6

LEAVE GIBRALTAR-ALGIERS.

-Jews, Spaniards, Turks, &c., wearing the different costumes of their respective nations, and conversing in languages of which I knew nothing: these mixing freely together presented a grotesque appearance. In short, everything appeared to me in such a light as if I had just stepped into another world.

About five in the evening I went on board again, and shortly after the ship was on her way. The evening was spent on deck by the passengers as before.

FROM GIBRALTER TO MALTA.

Sep. 8th, Sunday.-First on deck again. The sea continued smooth as glass; and many small vessels dotted its wide-spread surface, while a small uninhabited island appeared near the African coast. Having fairly got into the "Great," or Mediterranean sea, it was most delightful to see the porpoises tumbling about in the water, and ever and anon rising to its surface.

At ten the bell rang for prayers, which were read by the Doctor. This I was informed is always the case when there is no clergyman on board. I spent the rest of the Sabbath in reading, and in having an evening walk on deck, as the sea continued beautifully smooth.

9th. I arose as usual quite early, and was again the first of the passengers to visit the deck. The sky was delightfully clear and the sea smooth, while we were passing the coast of Algiers, now in the possession of the French. The Algerine coast is very mountainous. As the day advanced, the sun's heat became so exceedingly intense that the ship's gunwale grew quite hot, so that I could not hold my hand upon it, even for a minute, without being rewarded by a blister. Land became more visible, so that we could clearly see the divisions and enclosures of the fields, and even the smoke rising from the towns and villages in various places. The country seemed quite bare of trees.

ARRIVE AT MALTA.

7

This day we passed the town of Algiers, which appeared to me to be a handsome place. The houses being mostly white, presented a very neat and pleasing appearance, rising in rows one above the other, on the side of an extensive hill. The harbour is nearly surrounded by the town, as the town winds around it in the form of an amphitheatre.

In the harbour were to be seen but few ships, and these not very large: there was, however, a considerable number of small boats upon the water, having sails different from any I had before seen: and these attracted the attention of all our passengers, many of whom thought them not beneath the notice of their pencils, for many were the sketches that were taken that day.

10th. First on deck by half an hour this morning. The sky was clear, and the sun, in rising majestically from the deep, gave indications of another very hot day. In the evening the wind arose, and the sea became very rough, which caused much sickness on board, throughout the night and the following morning.

11th.-I arose at day-break, and was first but one on deck. The waves were lashing over the vessel, which was rolling greatly; nevertheless I staid on deck for an hour, and went down to breakfast without feeling the least tendency to sickness. Not having been sick since I came on board, I began to think myself a very good sailor; and I felt thankful for being so highly favoured of the Lord. We passed a very beautiful little island, with several hundred neat little cottages upon it, attached to every one of which there was a patch of ground which presented marks of careful cultivation. I was told that the chief produce of the island is currants, which are exported to Malta and other places, and that the quality of the fruit is remarkable for goodness.

No

12th. At five this morning we entered the harbour of Malta. A gun was fired as a signal for a pilot; he came on board, and shortly after we cast anchor. sooner were we anchored than a curious and animated spectacle was presented at our ship's sides. Numbers

8

THE MALTESE-VALETTA.

of boatmen, contending one with another who should get nearest the ship, for the purpose of obtaining passengers and luggage to convey ashore; some in other boats, having shells and other curiosities, were clamorously demanding if we would purchase; and others carried in their skiffs brown naked boys, who, when any of the passengers threw a piece of money into the water, dived after it, and in a few seconds brought it up, never once failing to catch it before it touched the bottom. These boys, not unfrequently dived down at one side of the vessel, passed under the bottom, and came up at the other side; when, no sooner had they got their heads above water than, a piece of money having been thrown in, they dived again and presently brought it up.

There were several large men-of-war in the harbour, one of which carried more than one hundred guns. The harbour seemed well defended, both by nature and art. I went on shore about ten o'clock: the town of Valetta is much larger than I expected to have found it; the houses are well built with white and yellow stone; and the streets are very clean, thus greatly contributing to the beauty of the place.

There is here, as at Gibraltar, a great diversity in the dress of the inhabitants, and in their natural colour. The Maltese lady walks abroad with her long black cloak over her head, and hanging down her back nearly to the ground. But it is needless to describe the different dresses I here saw, as, in short, it appeared to me that the inhabitants were composed of persons from all parts of the world. The horses which draw in carts and carriages have no neck collars, but barely a piece of strong girthing around the neck by which they draw. The saddle is so high that it is more like a man riding, than a saddle; the person that drives, or rather guides the carriage, runs on foot before the horse. But what was, to me, the most singular sight, was the number of beggars which beset us as soon as we had set our feet on shore. More than a dozen of these yellow people were teazing us for permission to carry what we had in our

SCENES IN VALETTA.

9

hands, while the rest kept up such a clamour, in asking for money, that they caused us much annoyance. My companion, who was behind me, kept giving them halfpence, hoping that by so doing the annoyance would be in some measure diminished; but in this he was mistaken, for the more he gave, the more a great deal did the crowd of "sturdy beggars" and their din increase around him. At length a gentleman observing our trying situation, invited us into his shop, while he, with a great stick fell upon the beggars; and laying about him right and left, he soon drove them away. He then shewed us what he had to sell, and we bought something from him, for his kindness; but the moment we put our heads out to go away, the beggars were all upon us again, so we had to run into another shop, and after buying something, we obtained leave to sit down until the beggars went away. We then repaired to our vessel, where there was nothing but bustle-taking in coal and water, cleaning, and work of all kinds going on together.

I

13th.—When I arose I went on deck, and for the first time in my life I observed-among other things that to me were novel--a shepherd going before his little flock of goats, leading them out to pasture from being milked-(see John x. 4.) I went on shore about nine o'clock, and called upon a gentleman to whom I had a letter of introduction; he received me very kindly, and invited me to dine with him, which I accepted. then went out to have a little ramble alone, and the first street I entered deserved to be denominated "Tailors' Street," for at almost every door I observed two or three tailors either cutting or sewing. After going a little further, I saw as many cobblers and shoemakers seated in the open street, working with all their might and main. In short almost all sorts of work is performed here in the streets; but under some sort of shade, as the suns' heat is very powerful. Even the money-changers, of whom there are a great number, are to be seen seated before their heaps of dollars which are arranged upon counters, placed near to their shop doors. The doors were

10

FLOCK OF SHEEP-GRAPES.

quite open. I next came to where a house was being built; but instead of a mallet and chisel being used for the cutting of the stone, I saw an instrument like to a cooper's axe, with which the workmen cut and squared the beautifully soft white stone, with which the island abounds; just as a joiner would square and cut a piece of wood, but much quicker. This stone no doubt suits the hot climate of Malta, but if it were used in England for the same purpose, one night's frost would shiver it to pieces. I then got in among a large flock of sheep, half of which were white, and the other half spotted and speckled (see Genesis xxx. 32.) One of them dropped a lamb while I was present, and I waited until the little creature got upon its feet. The keeper of this flock was a female, and she continued talking to the sheep all the time she was engaged cutting and slicing leaves of the prickly pear, and dealing it out to them, as food, one after another. The leaf of the prickly pear is about as large as a good sized Cumberland barley cake, and quite as thick; of an oval shape, and in size varying from ten to twelve inches, by six or eight; both sides are covered with prickles about an inch in length and as sharp as any needle. This tree grows in abundance at Malta.

I

I then thought that I could eat a few grapes, so went to a stall where I saw a quantity of large ones, with the bloom still upon them, and asked for a pennyworth. The man proceeded to weigh me two pounds, which, when I perceived, I told him, that as I was without my basket, I could not contrive to carry such a quantity; and he then gave me one pound weight for a halfpenny. It is truly delightful to see the grapes hanging on the trees in large clusters. There are also many other kinds of fine fruit in Malta, but I did not purchase any. I then called on my kind friend, Mr. Macdonald, to whom my letter of introduction was addressed; and he kindly undertook to shew me whatever was of interest in the town. There are here several Roman Catholic Churches, all of them built in a very costly and beautiful style; but the Church of St. John