hile we take in coal?" asked the
captain of a P. & O. steamship, addressing one of his lady passengers,
who was en route from India to England.

"Can I get me a dear little Maltese dog there for a pet?" asked the lady
in response.

"It is doubtful," was the answer. "The animals you refer to are now very
scarce in these islands."

"Then I think I'll remain on board," rejoined madam. "There's nothing on
the island worth seeing, I believe."

"Some persons come thousands of miles solely to visit the place," was
the captain's quiet reply. "Its history is very curious."

"Are there any palaces?"

"There are over half a hundred edifices so called, though they have
nearly all been diverted from their original purpose by the present
government."

"They have nice old lace here, I am told. But one can get the same thing
in London, you know."

"Oh, yes, and perhaps you will be able to find a 'puppy' to your liking,
in London," said the sarcastic captain.

"I think I'll be content with reading about the place," was the final
response of the obtuse passenger.

As to Gibraltar, that gray old solitary rock lying about a thousand
miles to the westward of the Maltese group, and looming to a height of
fourteen hundred feet, it is a far less attractive place, though among
passengers generally there seems to be a different opinion. Here
travelers usually manage to make a break in their sea voyage, and to
remain a couple of days or more to examine the dreary old fortress and
garrison town. We say it is far less attractive than Malta: as regards
its past or present, it bears no comparison to this group. With the
exception of the old Moorish castle which overlooks the town, there is
not a single edifice in Gibraltar with any pretension to architectural
merit or antiquarian interest.

The Maltese dog, about which the lady passenger inquired, is a sort of
spaniel with long, silky, slate-colored hair, which hangs down from its
head and body, touching the ground. It has in the past been much
esteemed by royal families as a lapdog, and is of a very ancient breed,
being conspicuous upon old Roman monuments. It is spoken of by the
historian Strabo, but it seems to have almost entirely disappeared in
our time, as the captain remarked. We saw an indifferent specimen
offered for sale in Valletta, for which ten pounds sterling was
demanded.

The port of Valletta contains two marine docks, capable of receiving
ships of the largest tonnage