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RAMBLE IN THE COUNTRY-PIETA-BATHS.

"Where the shrill chirp of the green lizard's love
Broke on the sultry silentness alone."

I ROSE in the morning before five o'clock, after a refreshing night's rest, undisturbed by the mosquitos, though numbers of them had entered in at the open window, and were buzzing around the room in search of a victim. My muslin curtains were closed, so I had nothing to fear. During the night the thermometer stood at 80°, though I did not feel the heat at all unpleasant. The bedrooms in Malta are paved with tiles, which greatly helps to keep them cool. After eating a few grapes I set out with Joseph Soler in search of insects. We passed through the Porta Reale, and soon found ourselves on the parched plain of Floriana. Almost the first objects that attracted my attention were the numberless lizards that darted in and out of every crevice among the stone walls, and turning their slender and graceful forms in every variety of attitude. Sometimes they would rest for a moment on the side of a projecting rock, and suddenly raising their heads, as if in the act of listening, would dart off again with the speed of thought, and disappear in the nearest crevice. I also saw a small species of locust with red wings; the natives call these "Farfetta." By and by I caught several of these, which had pale blue wings, and with the exception of a few ants, and some black beetles, were almost the only insects I met with on the plains of Floriana. After returning to breakfast at the café, I set out again alone, and took my way along a path which overlooked the harbour. Presently I came to an old fort where a soldier was keeping guard. A great variety of thistles and sharp prickly herbs grew around, and a very aromatic plant, on every tuft of which I found specimens of the crimson-speckled footman moth (Deiopeia pulchella.) These moths are the most numerous of the Maltese lepidoptera; and in St. Paul's Bay, and some other places, they are in such great abundance that one can scarcely tread without raising a whole troop of them. It is worthy of remark, that this species is found about this latitude, distributed over a tract of country forming a belt around the whole globe. In Great Britain this species is exceedingly rare, and in the West Indies its place is supplied by a species closely allied to it, but of a deeper colour. I found the caper

RAMBLE IN THE COUNTRY-PIETA-BATHS.

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plant growing in great abundance on walls and the sides of rocks; it bears a beautiful blossom of a lilac colour. After spending some time around this fort, searching for land shells and minute insects, I observed a narrow path leading to the right. This I followed for some distance until I arrived at the village of Pietà, situated on the western side of the Quarantine Harbour. It is prettily placed, and commands an extensive view of the water. Feeling very thirsty, and seeing a woman standing at the door of a cottage, I made signs to her to sell me some milk. Unfortunately the goats were all dry, and the woman shook her head and said "Nix," a common Maltese term for a negation, said to be derived from the German, though "Li" is their general word for "No."-"Eva" signifies "Yes." A little farther on I fell in with a respectable looking man who spoke English. Observing that I was collecting insects, he very kindly gave me permission to visit his master's garden, which was situated a little higher up the hill. This garden belongs to an English gentleman resident in Malta, and is one of the prettiest and best cultivated of any I have seen. The walks are paved with flag-stones, and stone pillars extend along on each side, over which the vines are trailed so as to form a complete canopy, which is a delightful protection from the heat of the noon-day sun. There is a well in the garden, and most of the orange and other fruit trees have a small reservoir around them, which is filled with water at stated times. A variety of flowers and shrubs adorn the borders; amongst which the large blossoms of the white jessamine breathed a delicious perfume on the air, and from the feathery boughs of the drooping pimento the redstart and the nightingale poured forth their songs. It seemed a little paradise in the desert, and reminded one of the oases in the sands of Lybia and Egypt. The presence of several palm trees gave an oriental appearance to the spot, and the Papilio Machaon, and other brilliant butterflies, swept swiftly through the sultry atmosphere, whilst the beautiful violet bee sought for honey in the clustering petals of the Turkish rose. The principal curiosity in this garden is a deep hole in the rock which was originally filled with rich clay, but which has since been taken out to form the present soil. This hollow descends almost perpendicularly for fifty or sixty feet and has an underground communication with the sea. The owner has erected a tasteful balcony of stone work around the upper opening, and another half way down, which is approached by steps, and forms a very cool and shady retreat from the sun. The wild parsley, which is common in underground places in Malta, grows in this ravine. When her Majesty Queen Adelaide visited Malta, she came to see this remarkable spot, which certainly presents a very curious geological phenomenon, and one not easily accounted for. Leaving this delightful place, I returned towards Valetta by another road. The heat was excessive, not a breath of wind fanned the atmosphere; at the bottom of the hill lay the Quarantine Harbour, and just as I was longing to plunge into its transparent waters, I observed the sign over the door of the bath house of Pietà. I went in, and

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after getting perfectly cool, I enjoyed a most refreshing plunge, and amused myself with catching the hermit crabs and top-shells that crept amongst the sea-weed which lined the sides and floor of the bath. Bathing is one of the greatest luxuries which can be enjoyed in Malta, and seems almost indispensable to health. The bath house of Pietà is pleasant and commodious, but it is much to be regretted that larger buildings devoted to the same purpose have not been erected in the immediate vicinity of Valetta, for the accommodation of the English residents there.

CHAPTER IX.

COSTUME-DRESS OF THE COUNTRY PEOPLE.

"And such was she, the lady of the cave:
Her dress was very different from the Spanish,
Simpler, and yet of colours not so grave;
For as you know the Spanish women banish
Bright hues when out of doors, and yet while wave
Around them (what I hope will never vanish,)
The basquinah and the mantilla, they
Seem at the same time mystical and gay."

THE Costume of the upper classes among the male population in Valetta is generally French, but the native dress is still worn by many of the lower classes. Its chief peculiarity is the Phrygian cap, which resembles a long bag made of wool hanging down behind, or over the left shoulder. This cap is of various colours, but generally it is either blue, brown, or white. On Sundays and gala days they generally wear a better sort of cap, of a crimson colour, which is dyed with the kermes of Barbary, and much esteemed. This article often forms a receptacle for small things which the wearer may wish to carry about with him; and sometimes it serves also as a purse. A girdle is frequently worn by the lower orders; it is generally from three to four yards in length, and with it the pantaloons are confined around the waist; this portion of the dress is commonly made of blue plaid cotton, and is called a "terha;" it is sometimes composed of red or yellow silk, when it is denominated a "bushakka." Those who wear this dress do not commonly have a jacket, its place being supplied by a "sedria," or vest, which if the wearer can afford it, is often ornamented down the front with several rows of silver buttons as large as half-crowns. At other times, instead of these I have seen them wear quarter-dollar pieces, and sometimes shillings with metal shanks fastened to them. A Maltese thus equipped, or " in gala," as they term it, presents a very smart figure, with a long curl of hair hanging down on each side of his face, and his fingers ornamented with massive rings, to which the Maltese are extremely partial. After the death of a near relation the men suffer their hair to grow very long. This custom I observed in the country, but particularly in the island of Gozo, where the ancient manners are more strictly preserved than in Malta. Sandals are now only worn by the country people, and the capuchin friars; but they used formerly to constitute a necessary appendage to the native dress:-they consist of two oblong pieces of untanned bull's hide drawn round the foot by two strings of the same material, and are called "kork." Most of the men and boys of the working classes wear over their shoulder what they call a "khurg," in which they carry their provisions to town for the day, and on their return home it is filled with supplies for their families. It is about three yards long and two wide, open in the middle, and reminds one of a gigantic purse.

As to the costume of the ladies of Valetta, a Jesuit writer very justly observes, "leur démarche et leur habillement sont si modestes, qu'on les prendroit pour des religieuses." It is certainly to be regretted that so many of them have lately adopted the English costume, which is far from being as simple and as modest as their own. The walking dress consists of a skirt of black silk worn over a body of some light material; this is called a half "onella." The upper part or head dress is called the "onella" or "faldetta," and is likewise made of black silk, part of which is bound with whalebone; and, on being drawn over the head, forms an elegant arch, displaying the countenance of the wearer in the most favourable manner possible. The whole is extremely neat, but it requires a peculiar grace in walking to show it off to advantage, in which respect the Maltese ladies are by no means deficient. The head-dress of the countrywomen consists either of a "faldetta" made of barred cotton, or a simple white handkerchief thrown over the head. On particular occasions they put on a "gezwira," which is a petticoat of blue cotton drawn up into very thick folds around the waist, and open on the right side, where it is fastened with bows of coloured ribbon. Very few of the country people wear shoes, and even in Valetta all the lower orders go barefooted; most of the women, however, like to possess a pair, which are reserved for very particular occasions. The following anecdote is current in Malta:-Not long since a Maltese overheard a countrywoman ask her companion while engaged at their outdoor toilet, beside the walls of the city, how long she had had her shoes; the answer was, "Since the time of the plague," (1813.) "Oh," replied the other, "mine are much older than yours, for I have had them ever since the blockade of the French!" I do not vouch for the truth of this tale, but it certainly shows the economy of the Maltese countrywomen in the article of shoe leather.

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