coast of Africa, the _Magnum Mare_ of the Old World,--a sea
whose memorable shores are thickly strewn with bays and cities, each one
of which teems with historic and poetic interest. It is not the tranquil
and lake-like expanse which it is popularly considered, but is capable
of nearly as fierce commotion as the Atlantic. Another property usually
but incorrectly attributed to the Mediterranean is that it is tideless,
but it actually responds to the same lunar influence that affects the
great waters of both hemispheres. The fact of its being so much warmer
than the open ocean is probably owing in part to the absence of polar
currents. The tide is most noticeable in the Gulf of Venice, where the
rise and fall is from three to four feet.

The author, while on a journey round the world, was coming from the East
when he first sighted Malta. It was before daylight, early in the spring
of the year. A ship's officer pointed out what appeared like a bright
star on the horizon, but which soon proved to be the clear, far-reaching
fortress-light of St. Elmo, "with strange, unearthly splendor in the
glare." It seemed like the eye of a Cyclops peering through the
darkness, as though one of Vulcan's workmen, fresh from the fiery
furnace beneath Sicilian AEtna, not far away, had come forth to gaze upon
the progress of the night.

In seeking to reach Malta from Boston or New York, the island would be
approached from the opposite direction. After crossing the Atlantic to
England, the most direct route is by the Peninsular and Oriental
Steamship Line, by way of Marseilles. These vessels depart every
alternate Thursday, and make the passage in eight days, touching at
Gibraltar, forming, perhaps, the most economical route. If a land
journey is preferred, the steamer can be taken at Naples, where the
vessels of this line touch to receive and deliver the regular mails.
This charming Italian city can be reached from London by way of Calais,
Mont Cenis, and Turin. The island, however, is accessible from England
and the continent by many different routes, as the fancy of the traveler
may dictate.

So much in the way of introduction it seems prope