icent open space; next to it is the library; and opposite, the
chief guard-house rears its splendid front, graced with pillars.
The coffee-houses here are very large; they are kept comfortably and
clean, particularly that on the great square, which is brilliantly
illuminated every evening.

Women and girls appear dressed in black; they are usually accustomed
to throw a wide cloak over their other garments, and wear a mantilla
which conceals arms, chest, and head. The face is left uncovered,
and I saw some very lovely ones smiling forth from the black
drapery. Rich people wear these upper garments of silk; the cloaks
of the poorer classes are made of merino or cheap woollen stuffs.

It was Sunday when I entered Lavalette for the first time. Every
street and church was thronged with people, all of whom were neatly
and decently dressed. I saw but few beggars, and those whom I met
were less ragged than the generality of their class.

The military, the finest I had ever seen, consisted entirely of tall
handsome men, mostly Scotchmen. Their uniforms were very tasteful.
One regiment wore scarlet jackets and white linen trousers; another,
black jackets and shoulder-knots,--in fact, the whole uniform is
black, with the exception of the trousers, which are of white linen.

It seemed much more the fashion to drive than to ride here. The
coaches are of a very peculiar kind, which I hardly think can be
found elsewhere. They consist of a venerable old rattling double-
seated box, swinging upon two immense wheels, and drawn by a single
horse in shafts. The coachman generally runs beside his vehicle.

October 3d.

To-day I drove in a carriage (for the first time since my departure
from Vienna, a period of six months and a half) to Civita Vecchia,
to view this ancient town of Malta, and particularly the celebrated
church of St. Peter and St. Paul. On this occasion I traversed the
whole length of the island, and had an opportunity of viewing the
interior.

Malta consists of a number of little elevations, and is intersected
in all directions by excellent roads. I also continually passed
handsome villages, some of them so large that they looked like
thriving little towns. The heights are frequently crowned by
churches of considerable extent and beauty; although the whole
island consists of rock and sandstone, vegetation is sufficiently
luxurious. Fig, lemon, and orange trees grow every where, and
plantations of the cot