sudden, a globe of fire as large as a cannon-ball arose in the south-west, (the direction of Africa,) and whirling violently along through the air, broke almost directly over our heads, whilst at the same moment it exploded into a thousand atoms, exhibiting a brilliant display of natural fire-works. The flash of light was of a blue colour, and so intensely vivid that our eyes were for a time quite dazzled by it. Several persons on board, who only saw the glare of the light, imagined that our vessel was on fire. The electricity produced by its passage through the air was so great, that the magnetic needle of the compass was whirled several times very rapidly round before it regained its true position. Immediately afterwards, dark clouds spread over the horizon from the quarter whence the fiery ball had arisen, and a strong wind (in our favour) bore us rapidly along at the rate of eight knots an hour. Sept. 17. The fair wind has continued blowing all the day, and Maritimo, the most westerly of the Ægadean isles, off the coast of Sicily, has been in sight since five o'clock. This island is used as a place of banishment for the Sicilian nobles. Since sunset the lightning has been uncommonly vivid, and the sheets of electric vapour every now and then illuminate the whole eastern side of the horizon, whilst between the clouds the forked lightning shoots down in golden streams into the dark sea. The wide track of foam around the vessel as she glides on her way, shines like a silver fringe gemmed with countless stars, rendering it beautifully luminous, and contrasting finely with the blackness of the surrounding waters. Sept. 19. At sunrise the captain called me on deck to witness a most magnificent spectacle. The sun rose surrounded with long rays, forming a complete glory of most dazzling brilliancy, whilst the scattered fleecy clouds shone like burnished gold upon the exquisite light blue of the morning sky. On our left was the coast of Sicily, with Mount Etna towering proudly above it, at the distance of 120 miles; and far before us, cradled in the Halcyon seas, the Maltese islands themselves appeared like dark specks on the horizon. We saw several turtles floating on the surface of the water, and not being able to resist the temptation of so inviting a prey, the boat was lowered and sculled silently along to the nearest of them, but when it had reached to within an arm's length of the prey, the wary creature swiftly and silently sank beneath the water. Soon afterwards another one appeared, sleeping, with his head towards the sun. This one they succeeded in catching, and we all made ourselves happy at the prospect of dining on turtle soup. At sunset the sailors killed the creature, after which I saw no more of him. The temperature of the atmosphere was greater to day than yesterday, the thermometer in the shade at noon was 87°. Eight o'clock. The new moon is shining with great brilliancy, and a Sicilian speronaro has just passed us. The lights of Valetta are visible, distant about fifteen miles. Eleven o'clock. - One of the native Maltese boats has come alongside to put a pilot on board; the moment he neared us, he jumped upon deck without any ceremony, leaving his companions in the boat to keep up with us in the best manner they could. He appears to be a pleasant little man, and speaks English very tolerably. Sept. 20.-Long before daybreak a crowd of small boats surrounded us, whose crews begged that they might tow our vessel into the Grand Harbour. We are now fast approaching it, pulled along by about a dozen of them. With this extra assistance we soon neared the Maltese shores, which speedily became visible through the dim light of early morning. It was a truly pleasant and refreshing sound, after a five weeks' tedious voyage across the briny sea, to hear the murmuring of the waves as they dashed at intervals against the rocky shores, a sound to whose gentle music we had been strangers ever since we had watched the sweeping breakers hurry confusedly along the Race of Portland. As the water rapidly deepens at the distance of a few yards from the shore, we sailed along close under the land, and the first ruddy hues of morning discovered to our view the towering fortress of St. Elmo, with its impregnable buttresses and turrets, bristling with cannon. The moment we rounded the promontory of St. Elmo, all was gaiety and animation. Myriads of little boats were darting in every direction across the harbour, and the graceful polacchi and speronaros with their curved latine sails, the men of war lying at anchor, and the crowd of yachts, schooners, and other vessels, rendered the waters of the Grand Harbour a very lively scene. On the Valetta side, the dark green foliage of the feathery trees, and the broad spreading leaves of the bananas, the sombre cypresses contrasting strongly against the unstained purity of the white buildings as they rose up one above another from the water's edge, and the line of domes, turrets, and varied fortifications, added to the bright sky and strangely foreign air of the whole scene, bursting at once upon the sight, produced a fairy-like panorama, -a real picture with all the vivid novelty of some city seen in dreams; and the charm was not a little augmented by its contrast to the monotonous but silent grandeur of the ocean, where all around, as far as the eye can reach, nothing breaks the distant horizon but a sail dimly seen, or a solitary seafowl skimming over the restless waves. ARRIVAL AT MALTA-DESCRIPTION OF VALETTA. "For many a night, and many a day, As the morning gun was fired from the castle of St. Elmo, our schooner cast anchor in the Grand Harbour, surrounded by the numerous boats that had formed our escort. The Maltese boats are very different from ours, and always attract the attention of a stranger. They are flat-bottomed, and both the stem and stern have an appendage of an upright piece of wood which projects about a foot above the level of the boat. They are painted with all the colours of the rainbow, and as they are exceedingly numerous, they present a very gay appearance, skimming in all directions over the waters of the Grand Harbour. The pleasure-boats (caico) have a canopy over them, which can be taken down at pleasure, and is generally a most necessary appendage to protect and screen the traveller from the great heat of the sun. Ferryboats (barca del passo) are constantly crossing over to the town of Vittoriosa, on the opposite side of the harbour: the proper fare by these boats is one penny, though the boatmen are always ready to impose upon foreigners. The fishing boats (farilla) go out every morning before sunrise, and generally return laden with excellent fish, which is sold directly it is brought on shore. The Maltese boatmen always row standing, and are remarkably expert in avoiding the waves which often threaten to swamp their little boats. The castle and fortress of St. Elmo stand on the right shore of the Grand Harbour as you enter it. It is surmounted by a lighthouse; and beyond, in a southerly direction, lies the city of Valetta. The Marina, lined with stores and crowded with vessels from all parts of the world, extends along the water's side for about a mile. The houses rise one above another, so that almost the whole city can be seen from the water, interspersed with churches and gardens, which have a remarkably pleasing appearance. At the extremity of the harbour lie the British men-of-war. The "Howe," the "Indus," and the "Vanguard," were there on my arrival; but the "Revenge" (to one of the officers of which I bore a letter of introduction) was unfortunately at Tunis. On the left side of the harbour lie the towns of Borgo (Vittoriosa) Birmula, and Senglea, called also Isola, guarded at the entrance by the towers of Fort Ricasoli, and further in, by the stupendous fortifications of St. Angelo. When we had arrived in the harbour, the health officer came alongside, and took our ship's papers in a pair of tongs. After asking us the usual questions we were ordered to the Pratique-office, where we stood guarded by a wooden barrier for some time, till at length we got Pratique, and were permitted to enter the city. The barrier was then removed, and the officers shook us most cordially by the hand. On returning to the vessel, to get my things ashore, I found it crowded with Maltese, who had come on board with various articles for sale. It was quite amusing to witness the various characters: ship-chandlers soliciting custom; the carpenter, the butcher, the baker, and even the hair-dresser made their appearance, to say nothing of other worthies who were very desirous of driving a bargain for fruit, liqueurs, cigars, canarybirds, and shells. Josef Soler, a young Spaniard, very kindly took me ashore in his boat; and as I was possessed of a letter of introduction to an English gentleman residing at Valetta, we proceeded to his house. The atmosphere in the streets somewhat resembled that of an oven, but as the houses are very high, and the streets narrow, it is easy to walk in the shade, sheltered from the heat of the burning sun. We first visited the store of M. Pietro Paolo Agius, whence I wrote a letter to England, as I was anxious to send it by the steamer, which left at twelve o'clock. I went through this gentleman's maccaroni works, which are very extensive, and there I saw the various processes employed in the preparation of this substance, which is one of the chief articles of food in the south of Europe. The mills for grinding the corn are turned by mules, and numbers of miserable looking men and women are employed in forming the paste into an infinite variety of shapes, which is then dried in the sun, and afterwards packed up for exportation. A great deal of the bread made here is sent to Alexandria, where it realizes a good price. Above the houses on the Marina is a delightful terrace, commanding a wide and extensive view of the harbour and the opposite fortifications, with the various vessels taking in their respective cargoes, among which the speronaros and polacchi, with their long curved latine sails, had a very pleasing and attractive appearance, from their uncommonly picturesque style of rigging. On a platform just above the Marina, stands a bronze statue of Neptune, holding a trident in one hand; it is the work of Giovanni Bologna, a pupil of Michael Angelo, and serves as the centre of a fountain, around which the fish-market is held. Passing through a long excavated passage called the Lascaris Gate, you enter the Strada Levanté, and cross a drawbridge over a second fortification, beneath which is a small garden filled with orange, lemon, and cypress trees, whose cool greenness forms an agreeable contrast to the white dusty glare of the streets on first entering the city. The houses are all built of stone, of three or four stories in height, and most of them have an interior court open to the air above, (after the eastern fashion.) This forms a cool and shady retreat, and is often ornamented with spreading trees and shrubs growing in pots. Here the Maltese females generally sit and spin, or employ themselves in needle-work. The floors, even of the bed-rooms, are all paved with tiles or flag-stones, and the roofs of all the houses are flat and without chimneys; and in the cool of the evening after sunset, the people often resort to the housetop to enjoy the sea breeze, and pass the time in conversation. In front of the dwellings there are generally one or two balconies jutting out into the street several feet from the wall. These are sometimes furnished with glass windows, and sometimes screened with blinds made of India matting, which form a characteristic feature in the houses of Malta. The streets, though regular, from the declivity on which part of the city is built, are so steep as to be composed of stairs, which Byron recollected with no very pleasant feeling in his lines entitled, "Farewell to Malta." At night the city is badly lighted; a small lamp fixed in the corner of every alternate street being the only guide for passengers; but the inhabitants retire to rest so very early, that comparatively few persons are seen in the streets after dark. I found Mr. S. at his residence in the Strada Zecca, and, after a little conversation, he recommended me to take lodgings with an English family who resided in an adjoining street, and I proceeded thither, accompanied by Josef Soler, who being able to speak English pretty fluently was of great service to me, and by informing me of the price of provisions, &c., saved me from frequent imposition. Finding that the lodgings I was in search of were all engaged, I was recommended to try those kept by Signor Fabreschi, a Leghornese merchant in reduced circumstances. Here I engaged a bedroom only, as I found it to be the most convenient method to take my meals at the café, or restaurateur in the adjoining street. I soon found in this family all that I could wish for, as they did every thing in their power to render me comfortable, and make my stay in Valetta as agreeable as possible. On my arrival, one of the first pieces of information I heard was, that there had been no rain in Malta for four years, and that water was in consequence extremely scarce. Indeed, the country in most parts resembled a barren desert, the fields being so parched up that not a single blade of grass was to be seen; and the constant glare of the burning sun upon the white rock, and the clouds of dust that arose on every breath of wind, rendered it extremely unpleasant to the eyes. There was, however, still some water in the public fountains in Valetta, and on passing any of these I was generally sure to see some twenty or thirty poor creatures gathered around with small water barrels to take home this valuable necessary to their wives and families. |