The Story of Malta
by Maturin M. Ballou · English · Gutenberg #34036 · 512,989 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Story of Malta
Author: Maturin M. Ballou
Release date: October 5, 2010 [eBook #34036]
Most recently updated: January 7, 2021
Language: English
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By Maturin M. Ballou.
THE STORY OF MALTA. Crown 8vo, $1.50.
EQUATORIAL AMERICA. Descriptive of a Visit to St. Thomas, Martinique,
Barbadoes, and the Principal Capitals of South America. Crown 8vo,
$1.50.
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EDGE-TOOLS OF SPEECH. Selected and edited by Mr. BALLOU. 8vo,
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HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & COMPANY,
BOSTON AND NEW YORK.
THE STORY OF MALTA
BY
MATURIN M. BALLOU
"_This precious stone set in the silver sea_"
[Illustration]
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY
The Riverside Press, Cambridge
1893
Copyright, 1893,
BY MATURIN M. BALLOU.
_All rights reserved._
_The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A._
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Company.
PREFACE.
Perhaps the strongest recommendation for faithful books of travel lies
in the fact that intelligent people consult the best maps while perusing
them, and thus familiarize themselves with important facts in geography.
Such books are especially advantageous to the young, too many of whom
are inclined to neglect this all-important branch of education. Although
Malta appears upon the map as a mere speck, on account of its
superficial area being comparatively so diminutive, yet the patient
reader who is not already familiar with its absorbing story will find
herein a new field of historic and romantic interest, exceeding that
which pertains to any other of the numerous Mediterranean islands. In
all his experience as a traveler, the author has failed to discover any
locality of similar dimensions which embraces so thrilling a history, or
whose present aspect is more attractive and picturesque. Since the
opening of the Suez Canal, it has become the maritime halfway house
between Europe and Asia, which imparts to it vast commercial importance,
and causes it to be visited by many people who, but for the force of
circumstances, would probably never have become conversant with its
singularly beautiful surroundings, or its fascinating capital, the
unique city of Valletta.
Specialists, students of antiquity, geologists, and lovers of the early
development of art, together with many others, visit Malta to avail
themselves of its rare old library; to view the mouldering monuments of
a commercial people who lived here three thousand years ago; to examine
the peculiar geological strata of the island; to study its quaint
examples of statuary, tapestry, and paintings; to collect skeletons and
bones of extinct races of animals, still to be found in its spacious
caves and beneath the surface of the ground. The average tourist has not
been attracted hither, and little realizes the pleasurable experiences
which await the intelligent and observant visitor.
While preparing these pages for the press, the author has received a
letter, written by an experienced traveler, from which he quotes as
follows: "The reading of your book entitled 'Due North' promptly sent me
to view the glories of the 'Midnight Sun,' at the North Cape. I thank
you sincerely for the inspiration." Perhaps these pen-pictures of the
Queen of the Mediterranean may influence others in a similar manner.
M. M. B.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Geographical Position of Malta.--A Pivotal Location.--Warden
of the Great Inland Sea.--First Sight of the Group.--How
to reach the Island.--Early Inhabitants.--Language of the
People.--Phoenician Colonists.--Arabian Dynasty.--A Piratical
Rendezvous.--Suez Canal.--Two Sorts of Travelers.--Gibraltar.
--Harbor of Valletta.--A Place of Arms.--Various Bays of the
Group.--Dimensions.--Extensive Commerce of the Port. 1
CHAPTER II.
Island of Hyperia.--Where St. Paul was Wrecked.--An
Historical Bay.--Rock-Cut Tombs.--Curious and Unique
Antiquities.--Sovereignty of the Knights of St. John.--An
Anomalous Brotherhood.--Sailor-Monks.--Ancient Galleys.--A
Famous Barbary Corsair.--Antique Norwegian Vessel.--Navy of
the Knights.--Barbaric Warfare.--About the Maltese Nobility.
--Romantic History.--"Arabian Nights."--Valletta the Beautiful. 21
CHAPTER III.
The Maltese Group.--Comino.--Cave Life.--Verdant Gozo.--Isle
of Filfla.--Curious Lizards.--Loss of an Ironclad.--Mysterious
Wheel-Tracks.--Earthquakes.--Population.--Military Depot.--
Youthful Soldiers.--Quarantine.--Arrival of the Knights.--
Immorality.--Harbor Defenses.--Land Fortifications.--Charming
Photographic View.--The Stars and Stripes Abroad.--The
Eight-Pointed Maltese Cross.--Peculiar Sunset Scene. 41
CHAPTER IV.
The Soil of Malta.--Imports and Exports.--Absence of Trees.
--Equable Climate.--Three Crops Annually.--Use of Fertilizers.
--Ignorant and Pious Peasantry.--Food of the People.--Maltese
Women.--Oriental Customs.--Roman Catholic Influence.--
Improvisation.--Early Marriages.--A Resort for the Pope.--Low
Wages.--Beggars.--Wind Storms.--Blood Oranges.--The Carob-Tree.
--Maltese Lace.--Sailing along the Shore. 64
CHAPTER V.
The Climate of Malta.--The Furious Gregale.--Liability to
Sunstroke.--The African Sirocco.--Cloudless Days.--A Health
Resort.--English Church.--View of AEtna.--Volcanic Disturbances.
--Will Malta Eventually Disappear?--Native Flora.--Flower-Girls
of Valletta.--Absence of Lakes and Rivers.--The Moon-Flower.--
Grand Stone Aqueduct.--After the Roman Plan of Building.--
Fountains.--Results of Irrigation. 86
CHAPTER VI.
Homer's Fabled Siren.--Singular Topographical Formation in
Gozo.--Beautiful Island Groves.--Fertile Grain-Fields.--
Flowering Hedges.--Aromatic Honey.--Herds of Goats.--A
Favorite Domestic Product.--Milk Supply.--Prolific Sheep.--A
Maltese Market.--Quail Shooting.--Rabbato, Capital of Gozo.
--The Old Citadel.--Lace Manufacture.--Prehistoric Ruins.--The
Giant's Tower.--Attractive Summer Resort.--Pagan Worship. 101
CHAPTER VII.
A Maltese Fishing Hamlet.--Old Fort Chambray.--A Grotto shorn
of Poetic Adornment.--The "Azure Window."--Bay of Scilendi.--
Pirates' Caves.--Prehistoric Bones and Skeletons.--The Vast
Changes of Land and Sea.--Suez Canal.--Geological Matters.--
Native Race of Arabic Descent.--Curious Stone Mortars.--
Primitive Artillery.--Maltese Fungus.--Springtime.--Riches of
the Harvest.--Origin of the Island of Gozo. 115
CHAPTER VIII.
Valletta, Capital of Malta.--A Unique City.--Bright Faces,
Flowers, and Sunshine.--Architecture.--L'Isle Adam and La
Vallette, Grand Masters.--Mount Sceberris.--Stone Dwelling-Houses.
--Streets of the Capital.--A Specialty.--Fancy Goods Merchants.
--The Yacht Sunbeam.--Main Street of the City.--A Grand Opera
House.--A St. Giles in Malta.--Strada Santa Lucia.--Street of
Stairs.--Thoroughfares.--The Military Hospital.--Characteristic
Street Scenes.--Emigration. 129
CHAPTER IX.
Ophthalmia.--Profusion of Flowers.--Inland Villages.--Educational
Matters.--Public Amusements.--Maltese Carnival.--Italian Carnival.
--Under English Rule.--No Direct Taxation.--Code of Laws.--A
Summer Palace.--Governor-General Smyth.--San Antonio Gardens.--
Wages.--Oranges.--Life's Contrasts.--Swarming Beggars.--Social
Problem.--Churches crowded with Riches.--Starving Population.--A
Mexican Experience. 152
CHAPTER X.
Broadway of Valletta.--Panoramic Street View.--A Bogus Nobility.
--Former Grand Palace of the Knights.--Telegraphic Station.--
About Soldier-Priests.--Interior of the Palace.--Ancient
Tapestry.--Old Paintings.--Antique Armory.--An American with a
Fad.--Ancient Battle-Flags.--Armor worn by the Knights.--Days
of the Crusaders.--Bonaparte as a Petty Thief.--There are no
Saints on Earth!--Dueling Ground.--Desecrating Good Friday. 172
CHAPTER XI.
The Famous Church of St. John.--By What Means it was Decorated.
--Grand Mosaic Floor.--Roman Catholic Ceremonials.--Remarkable
Relics.--Chapels of the Languages.--A Devout Artist.--Church
Treasures.--Thieving French Soldiers.--Poetical Justice.--The
Hateful Inquisition.--Churches of Valletta.--A Forlorn Hope.
--Heroic Conduct.--A Maltese Pantheon.--A Rival Dome to St.
Paul's, London.--Some Fine Paintings. 193
CHAPTER XII.
Public Library of Malta.--British Museum, London.--City
Circulating Library.--Museum of Valletta.--Interesting
Curiosities.--Birthplace of Hannibal.--Pawnbroker's
Establishment.--Savings Bank of the Monte di Pieta.--The
Baraccas.--A Superb View.--An Excursion Inland.--Ancient
Capital of Malta.--Citta Vecchia.--Toy Railway.--About the
Vatican at Rome.--An Ancient Cathedral.--Dungeons of the
Middle Ages. 214
CHAPTER XIII.
Ancient Catacombs.--A Subterranean City.--Phoenician Tombs.
--Grotto of St. Paul.--A Crumbling Old Capital.--Dreary and
Deserted.--Bingemma Hills.--Ancient Coins and Antique Utensils.
--Ruins of a Pagan Temple.--A Former Fane to Hercules.--A
Garden of Delights.--Druidical Circles.--Beautiful Grotto.--
Crude Native Dances.--Unique Musical Instrument.--Nasciar.--
Suburb of Floriana.--A Capuchin Convent.--Grim Skeletons. 231
CHAPTER XIV.
The Chivalric Order of St. John.--Humble Beginning of the
Organization.--Hospitallers.--Days of the Crusades.--Motto of
the Brotherhood.--Peter Gerard.--The Monk lost in the Soldier.
--At Acre, Cyprus, and Rhodes.--Naval Operations.--Siege of
Rhodes.--Garden of the Levant.--Piratical Days.--Six Months of
Bloodshed.--Awful Destruction of Human Life.--A Famous Fighting
Knight.--Final Evacuation of Rhodes by the Order. 254
CHAPTER XV.
Settlement of the Order at Malta.--A Barren Waste.--A New
Era for the Natives.--Foundling Hospitals.--Grand Master
La Vallette.--Sailors and Soldiers.--Capture of Prisoners at
Mondon.--A Slave Story in Brief.--Christian Corsairs!--The
Ottomans attack the Knights in their New Home.--Defeat
of the Turks.--Terrible Slaughter of Human Beings.--Civil
War.--Summary Punishment.--Some Details
of a Famous Siege. 274
CHAPTER XVI.
Result of the Siege.--Native Women serving as Soldiers.--The
Maltese Militia.--The Knights gain World-Wide Applause.--Rage
of Sultan Solyman.--Agents of the Grand Master become
Incendiaries.--La Vallette, Hero of the Siege.--The Order still
Piratical.--The Turks and Knights Affiliate.--Decadence of the
Chivalric Brotherhood.--Momentary Revival of the Old Spirit.
--Treacherous Surrender.--French Sovereignty.--End of the Order. 297
CHAPTER XVII.
Conclusion.--A Picture of Sunrise at Malta.--The Upper Baracca
of Valletta.--A Favorite and Sightly Promenade.--Retrospective
Flight of Fancy.--Conflict between the Soldiers of the Cross
and the Crescent.--A Background Wanting.--Historical and
Legendary Malta.--The Secret of Appreciation.--Last View of the
Romantic Group.--Farewell. 314
THE STORY OF MALTA.
CHAPTER I.
Geographical Position of Malta.--A Pivotal Location.--Warden
of the Great Inland Sea.--First Sight of the Group.--How to
reach the Island.--Early Inhabitants.--Language of the
People.--Phoenician Colonists.--Arabian Dynasty.--A Piratical
Rendezvous.--Suez Canal.--Two Sorts of Travelers.--Gibraltar.
--Harbor of Valletta.--A Place of Arms.--Various Bays of the
Group.--Dimensions.--Extensive Commerce of the Port.
The island of Malta has been known by several significant appellations
during the centuries in which it has claimed a place upon the pages of
history. In our day it is often called the Queen of the Mediterranean,
not only because of its commanding position, dominating, as it were, the
coasts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, but also as possessing a degree of
historical and present picturesqueness unsurpassed by any land between
the Columns of Hercules and the coast of Asia Minor. To the north lie
Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica; to the east are Greece, Turkey, and
Syria; and to the southwest is the coast of Barbary; thus forming an
amphitheatre of nations. Malta is therefore a pivotal location about
which vast interests revolve. The loving, patriotic Maltese proudly call
this shadeless island in the middle of the sea, _Fior del Mondo_,--"the
flower of the world." Yet it must be confessed that the downright
ignorance of these natives concerning the rest of the globe is
appalling. To the critical reader of history it is as much classic
ground as Athens or Rome. Situated twenty-five hundred miles from
England, the government fully realizes its importance as an effective
base of naval and military operations, and as an essential outpost for
keeping open the route to India. In fact, Malta is the strongest link in
the chain which connects Great Britain with her possessions in the East.
During the Crimean war, it was made an English sanitarium for the sick
and wounded who were invalided in that protracted struggle between the
Western powers and Russia. We regarded it, after India, as one of the
most important of the English dependencies. It is in no sense a colony,
but is much more of a military focus than Gibraltar. Naval men consider
Malta to be the warden of that great aqueous expanse, embracing nearly a
million square miles, which separates the continent of Europe from the
northern coast of Africa, the _Magnum Mare_ of the Old World,--a sea
whose memorable shores are thickly strewn with bays and cities, each one
of which teems with historic and poetic interest. It is not the tranquil
and lake-like expanse which it is popularly considered, but is capable
of nearly as fierce commotion as the Atlantic. Another property usually
but incorrectly attributed to the Mediterranean is that it is tideless,
but it actually responds to the same lunar influence that affects the
great waters of both hemispheres. The fact of its being so much warmer
than the open ocean is probably owing in part to the absence of polar
currents. The tide is most noticeable in the Gulf of Venice, where the
rise and fall is from three to four feet.
The author, while on a journey round the world, was coming from the East
when he first sighted Malta. It was before daylight, early in the spring
of the year. A ship's officer pointed out what appeared like a bright
star on the horizon, but which soon proved to be the clear, far-reaching
fortress-light of St. Elmo, "with strange, unearthly splendor in the
glare." It seemed like the eye of a Cyclops peering through the
darkness, as though one of Vulcan's workmen, fresh from the fiery
furnace beneath Sicilian AEtna, not far away, had come forth to gaze upon
the progress of the night.
In seeking to reach Malta from Boston or New York, the island would be
approached from the opposite direction. After crossing the Atlantic to
England, the most direct route is by the Peninsular and Oriental
Steamship Line, by way of Marseilles. These vessels depart every
alternate Thursday, and make the passage in eight days, touching at
Gibraltar, forming, perhaps, the most economical route. If a land
journey is preferred, the steamer can be taken at Naples, where the
vessels of this line touch to receive and deliver the regular mails.
This charming Italian city can be reached from London by way of Calais,
Mont Cenis, and Turin. The island, however, is accessible from England
and the continent by many different routes, as the fancy of the traveler
may dictate.
So much in the way of introduction it seems proper to state for the
information of the general reader.
Malta holds an important place in the records of history as far back as
three thousand years ago, during which period the island has been
constantly associated with heroic names and startling events, playing a
prominent and tragic part in the mighty drama of the past. The transient
visitor to the group, however well read, fails to remember its vivid
story in detail, and to apply it intelligibly. He is too ardently
stimulated by the unique surroundings, the strange mingling of races,
the Oriental style of the architecture, the curious site of the capital,
and the general glamour of local color impregnating everything, to pause
for comparison or analysis. Like one sitting down to a table teeming
with choice viands, he is at a loss where to begin to appease his
voracious appetite. It is while engaged in quiet afterthought, when
reviewing the experiences gained upon the spot, that the fullness of
interest is aroused, as he turns to the quaint pages of many an ancient
tome, to seek for the story of its earliest inhabitants. We can recall
no other country which has experienced so many and such notable changes
among its rulers, though it requires but little research to discover the
paucity of detailed information concerning its early history, which is
absolutely lost in the mist of ages.
Three thousand years--this is not looking backward very far,
comparatively speaking. The author has seen objects of Egyptian
production, in the Boolak Museum, on the banks of the Nile, which were
six thousand years old. The Sphinx, standing in its grim loneliness ten
miles from Cairo, is still older, while in the South Sea Islands there
are prehistoric ruins which are believed to antedate the Sphinx. The
probability is that a degree of antiquity applies to this globe so
inconceivably remote that, like stellar distances, the mind can hardly
realize the truth. Professor Agassiz talked confidently in his day of a
million years having been required to bring about the present conditions
of the earth. Since Agassiz's time geologists and scientists generally
do not hesitate to add the plural to million, guided by the light of
modern progress and discovery.
Such ancient mention of Malta as does exist is crowded with fable, like
the early history of Greece and Rome. An example of this is found in the
popular legend of its having once been inhabited by a cyclopean tribe, a
race of giants, "half human, half divine." These extravagant legends of
poetic history impress us as having, perhaps, some foundation in truth.
It is not falsehood which tradition seeks to perpetuate. Possibility, if
not probability, is required of the wildest romancers. Truth and fable
run in nearly parallel lines. Jules Verne, when he wrote some of his
seemingly extravagant stories, scarcely thought that he was simply
anticipating possible circumstances which would so soon become
realities. The reading world hardly believed that his "Round the World
in Eighty Days" was strictly within the lines of truth; yet that record
has been reduced.
Malta is known to have been the vassal of ten different nationalities.
What the character of these various dynasties may have been can only be
conjectured. There are no records extant by which we can learn aught in
detail concerning them. A few half-ruined monuments, a series of rock
tombs, the debris of mouldering temples, or a nearly obliterated
underground city, "rich with the spoils of time,"--these are significant
suggestions which the student of the past in vain essays to translate
into coherency. The most casual visitor is moved to thoughtfulness as he
contemplates these half-effaced tokens of a long dead and buried race,
who had no Froissart to hand down their story through the lengthening
vista of ages. First came the Phoenicians, who were here many
centuries before the birth of Christ, and who were the earliest known
colonists of Malta. Their sovereignty is believed to have extended
through a period of seven hundred years. Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans,
Goths, and Arabs succeeded each other in the order in which they are
named, followed by German, Spanish, French, and English possessors, the
latter having maintained an uninterrupted mastership since the beginning
of the present century. To a nation whose naval supremacy is its
greatest pride, and which already holds Gibraltar, the key to the
Mediterranean, the holding of Malta is of inestimable importance. With
these facts in view, it is not surprising that its security is so
jealously guarded by England. Perhaps the boastful threat of the first
Napoleon, that he would make of the Mediterranean a French lake, has not
yet been forgotten. At present it is strictly an English dependency,
though surrounded by a score of other nationalities. With the entrance
and exit in her hands, besides holding this unequaled central depot of
arms, no nation could hope successfully to dispute the control of the
Mediterranean with Great Britain. That nationality not only dominates
the great marine highway of the south of Europe, but also the coast of
Asia.
Malta is situated in the middle of the great highway of commerce between
the East and the West, and is the most southerly land in Europe, on
about the 36th parallel of north latitude, its longitude being 15 deg.
east. The neighboring nations have often and fiercely contested for the
sovereignty of Malta, until its soil has been irrigated by the life-tide
of human beings. How strange the history it presents to us, what ages of
melodramatic vicissitudes, emphasized by the discord of warring cannon
and of dying men! How many and how varied the changes it has known in a
period of thrice ten hundred years! Mutability is written on all things
human, while Time, the remorseless iconoclast, performs the bidding of
Destiny.
It would naturally be expected that the language of a people who have
had such a peculiar experience as the Maltese should be a conglomerate,
formed from various Asiatic and European tongues. It seems to be a
mixture of Italian and Arabic, mingled with the patois which is common
in the Grecian Archipelago; but English being the current official
language, it prevails among the educated classes, and is also in general
use for business purposes, especially in the retail shops of Valletta,
the capital. The language of Dante, Petrarch, and Ariosto is still
unknown to the common people, though generally understood and spoken in
society. The masses adhere tenaciously to their native dialect, even
after they have emigrated to other countries. In Gibraltar they pick up
just enough of Spanish to make their wants known, as they do in other
Mediterranean ports to which chance has brought them.
As is often the case in Eastern countries and oceanic islands, Malta is
used both for the name of the island and that of the capital. The one
collective term answers for the entire group; so with the beautiful
island of Ceylon; people do not usually speak of Colombo, its capital,
but of Ceylon, as designating the whole island. Martinique is
sufficiently distinctive as regards that picturesque West Indian island;
St. Pierre and Fort de France, the commercial and political capitals,
are rarely mentioned. Thus Valletta has little significance to the world
at large, while Malta is familiar enough.
The Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Romans, each left tangible
evidences of their sovereignty here. The ubiquitous Phoenicians, who
are considered to have been the earliest of the commercial tribes, were
by no means entirely free from the charge of piracy, which seems to have
been almost universal upon this central sea in the earlier and middle
ages. Strange, that sea-robbery should have been one of the active
agencies in the world's advancement! It is said that all progress since
the beginning has been from scaffold to scaffold. In our day no lapse
from honorable commercial methods is so abhorrent to civilized nations,
and no crimes are more severely punished. Next to the Turks and
Algerines, the Greeks were the most reprehensible in this respect,--a
people whose love of "freedom" has become a proverb; a country which has
enjoyed more of American sympathy and material aid than any other, but
whose sons in former times never failed to adopt a corsair life when
opportunity offered.
There are very few monuments relating to the occupancy of these islands
by the Arabs, who were settled here for more than two centuries. The
most durable memorial of that people is their language, a tongue
unsurpassed in poetic beauty of expression. After the lapse of ten
centuries it is still spoken among the natives, and is held to be
remarkably pure, especially in Gozo, the sister isle of Malta. Though it
is customary to say that the natives speak Arabic, still it can hardly
be a pure tongue; and yet the newly arrived Arabs can understand the
Maltese, proving that the basis of the two languages must be identical.
An educated resident took occasion to prove to the author that here and
there one could select words from the current speech of the common
people, the derivation of which was clearly Phoenician. Residents of
the capital who are engaged in commerce, and many others of
intelligence, speak English, French, and Italian fluently, and most of
them speak the native tongue as well. The facility for acquiring foreign
languages is a national trait. Cultured Maltese are surpassed only in
this respect by educated Russians.
Italian is the official tongue of the law courts, though English is
gradually superseding it. Why the former language should be persisted
in, it would be difficult to say, though it is the key to all those
common in the Levant. The Maltese are not Italians, and never were. Not
to put too fine a point upon the matter, they are Arabs in their
manners, customs, and language. When the Knights of St. John were
sovereign here, nearly four hundred years ago, there was a certain
degree of consistency in the adoption of Italian as the current or court
language. The intimate relations of the order with the Pope and with
Rome were a predisposing influence which could not but have its effect,
besides which there was the close proximity of the mainland of Italy;
but to continue it as the recognized language of the courts to-day is to
sustain an anomaly.
More is known of the Arab dynasty than of any of its predecessors. As
soon as this people had gained possession of Malta, they promptly
exterminated the Greeks, putting all the male inhabitants to the sword,
while making slaves of their wives and children. They were careful to
conciliate the native population, even permitting them to worship after
the dictates of their own religious convictions, which is a very rare
concession among Mohammedans, where they have the power to do otherwise.
The Arabs chiefly prized this group of islands for the safe harbors
which it afforded in the pursuit of their one occupation, namely, that
of undisguised piracy. Their constant raids upon the coast of Italy
caused many expeditions to be fitted out from that country for the
purpose of driving them away from their stronghold; but as we have said,
the Arabs maintained their sovereignty here for over two hundred years.
Strong defensive works were erected by them on the present site of Fort
St. Angelo, at the entrance of the harbor of Valletta, on the island of
Gozo, and at the old capital of the group, Citta Vecchia, also known as
Civita Notabile,--"Illustrious City," which appellation, in the days of
its glory, was probably not inappropriate. This old city, near the
middle of the island, was a fortified metropolis centuries before the
Arabs came, its defensive walls being contracted by them so that they
might be the more easily manned and defended. To visit Citta Vecchia
to-day is like the realization of a mediaeval dream.
A glance at the map will show the reader that the strategic importance
of these Maltese islands is almost unequaled. Lying in the middle of
the vast and famous inland sea,--happily designated as the cradle of
civilization,--within a brief sail of three continents, sixty miles from
the shore of Sicily, one hundred and ninety from the mainland of Italy,
two hundred from the nearest point of Africa, and equidistant from
Constantinople and Marseilles, Valletta has naturally become a popular
port of call, as well as an important coaling station for many lines of
steamships. This is particularly the case with those bound to or from
England and India by way of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The opening
of that famous and all-important waterway insured the lasting commercial
prosperity of the Maltese group. From that day to the present its
material growth has been steadily progressing and its population
increasing. It is well known how much the Suez Canal promotes the
commerce of Europe and Asia, but comparatively few people realize that
we have in America a similar means of transportation which is the avenue
of a much larger marine traffic. We refer to the Sault Ste. Marie Canal,
which connects the State of Michigan with the Canadian Province of
Ontario. The aggregate of the tonnage which annually passes through the
American artificial river is shown by government statistics to far
exceed that of the great canal which connects the Red Sea and the
Mediterranean.
Malta is the halfway station, as it were, of the P. & O. line between
London and Bombay; but there is other regular communication between the
group and England, as well as mail steamships running to Marseilles,
Alexandria, Belgium, Tripoli, and Tunis. Occasionally a single passenger
or a small party of tourists stop at Valletta until the next packet
touches here, enabling them to resume their journey east or west; but it
is rather surprising how few visitors to Malta remain long enough to see
one half of its many objects of interest, while others, who might easily
do so, will not even take the trouble to land. One can sail half round
the globe without finding a locality from which such a store of historic
information and pleasurable memories can be brought away, or whose
present aspect is more inviting. People who have no poetic sense or
delicate appreciation will not find these qualities ready furnished for
them, either at home or abroad. The dull, prosaic individual whose ideas
run only in a practical groove, who lives purely in the commonplace,
will be impressed by travel much after the fashion of the backwoodsman
from Maine, when he saw Niagara Falls for the first time.
"Great Scott!" said he, gazing approvingly upon the moving aqueous body,
"what a waste of water-power!"
A somewhat similar scene, of which the author was a witness, is well
remembered.
"Are you going on shore, madam, while 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, and is resorted to by both naval and
commercial shipping for needed repairs, while it is also the
headquarters of the British Mediterranean war fleet. The aggregate
tonnage of vessels entering and clearing is double that of Gibraltar. As
regards social life, and the usual associations of a commercial capital,
Valletta is far and away in advance of the City of the Rock. One comes
quickly to this conclusion upon comparing the commonplace Water-port
Street of Gibraltar with the unique Strada Reale--"King Street"--of
Valletta. The former is like a dull, narrow lane in an English seaport
town, while the latter, full of life and color, resembles a picturesque
boulevard in an Italian or French capital. Each is, however, above all
else a place of arms; everything is and has ever been made subservient
to this idea.
Malta is more distant from the mainland than any other Mediterranean
island. It is less than twenty miles in length, not quite so large as
the umbrageous Isle of Wight, on the coast of England, though it has
nearly three times as many inhabitants. One often hears that garden of
England compared with Malta, but wherefore, it is impossible to
understand. It would be difficult to imagine a greater contrast than
these two isolated places present. One, embowered in grand old trees and
the rural accessories of a land which nature has delighted to clothe in
verdure; the other, a solitary rock, a convulsive upheaval of the sea,
reclaimed only by patient toil from utter sterility.
The various natural causes which have operated to reduce Malta to its
present size and shape have been very thoroughly discussed by
scientists, a majority of whom agree that it was once attached to the
continent of Europe or of Africa. Our own humble opinion is that it was
probably the connecting link between them both, some time in the long,
long ages which have passed,--a deduction which will seem more
reasonable to the patient reader as we progress in our narrative.
The island is of an irregular oval form, having a superficial area of
about one hundred square miles. The Malta of to-day is only a
diminutive, sea-girt, limestone rock, cropping out of the watery depths
to a height, at its culminating point, of between seven and eight
hundred feet, partly covered with a thin though fertile soil. But its
associations are of a character closely bordering upon romance, and
intensely interesting for their antiquity and novelty. The highest point
of the island is at Casal Dingli, on the south side, where, to be
precise, the serrated ridge of the cliffs reaches an elevation of seven
hundred and fifty feet above sea level. There is, however, no such
average height maintained in any part of the group. The southern shore
is of such a bold, inaccessible character as to require few, if any,
fortifications to protect it from possible invasion by an enemy. It
resembles for long reaches the rugged, precipitous coast of Norway,
presenting a line of abrupt, repelling rocks, rising perpendicularly
from out of the sea to an average height of two or three hundred feet.
The face of these abrupt cliffs is accessible only to sea-birds and
creeping reptiles.
The opposite or northern side of the island is quite different; being
more shelving, and available for landing purposes. It presents numerous
sheltered coves and good harbors for light draught vessels, together
with a great variety of pleasing features peculiar to seaside landscape.
At the southeast end of Malta is the spacious bay and port of Marsa
Scirocco. There is here a good depth of water, and the harbor is
divided, somewhat like that of Valletta, by a promontory or tongue of
land. There is a large fishing village at the head of the bay. Here the
Turks landed an invading army, May 18, 1565, to begin the famous and
sanguinary siege of that date. On June 10, 1798, the French under
General Bonaparte disembarked their troops in the same bay. Northeast of
this place, and half way to Valletta on the coast line, is the small
inlet of Marsa Scala, which is only a shallow bay. The small Sicilian
traders are accustomed to come hither in their light draught boats
rather than to land at Valletta. Still following the northern shore
beyond the admirable double harbor of the capital, we have the lesser
bays of St. Julian, St. George, and Maddalena, besides the larger ones
of St. Paul and Melleha.
Crossing the narrow Straits of Freghi, we find on the north coast of
Gozo the bays of Ramla and Marsa-el-Forno, while on the south side are
those of Scilendi and Duejra. In this enumeration we have all the bays
and harbors of any importance in the whole Maltese group. Landing on the
southern side of either the larger or the lesser island is for the most
part impracticable, precipitous cliffs rising sheer from the water's
edge in Gozo, as we have described in Malta proper. On these cliffs
incessant breakers chafe and foam upon the black, barren rocks even in
calm weather. Standing on this lonely shore, there is a fascination in
listening to the solemn moan of the restless sea, in whose bosom there
is so much of sadness, of direful secrets, and of unspent power. The
trend of these islands, which form a very compact group, is nearly in a
straight line from southeast to northwest. A bird's-eye view of the
north side of the island of Malta affords glimpses of the blue sea
penetrating the barren and yellow land for short distances, like
Norwegian fjords, and supplying the absence of rivers and lakes as
regards scenic effect, objects which the eye seeks for in vain
throughout this rocky group.
Few islands, or, indeed, we may say few reaches of seacoast on the
mainland, of similar dimensions, can show so many good and available
harbors as are found on the north shore of Malta. Though the commercial
necessities of the group have not yet caused them to be specially
improved for shipping purposes, yet they will always be available. The
admirable twin harbors of the capital have so far afforded all necessary
facilities, but should the group improve as rapidly in business and
population for the next few years as it has done during the last decade,
another convenient harbor on the north coast will naturally become
developed into a commercial depot, while the construction of a new and
modern city will be sure to follow.
It is doubtful if there are many persons, even among those who are
engaged in commerce, who realize the large amount of business which the
government statistics already credit to the Maltese group, a commerce
which is annually on the increase. The returns for the year 1891 show
that the imports and exports of Valletta are almost exactly the same in
the aggregate values, each considerably exceeding twenty-two million
pounds sterling.
The presentation of an important statistical fact will emphasize this
statement. Over six hundred thousand tons of coal are annually imported
for use and for exportation. The arrival and departure of ten large
steamships is a fair daily average, supplemented by one or two sea-going
private yachts. There are few days in the year that the echoes are not
ruthlessly awakened by the interchange of salutes with newly arrived
vessels of war. Altogether, the two harbors of the capital present a
constantly varying scene of great maritime activity, while the town
itself is a picture of gay and varied life, rivaling in this respect
many a continental metropolis far more pretentious, and having thrice
its population.
As the present possessors of the island of Malta, its story has
doubtless a greater degree of interest for the English than for any
other people. But as regards its relation to the history of the past,
its importance is universal. When it was a Phoenician colony, so long
ago, it was a powerful factor in the political calculations of the
Christian powers; but above all other associations, the island will
always be famous as the place where the glory of the chivalrous Knights
of St. John reached its zenith, and where it also came to its
ignominious end. Of this period the pages of history furnish a fair
amount of truthful detail, but conjecture alone can fill the blank which
precedes the arrival of this remarkable order at Malta.
CHAPTER II.
Island of Hyperia.--Where St. Paul was Wrecked.--An
Historical Bay.--Rock-Cut Tombs.--Curious and Unique
Antiquities.--Sovereignty of the Knights of St. John.--An
Anomalous Brotherhood.--Sailor-Monks.--Ancient Galleys.--A
Famous Barbary Corsair.--Antique Norwegian Vessel.--Navy of
the Knights.--Barbaric Warfare.--About the Maltese Nobility.
--Romantic History.--"Arabian Nights."--Valletta the
Beautiful.
Lovers of classic fable will remember that one of the islands of this
group was named Hyperia by Homer, and was the supposed residence of the
mystic nymph Calypso, where she entertained--not to say detained--the
shipwrecked Ulysses by her siren fascinations, when he was on his way
home from Troy. Her grotto, entirely shorn of its poetic adornment, is
exhibited to the curious stranger at Gozo. It was while under the
Phoenician dynasty that Calypso is supposed to have kept Ulysses
prisoner for seven years. Such ingenious allegories impart a certain
local and romantic interest, though they rather obscure than illumine
history. Homer threw a glow of poetic fancy over the localities which he
depicted, while Scott--to present a contrasting instance--gives us
photographic delineations of the times and places to which he introduces
us. In "Kenilworth," for instance, the novelist teaches the average
reader more about the days of Queen Elizabeth than a labored history of
her reign would do, presenting it also in such a form as to fix it
firmly upon the mind.
It would seem that fable, like history, is bound to repeat itself, since
thousands of years subsequent to Ulysses' shipwreck here, another
disaster of this sort, but of far greater import, took place upon the
group.
According to Biblical record, St. Paul, when a prisoner, on his way from
Jerusalem to Rome to plead his case before the Emperor Nero, about sixty
years after the beginning of the Christian era, was wrecked in a rocky
bay of Malta which still bears his name,--_La Baia di San Paolo_. It is
situated seven or eight miles northwest from Valletta, and forms a broad
inlet, the entrance to which is nearly two miles wide, running inland
about three miles. It has some twenty fathoms of water at the entrance,
gradually shoaling towards its upper extremity. Seaward, and near the
mouth of the bay, is a small island. The shore is dominated by the Tower
of St. Paul, a square stone structure erected February 10, 1610. The day
indicated is the supposed anniversary of the wreck. Near the tower is a
chapel, in which are some paintings and frescoes, which depict in a
crude manner the catastrophe which occurred to the Apostle. A small
fishing village exists here to-day, as in the time of the famous wreck.
The creek just below the stone church is still the refuge for
fishing-boats when the weather is stormy.
A dark, threatening, straggling ledge of rocks rises above the surface
of the water some distance from the shore, over which the restless sea
breaks in fleecy clouds of spray. Upon this ledge, after being
tempest-tossed for fourteen days and nights, the bark which bore St.
Paul is supposed to have foundered.
"They ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained
unmovable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the
waves." On Selmoon Island, just referred to, there is a colossal statue
of St. Paul, which was erected by the devout Maltese some fifty years
ago. The popular reverence for the Apostle's name in this region is very
general, bays, churches, streets, and chapels being designated by it,
while in the inland villages may be found wayside shrines, small outdoor
altars, and springs of delicious drinking-water, dedicated to this
revered name. A grand annual festival takes place on February 10,
commemorative of the shipwreck of the Apostle to the Gentiles,--Paul,
the poor tent-maker of Tarsus. The church of San Paolo, Valletta, in the
street of the same name, is the headquarters of this annual
demonstration, which takes the form of processions, illuminations, and
church ceremonials. This special style of public display is very dear to
the average citizen of Malta.
It was a little over fourteen hundred years after the event of the wreck
in St. Paul's Bay, which occurred about A. D. 60, that Malta
was deeded by the Emperor Charles V. to the then homeless Knights of
St. John, together with Gozo and Tripoli, a fact which will be more
fully referred to as we progress with our story of the group.
There has been much ink wasted in controversy as to whether this was
really the island and this the bay where St. Paul met with his maritime
adventure, but it certainly seems to answer every necessary requirement,
and has for several centuries been thus universally designated. The
average visitor feels no doubt that he gazes upon the "certain creek
with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to
thrust in the ship" (Acts xxvii. 39). A fresh northeaster was blowing as
we viewed the scene, driving the waves in gallant style upon the ledge
and shore, while at the same time filling the air with misty spray and
rank sea-odors. The long line of milk-white combers, after expending
their force upon the shore, rushed swiftly back, drawn by a mysterious
undertow towards the deep waters. The noise of the vexed and boisterous
element created a continuous roar, as the waves followed each other in
endless succession. It was the _gregale_, the northeasterly blast so
much dreaded by the fishermen, and which in the olden time, before
navigation was better understood, created such havoc in this midland
sea. It would have been difficult to effect a dry landing, even from a
well-managed boat, with such a troubled sea running. One naturally
remembered "a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon" which the Apostle
encountered, while the imagination was busy in depicting the struggle of
Paul and his companions to reach the shore on broken timbers of the
ship.
The beach of St. Paul's Bay seems to be composed of the very smallest of
sea-shells, together with some larger ones, which have been mostly
broken and powdered by the endless hammering of the waves. There is a
fine sand, or something which represents it, probably composed of the
powder from the shells. This place is a favorite resort of the people
from Valletta for bathing purposes, but it was not an inviting day when
we stood by the shore, and no bathers were seen. It was very natural for
one to recall the Biblical words, "He maketh the deep to boil like a
pot."
In this neighborhood there are numerous prehistoric rock-hewn tombs, cut
by ingenious and skilled hands with effective tools. That these are
Phoenician remains, there seems to be little if any doubt. Those
aboriginal colonists were the commercial people of their time, who
settled much earlier at Rhodes, and other islands of the Levant, than
they did at Malta. They planted colonies in Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain.
Carthage was founded by them. Malta afforded a convenient stopping-place
between Carthage and the mother country, and was naturally prized on
that account, having such ample harbors of refuge, and it doubtless
afforded the means of repairing any damages which resulted from storms
at sea.
Out of the rock-hewn tombs, of which we were speaking, interesting
relics bearing Phoenician characters have been taken from time to
time, such as vases and mural urns, together with articles of domestic
use made from burnt clay, some of which are preserved in the Museum at
Valletta. Other curiosities from the same source are to be seen in the
private collections of English officials, and of wealthy Maltese. Years
of research would not exhaust the interest which the student of the past
must feel in these antiquities. We know of no more fruitful theme or
more promising field, for the historian and the archaeologist, than is
here presented. It is not an untried one, but it is very nearly
inexhaustible, in pursuing which little expense and no hardship is
necessarily encountered. Every facility is freely accorded, both by the
resident population and by the government.
Some of the best examples of Phoenician inscriptions now to be seen in
the British Museum were brought to light at Bighi, in these islands,
where this ancient people worshiped Juno in a stately temple which stood
on the spot now occupied by the moat of Fort St. Angelo. There are few
parts of the world so varied in antiquarian interests as the islands of
this group. Professor Sayce, the eminent Orientalist of Oxford, England,
tells us that Malta contains Phoenician antiquities of a kind found
nowhere else, and he pronounces the sanctuaries of the Giant's Tower, in
Gozo, together with its companion ruin in the larger island, absolutely
unique. These islands undoubtedly occupied an important position in the
history of those remote days. The few Maltese who have written about
this period dwell with great emphasis upon the glory of Malta while
under Phoenician rule, though they are quite unable to give us any
reliable details of the long ages in which this people held sovereignty
here.
Within a few years some remains were unearthed which were attributed to
the Goths, but of all the people who have been mentioned, they probably
left fewer evidences of their presence in Malta than did any other race.
After becoming masters of Italy and Sicily, they came hither about
A. D. 506, and held possession of the group for nearly forty
years, until they were expelled by the army of Justinian under
Belisarius.
The most romantic period of the ever-changing history of this group of
islands, subjected first and last to the control of so many different
nationalities, is undoubtedly that embraced in the two centuries and a
half of the eventful sovereignty of the Knights of St. John,--Knights
Hospitallers, as they were very properly called at first, the most
famous order of mediaeval chivalry, whose name is more familiar to us as
Knights of Malta. The first convent of the founders at Jerusalem was
dedicated to St. John; hence the original name of the order. It was the
earliest systematized charity of the sort concerning which we have any
authentic record. If the true history of this organization could be
written, it would overshadow the most vivid romance. It began in
Palestine during the darkness of the tenth century, when the Saracens
were masters of Jerusalem, and it extends to the verge of the
eighteenth. It is but the outline of important events, which live
through the ages to reach us. The individual is sunk in the mass, and
yet real history is but enlarged biography. The truth of this is shown
in the life of La Vallette, as handed down through three centuries. His
biography gives us a better history of the order of which he was Grand
Master than do writers who attempt it by treating the brotherhood as a
whole. Had the moral character of the Knights of St. John been equal to
their dauntless courage, the order would have formed a worthy example
for all time; but their record shows them and their deeds to have been
of mingled good and evil, the latter quality oftenest predominating. In
the period when their material prosperity was at its height, they were
equally celebrated for wealth, pomp, and vice. While they were boastful
and claimed to be invincible, unlike most braggarts, they were
undeniably brave. Nor was this by any means the only anomaly in the
character of this singular and famous fraternity. Their career
exemplified vice and self-abnegation, hospitality and piracy, the
devoted care of the sick and the slaughter of their fellow-men, in about
equal proportions. These clerical warriors presented a unique phase of
human nature, the outgrowth of a period which, while demanding much
sternness of character to cope with its exigencies, was also peculiarly
amenable to the influence of religious superstition. The brotherhood
owed a large degree of its influence to the cloak of sanctity which it
so boldly assumed, but the humble spirit of which it so unhesitatingly
and persistently outraged.
The attempt to unite two professions so remote in principles was like
trying to make oil and water mingle.
The Grand Master, whose authority was absolute, was elected by the
Knights from their own body, and held the office for life. In the choice
of this individual, the order seemed to be almost always influenced by
more than common wisdom, their election being guided by the best
influences and wisest judgment. They realized the proper qualities which
should characterize one placed in this responsible position, and chose
accordingly. They did not seek to elect such a leader as should favor
this or that "language," this or that section of the fraternity, but one
who was endowed with sufficient courage and conscientious piety to rule
over them with impartiality. That there was an element of weakness ever
present among them, emanating from the division into languages, is very
true, and it was this influence which the Grand Master had always to
guard against. National rivalry was inevitable, no matter how much the
fraternity endeavored, as a body, to avoid it.
The Knights of St. John made the island of Malta the bulwark of
Christendom against the advance of the pale, but bloodstained standard
of the Turks. Even after settling here, which proved to be their final
home, a bitter and murderous conflict was carried on by them with the
Ottoman power, both on sea and land, but especially in their galleons,
until at last, after triumphantly sustaining an unprecedented siege,
during which they actually killed the enemy in the trenches, three times
their own number, the Knights, with ranks seriously thinned, were left
in undisputed possession of these islands. Victory not only crowned
their sanguinary warfare with the Turks, but they also rid the
Mediterranean, at least for a considerable period, of a much-dreaded
scourge, which had so long hampered the commerce of these waters,
namely, the rapacious Greek, Turkish, and Algerine pirates. In the
armory of the Grand Palace at Valletta, there may be seen to-day, among
other trophies taken from the enemy by the Knights, the sword of the
renowned pirate chief, known as Admiral Dragut, who was also Pasha of
Tripoli. The owner of the sword was fatally wounded in the siege of
Malta, before the walls of St. Elmo, in 1565.
This daring man, entirely wanting in the attribute of mercy, and known
as the most reckless and successful corsair of his day, yet preserved
some chivalrous instincts which were exhibited on occasion. A gallant
saying, which is often attributed to others, was first uttered by him,
if we may believe contemporary authority. It was at the time when the
Turkish forces, with whom Dragut had joined in the attempt to take
Malta, after struggling for months in the vain endeavor to capture the
fort of St. Elmo, were engaged in the last decisive assault. The pirate,
now advanced in years, lay sorely wounded and dying, when he asked the
surgeon, who was by his side, "How goes the battle?" "Our soldiers have
taken the fort and massacred its defenders," was the reply. "Allah be
praised!" gasped the sinking corsair, "then I die content." These were
his last words. Dragut was very humbly born, beginning his profession as
a common seaman, at the lowest round of the ladder, that is, as cabin
boy. His fortune was a strangely varied one, now a galley slave, now a
soldier in the Sultan's service, now a pilot on the sea, and now a
daring pirate, working his way upward by patient determination, until
finally he stood as master upon the deck of his own galley, and was the
terror of these seas. It was not long before he became admiral of the
entire Turkish navy. Dragut had pursued his piratical and warlike career
for nearly half a century. He possessed executive qualities which fitted
him to act both as an admiral and as a general, a large share of his
victories having been achieved upon the land. He had agreed with the
Sultan of Turkey to join forces with him in the attack upon Malta, but
was delayed for a few days, so the Sultan's commander began the siege
without him. Mustafa Pasha made a bad piece of business of it, and did
not open his attack with true soldierly skill. When Dragut arrived,
important changes were promptly made, and it was while directing these
movements that the famous corsair received his death wound.
We have seen that the organization of St. John did not confine itself
to warfare upon the land; many of the order were trained seamen, and
were always ready to take the aggressive in marine enterprises when
occasion offered. The strict vows of the brotherhood compelled the
members to wage ceaseless warfare against the infidels. This was the
most clearly defined and determined of their purposes, in the
prosecution of which they adhered tenaciously to the last. In these sea
fights their well-known courage, superior weapons, and persistency
nearly always insured success. Their galleys, well equipped for that
period, were held in readiness for service, moored in the land-locked
creeks of Grand Harbor. These were efficient vessels for the immediate
service they were designed to serve. They were over one hundred feet in
length and twenty-five wide, being propelled by oars or sails, according
to the wind. The sails were not designed for use unless the wind was
aft, as the art of tacking and sailing to windward was not then
practiced. Fifty oars, that is, twenty-five on a side, was a common
arrangement, and there were from three to six galley slaves at each oar,
according to the size of the vessel. These men were chained in their
places, and if they did not work to the satisfaction of the boatswain,
the lash fell without mercy upon their bare backs. A galley was rigged
with two masts, upon each of which a large square sail was hoisted. When
the oars were in use, these sails were clewed up. Several cannon were
fitted to each side, and one was designed to fire from the stern; but
when in action, the usual plan was to ram the enemy's craft, and thus
disable him, or, by boarding, to effect a capture in a hand-to-hand
fight. The half-naked, half-starved slaves often dropped dead at the
oars, and were ruthlessly cast into the sea. No more cruel punishment
could be inflicted upon a criminal than to condemn him to the life of an
oarsman in the galleys.
There is probably no more striking and significant example of the
material progress of the times than that afforded by contrasting the
iron-clad warship of to-day with a fighting caravel of the period of
which we are speaking.
Contrary to what might reasonably be supposed, the people who lived upon
the shores of the Mediterranean did not build vessels which were at all
comparable in general excellence with those constructed by the Northmen
at the same period. The galleons used by the Greeks, Turks, and
Algerines, as well as by the Knights of St. John, were awkward and
unwieldy; their hulls represented no true lines of nautical beauty or
usefulness. They were not seaworthy, as the term is usually applied.
When the weather was severe, the vessel was always anchored under the
lee of the nearest land, or was put into some sheltered bay. These
vessels carried far too much top hamper, and exposed too much surface to
the wind, to be safe when a storm raged. Their free board was enormous,
compared with their draught. The author has seen at Christiania, in
Sweden, the hull of an ancient war craft which was dug out of the clayey
soil of the country, where it had been preserved for centuries, that
antedated these galleons used by the Knights at Rhodes and at Malta, it
having been built at least nine hundred years ago. Its lines and
construction combined three important qualities, storage capacity,
buoyancy, and speed, and it was intended to lie low in the water, thus
presenting but small surface to a storm on the ocean. Not one of these
characteristics could be claimed for the galleys of this inland sea. The
latter were crude, top-heavy, with high-curved poop and stern, and
designed only for fair weather service, while the northern-made craft
could ride out the fiercest storm in safety when properly managed, and
were built for open ocean navigation. In fact, this model, still to be
seen at the Museum in Christiania, is such as bore the Northmen across
the Atlantic to our shores, centuries before the time of Columbus, whose
discoveries we commemorate. The naval branch of the Order of St. John
was originated soon after their expulsion from Jerusalem, and was
rapidly developed while they occupied the island of Rhodes, but it did
not reach its highest efficiency until after their settlement at Malta,
where the situation of the island and its extraordinary harbor
facilities particularly favored maritime enterprise. There they built
many armed galleys, though all the material which entered into their
construction was necessarily imported. There was no available wood to be
found upon the island, except that which was brought from the mainland
of Italy. A people entirely surrounded by water naturally came to be
good boat and ship builders, and the galleons produced during the
sovereignty of the Knights showed great improvement, and were famous for
their staunch character compared with those of their neighbors. These
vessels, however, would be considered nothing less than marine
monstrosities in our day.
The galleys of the Knights did not remain long idle. When a restless
spirit moved their owners, they promptly set sail for the coast of
Barbary, where, surprising some unprotected settlement, they burned the
place to the ground, enslaving those whose lives they spared. If there
were any high officials among their prisoners, or persons of special
importance, such were held for ransom. If the payment demanded for their
release did not come promptly, they too became common slaves and worked
with the rest at the trying galley oars. This service, if they were not
in good health and strength, soon put an end to their lives. Such were
the deeds of professed Christians, who, in their ignorant and bigoted
zeal, actually seem to have thought themselves to be serving God by
robbing, destroying, and enslaving those whom they called infidels. In
the light which comes to us through the long ages, we can see another
and baser motive which must have actuated these monkish freebooters,
namely, the desire for plunder and to kill, "an appetite which grows by
what it feeds upon." Though they tempered their piratical career with
deeds of chivalry and the outward forms of religious devotion, they
were none the less blood-seeking corsairs. The red flag would have been
more appropriate at the masthead of their vessels than the eight-pointed
cross of St. John. The spirit which had originally given birth to the
order--then well named Hospitallers--had long since been lost sight of.
In Jerusalem, Turk and Pilgrim alike shared their hospitality, and their
model was that of the Good Samaritan. Alas, for the degeneracy that
followed!
The conflict as carried on for centuries by both the Christians and the
Mohammedans was equally characterized by diabolical cruelty, while
tinctured by a spirit of blind fanaticism and religious frenzy. On the
part of the Turks this was a genuine instinct, since they could not
expect, even in the event of victory, to realize anything by way of
remunerative plunder. In regard to the Knights, everything goes to show,
as we have already declared, that religion was used as a convenient
cloak to cover up their questionable purposes. The candid student of
history will, however, honestly admit that there were many and striking
exceptions to this rule. Some of the Grand Masters were undoubtedly
sincere, though they were grossly bigoted. Of this, L'Isle Adam and La
Vallette are striking examples.
Each fresh onslaught between the contending Christians and infidels led
to increased bitterness and a desire for revenge. The terrible courage
and indifference to death evinced by the followers of the crescent were
more than matched by the cool, determined bravery of those who fought
under the banner of the cross. Let the truth be frankly recorded. If the
Turks were guilty of the most barbaric atrocities, and we very well know
that they were, the Knights of St. John were not slow to retaliate in
kind. History tells us that the latter, at the siege of Malta in 1565,
not only decapitated their defenseless prisoners of war upon the
ramparts of the forts, in full sight of the enemy, but afterwards fired
their ghastly heads from mortars, and projected them by other means into
the camp of the besieging army. Alas, for the brutality of warfare,
ancient and modern! Who can forget that English officers professing to
be Christians, during the unsuccessful attempt of the natives of India
to regain their freedom, lashed their living prisoners of war to the
cannon's mouth, and applying the match, blew them into eternity? This
diabolical act, it should be remembered, was perpetrated not by
irresponsible guerrillas, or lawless banditti, but by regular English
army officers, in the nineteenth century. Wild African tribes, the
Maoris of New Zealand, or the cannibals of Fiji could do no worse, while
England poses as representing the highest degree of modern civilization
and refinement. All war involves a greater or less lapse into barbarism.
It was the first Napoleon who uttered the significant saying, born of
his own experience, "The worse the man, the better the soldier!"
But let us endeavor not to diverge too far from the immediate purpose of
these pages.
We were speaking of the peculiar order of the Knights of St. John. The
natives of Malta furnished no members to the ranks of the brotherhood.
They might and did serve effectively as men at arms, and joined in
defensive and offensive warfare as common soldiers. A certain
exclusiveness was always maintained by the fraternity as to admitting
individuals to full membership, it being realized from the outset that
an indiscriminate policy in this respect would tend to belittle the
order and weaken its influence, as well as to introduce an undesirable
element into its ranks. Hundreds of the Maltese were paid auxiliaries of
the different "languages" of the order, and others were volunteers in
fighting for the sacredness of their homes when the Turks invaded the
island. This they did in large numbers during the last memorable siege,
but they were in no sense Knights of St. John. The order proper was
exclusively composed of Europeans, who, before admission to the first
rank of the brotherhood, were obliged to produce indisputable proofs of
nobility of birth, to a degree which varied according to the custom of
the nationality whence they came.
The Grand Masters created a certain rank of nobility among the Maltese,
which was conferred upon individuals for extraordinary considerations,
and for valuable services rendered in behalf of the order, but it is
difficult to discover the advantage of the titles thus bestowed. The
persons thus complimented were not eligible for admission to the
brotherhood, nor was any pecuniary compensation attached. Their
descendants to-day, though they are quite impoverished, are more
tenacious of these empty titles than ever before. The presumption
founded thereon is simply ludicrous to an American. The French, during
their brief sovereignty of the island, abolished by special edict all
titles, but this amounted to nothing, and was soon forgotten. As these
meaningless distinctions descend indiscriminately to all male members of
the family whose progenitor was thus endowed, the prospect is that
titled people will by and by become as plenty here as Maltese oranges,
or the "Legion of Honor" in France.
Remembering the marvelous history of the Knights and their often tragic
taking off, while we stroll through the palace-lined streets of the
capital in the still hours of the night, when the moon throws pale,
suggestive shadows across the squares and street corners presided over
by effigies of saints, one can easily imagine the ghostly, armor-clad
figure of a dead Knight, like Hamlet's father, revisiting its earthly
haunts. If these defunct soldier-monks did not leave ghosts behind them,
the power of such spirits after death must be effete. Every turn and
each surrounding in Valletta, whether in the department of arms or of
art, speaks of the vigorous doings of these many-sided knightly friars.
It was the Grand Master Jean de La Vallette, who founded the charming
capital of Malta, after his murderous but successful repulse of the
infidels in their last attempt to capture the island. Though Vallette
did not live long enough to see it reared to its present attractive
completeness, still the stamp of his genius, as shown in the grandeur of
its architecture, its palaces, churches, hospitals, and fortifications,
is his most lasting and appropriate monument. So rapidly did the
building of the new city progress after it was begun, that it is said to
have been practically completed in six years. To accomplish this,
hundreds of able mechanics and skilled artisans were brought from Italy
and other parts of Europe. If these stones, whose surfaces three
centuries have so wrinkled with age, could but speak, what interesting
facts might be revealed by them to illumine this period of the world's
history! We have famous telescopes which enable us to search out the
characteristics of far-away Mars. Would we could turn one of these giant
lenses upon the olden days in Malta, and obtain a tableau of its history
with photographic fidelity!
CHAPTER III.
The Maltese Group.--Comino.--Cave Life.--Verdant Gozo.--Isle
of Filfla.--Curious Lizards.--Loss of an Ironclad.--Mysterious
Wheel-Tracks.--Earthquakes.--Population.--Military Depot.--
Youthful Soldiers.--Quarantine.--Arrival of the Knights.--
Immorality.--Harbor Defenses.--Land Fortifications.--Charming
Photographic View.--The Stars and Stripes Abroad.--The Eight-
Pointed Maltese Cross.--Peculiar Sunset Scene.
We speak of Malta in the singular, which is the conventional form;
official documents say Malta and its dependencies, it being the name
which is also most commonly used to designate the capital; but it should
be understood that the Maltese group consists of three considerable
islands, namely, Malta, Gozo, and Comino. The latter lies midway in the
channel which separates the other two. Comino is nearly circular,
measures four miles across its surface, and contains some large and
curious caves, also a fort which was built in 1618. There are a few huts
in which the poor peasants reside, who labor on the soil, and send
fabulous numbers of watermelons to Valletta. It would seem that this
circumscribed bit of earth, or, more properly speaking, rock, breaking
the surface of the Straits of Freghi, was formerly considered to be of
more importance than it is in our day. One ancient author mentions it
under another name, that of Hephaestia, which means the island of Vulcan.
In the Middle Ages Comino was a very nest of Saracen pirates. Up to the
beginning of the present century, the special advantage of the group for
the promotion of illegitimate commerce has been its curse. Malta was the
synonym of piracy from the earliest times,--a reputation which, as we
have seen, the Knights of St. John did nothing to improve. Speaking in
plain terms, they were the most pronounced and successful corsairs who
ever sailed these waters, and were unmolested by the Western Powers
because their piracy was conducted under the pretense of fighting only
the infidels, and in behalf of Christianity. In our day we invade
Central Africa under pretense of suppressing the slave trade; but in the
days of this warlike order, its principal source of income was derived
from the capture of Asiatics, whom the Knights sold into slavery, or
retained in that condition.
There is said to be ample evidence that the numerous caves of Comino
were formerly improved as domestic dwelling-places by the primitive
inhabitants. Their partial inaccessibility probably caused them to be
used as safe retreats when the group was invaded by a foreign enemy.
Where natural caves existed in the early days of our race upon this
earth, they were nearly always utilized as shelter for human beings, and
doubtless artificial ones were created, it being the readiest mode of
obtaining a domestic shelter. The Spanish gipsies of Granada follow this
plan even to-day, on the banks of the swift-flowing Darro, not to speak
in detail of the numerous cliff-dwellers of Behring Strait, where Asia
and America come so nearly together.
There is a cave between Comino and Cominetto, the entrance to which is
accomplished by boat, not without considerable difficulty. When once
within, however, and the eyes become accustomed to the gloom which
pervades the place, the cave is found to open out into proportions of
considerable magnitude. At the further extremity nature has formed a
beautiful little gravelly beach, on which the lazy waves ebb and flow
gracefully and softly. Geologists visit this cavern with much interest,
as the sides teem with the remains of marine creatures which lived and
died in the waters when these islands were gradually undergoing the
process of formation. There are scores of smaller caves on Cominetto,
and also on Comino. It was in the cavernous formations of the south side
of the main island of the Maltese group that Dr. Adams found the
interesting animal remains about which he has written so ably. These
tokens of past ages, concerning which we have no other record, exist in
nearly all parts of the globe. In the Ozark Mountains, near Galena,
Missouri, is a cavern larger than the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, which
has been explored for thirty miles in a nearly straight line. In this
Missouri cave, bones of prehistoric animals have also been found.
It may be said truthfully that there are few places which surpass Malta
in antiquarian interest.
Gozo is about one fifth the size of the main island which gives the
group its name. The circumference of the three islands is a trifle less
than one hundred miles. The shores, much worn and still wearing away by
the ceaseless action of the waters, give evidence of having been
considerably more extended at no distant period of time. Two uninhabited
islets, besides Gozo and Malta proper, complete the list of the group;
these are Cominetto and Filfla. The first, as its name indicates, nearly
joins Comino; the latter, containing the ruins of an ancient stone
church, is situated three or four miles from Malta on its southern side.
It is a very small islet, being only six hundred yards in circumference.
Filfla, from the Arabic word _filfel_, means a peppercorn, and the place
is thus called on account of its diminutive size. The name of each
inlet, headland, and reef along the coast is Arabic.
Besides the islands which we have cited, there are some small rocks,
having sufficient soil upon them to afford a gleam of animal and
vegetable life, but which are rarely if ever trodden by the foot of man.
Sometimes the hardy fishermen spread their nets from the most available;
but this work is generally pursued from boats and at points further from
land. There are certain species of shell-fish, including the patella,
lobsters, and crabs, which so abound on the circumscribed shore of
anvil-shaped Filfla, that fishermen come hither regularly to obtain
them. The phosphorescent jelly-fish, that glow-worm of the sea, lies
upon the surface near the shore in shoals, with here and there a blue
and rose-tinted starfish. The stormy petrel, the manx, and the white
sea-gulls build their nests amid the rocks of Filfla. The gathering of
coral was formerly a successful business hereabouts, but it is now
abandoned as not being sufficiently profitable. Oysters are also found
near the shore, and form a considerable source of food supply for the
common people; but the Mediterranean oyster does not recommend itself to
one accustomed to the superior product in the same line found on the
American coast. This bivalve of the narrow sea is often transported in
considerable quantities inland to Rome, where it does not always prove
harmless to strangers, though the digestive organs of the natives seem
quite able to grapple with it. The author was once seriously poisoned by
eating "oysters on the shell," at Nazzari's famous restaurant, near the
corner of the Via Condotti, in Rome.
As regards this island of Filfla, it gives us a wealth in numbers and an
astonishing variety of forms representing marine life, including sea
anemones, sea urchins, and so on, together with some small shells almost
as lovely as flowers. Men-of-war cruising in these waters use the island
as a target, and fragments of shot and shell consequently abound upon
its surface. Naturalists tell us of a peculiar species of lizard found
on this islet, quite different from anything of the sort to be seen on
the larger islands, "beautiful bronze-black creatures, quite tame, and
much more agile than their brethren on the mainland." So off the harbor
of Bombay, the author has seen on the island of Elephanta remarkable
beetles, unlike any of the species to be found elsewhere. They are
scarcely larger than one's little-finger nail, but nature has clothed
them in harlequin attire, combining golden, steel-blue, and pink. These
tiny creatures have prominent eyes, like a King Charles spaniel, which
seem to gaze at one with something like human intelligence. The question
naturally suggests itself, where can a distinctive species of animal
life have been derived and developed after this fashion, in these
isolated spots? Is this the outcome of some not understood principle of
evolution, beginning as vegetable, and developing into animal life? That
the earth produces the former spontaneously we know, and that it may
gradually, in the course of ages, become endowed with the latter has
been declared possible by scientists. In our museums we see fossil
organisms which exhibit in nearly consecutive order the slow evolution
of both animals and plants. By this means palaeontologists have been able
to connect some of our present mammals, through intermediary forms, with
their tertiary ancestors in primitive conditions.
Leaving the field of conjecture to scientists, let us resume the course
of our Maltese story.
It is believed that at a comparatively modern date, geologically
speaking, the islands of Malta and Gozo were joined together by the
island of Comino. Deep wheel-ruts worn in the rocky surface on the
opposite shores of the two nearest islands, visible even at some
distance under the water, afford what is considered to be unmistakable
evidence that the intervening straits have been formed recently, or that
the sea was once so shallow here as to be easily fordable by wheeled
vehicles. These wheel-tracks are particularly observable at Marfa,
whence passengers take boat for Gozo, but they are also found in other
places, where the connection is wholly obliterated. On the edge of the
shore, to the north of the Bay of Fom-er-Rich, wheel-ruts are to be seen
terminating abruptly at the brink of a cliff one hundred feet high,
which rises sheer from out of the sea. This shows clearly that some
tremendous upheaval, subsidence, or both, must have taken place here
within historic times.
Though the Straits of Freghi are now many fathoms deep, navigation is
somewhat intricate. A first-class British iron-clad was wrecked here in
1889, by striking upon a sunken rock. In very stormy weather
communication between the islands is wholly cut off, but this rarely
occurs. The shore in this vicinity is fringed by long, black, straggling
ledges, the most dangerous portions of which are exposed only in stormy
weather, when the dark, sea-worn rocks raise their heads and stoutly
resist the onslaught of the waves, sending aloft transparent masses of
white spray. When the sun escapes from the clouds and penetrates this
watery ebullition, momentary rainbows bind the moistened atmosphere
together with a lovely arch of prismatic hues.
Careful soundings show that the Maltese group stands upon a submarine
plateau, which stretches entirely across the Mediterranean from Sicily
to Africa, thus dividing the sea into two parts, known to geographers as
the eastern and western basins.
Malta, so far as an unscientific person may speak, shows no signs of
volcanic action, though there is a powerful agent of this character so
near in Sicily. At the present writing AEtna is in a condition of wild
physical turmoil, forming new fissures near its summit, out of which the
much-dreaded fiery lava is flowing rapidly, while the main crater is by
no means idle. Nothing can stem the tide of these rushing rivers of
molten rock, which have cut themselves fresh channels for miles,
extending to the sea. The last outbreak occurred in the early part of
1865, continuing with more or less force for a period of three months.
In 1669, one of these eruptions, besides costing hundreds of human
lives, destroyed twenty-two towns and villages, on its mad course to the
seaport of Catania, where the lava rushed into the Mediterranean in a
stream eighteen hundred feet in width and forty feet in height! This
extraordinary statement is in accordance with the local chronicles of
the time. It was perhaps the most violent and destructive eruption of
which we have any record; many have been slight and harmless. This
latter fact accounts for the hardihood of the Sicilians in continuing to
plant vineyards and farms within reach of this great subterranean
furnace. So the people of Torre del Greco, at the foot of restless
Vesuvius, ignore past experience, and all former outbreaks of the
mountain which destroyed Pompeii.
In the absence of late and reliable statistics upon the subject, the
present population of the Maltese group may be safely assumed as about a
hundred and seventy-five thousand, of which number one half centre in
and about Valletta. Borgo, Senglea, and Burmulo, on the opposite side of
the harbor, eastward from the capital, are populous suburbs of the city,
and contain many well-built stone edifices, but none to compare with
those of the city proper. These suburbs are the residence of an humbler
class of the community than those who live in Valletta. The estimate
which is given above as to the population of the group includes the
English garrison, which seldom amounts to less than six thousand men. A
brigade of infantry is always kept here upon a war footing, known as the
"Indian Contingent." The whole number of troops at the present time, in
and about the capital, is eight thousand of all arms. In case of another
Indian mutiny, which would surely follow an invasion by Russia, England
could draw at once from this source. The troops at Malta would be
already half way toward their objective point, if ordered to Calcutta or
Bombay.
Her Majesty's government also maintains an infantry regiment one
thousand strong, whose ranks are filled by natives of the islands, a
policy which is also adopted to a large extent in India, and more or
less in all English dependencies. Even in Hong Kong, the large body of
men who constitute the local police are Sikhs brought from India for
this special service. They are tall, dark, fine-looking men, with heavy
beards. The Maltese regiment just spoken of is a good-looking body of
well-drilled men, though lacking the _esprit de corps_ of English-born
soldiers. This regiment is officered by Englishmen, and is called the
Royal Maltese Fencibles, being mostly employed to man the outlying forts
of the group.
We may be permitted a few words upon the subject of the garrison of
Malta. One watches with special interest the soldiery of various
nationalities. The author has seen the representatives of the English
army in Egypt, China, Ceylon, Aden, and in all of the colonies of Great
Britain except those of Africa. The men are, on an average, far too
youthful for military service. Such boyish applicants would not pass
examination for enlistment in our American army as we find enrolled in
the English regiments here. Large numbers are under seventeen years.
Even Lord Wolseley, in a late published report, admits this glaring
defect of the British service. In round numbers, the English army
consists of two hundred and ten thousand men of all arms, half of which
number is kept at home, that is, in England, while over seventy thousand
are stationed in India, and thirty-two thousand in various colonies. The
empire of India is an expensive plaything, which the people of Great
Britain support for the amusement of the Queen and the pride of the
nation. The seventy thousand soldiers distributed over that widespread
territory are hardly able to keep the natives in subjection. To
maintain her grasp upon India, as we all know, has cost England rivers
of blood and mountains of treasure, though she has no more legitimate
right to possess the land than she has to Norway and Sweden.
Sweeping pestilence and frequent wars have not seemed to interfere
materially with the rapid increase of the population of Malta.
Visitations of the cholera and the plague have at different times
created great havoc with human life in the group. So late as 1813,
thousands of the inhabitants fell victims to the much-dreaded plague,
brought hither from the East, where the seeds of the scourge seem to be
only slumbering when they are not bringing forth fatal fruit. The local
records of the devastation of the plague in Malta are terribly forlorn,
dreary, and saddening, and characterized by the calmness and dignity of
despair. Since that experience, strict quarantine measures have been
enforced, especially toward vessels coming from Egypt. Many travelers
who have visited this group of islands have been obliged to pass a
fortnight or more in the lazaretto before being permitted to land in the
capital, while others, rather than submit to the trying discipline of
quarantine, have given up their purpose of doing so.
Untraveled readers can hardly realize the discomforts and annoyances
caused by quarantine laws, against the necessity of which no intelligent
person will attempt to argue. Late experience upon our own coast,
especially in New York harbor, proves not only their importance, but
also their efficacy, though they sometimes, in individual cases, operate
with seemingly unnecessary hardship. Sir Walter Scott, in describing his
detention at the lazaretto in Malta, tells us of an accident which
occurred, illustrating the rigid enforcement of quarantine rules. It
seems that a foremast hand on board the ship which had brought him
hither fell from the yardarm into the sea. The fellow struggled
manfully, being a good swimmer. Several native boats, which were near at
hand, promptly steered in another direction, but an English boat's crew,
belonging to a ship in the harbor, pulled as swiftly as possible towards
the struggling seaman and rescued him from the water. For this act of
humanity, the boat's crew was ordered into quarantine for a week. By
saving the life of the sailor who had fallen from the ship which was in
quarantine, they had run the risk of contamination!
On one occasion, while in South America, it was the author's misfortune
to be at Rio Janeiro when the yellow fever was raging there. He was
bound southward to Montevideo, but no ship going thither would receive
passengers, lest the vessel should be quarantined. Passage was therefore
taken northward to Bahia, Brazil, which was not a prohibited port,
though yellow fever was found to exist there, also. Thence the Pacific
Mail Steamship took us south again to the mouth of the Plate
River,--_Rio de la Plata_,--passing, but not entering, the harbor of
Rio. Thus one was compelled to travel by sea over two thousand miles
for no possible purpose save to avoid being quarantined at Montevideo.
The cholera swept away several thousands of the Maltese in 1837, again
in 1853, and once more so late as 1887. It will be observed that there
exists a serious drawback in the location of the group. It is so
situated, midway between the East and the West, as to be the victim of
all such epidemics as are liable to be conveyed through the ordinary
channels of commerce.
When the Knights of St. John first landed in Malta there were but twelve
thousand inhabitants here. The Knights were soon followed by a
considerable number of their former subjects in Rhodes, many of whom
had, like themselves, been wanderers since they were driven from that
island by the Turks. The order was still popular and wealthy, enjoying a
princely revenue from various continental sources, as well as from the
rich prizes which they constantly captured from the Ottomans, from
roving Greeks, and from Barbary pirates. The proceeds of these captures
were expended with a lavish hand among the Maltese people, diffusing
plenty and comfort throughout the islands. This material prosperity soon
stimulated immigration from various Mediterranean ports, and called home
many who had endeavored to improve their fortunes by seeking occupation
elsewhere. The natives were treated with great liberality by their
monkish rulers. No taxes were demanded of them, while they were in
constant receipt of money from the plethoric treasury of the Knights.
There was occupation for all, and fair remuneration for the same. Never
before, as far as we know, had the sunshine of prosperity so smiled upon
these isolated shores. The period to which we refer is regarded as the
golden age of Maltese history. The most intelligent of the present
inhabitants are never tired of referring to the period when the white
cross of St. John floated proudly over the castle of St. Elmo.
It was indeed the golden age, speaking in a worldly sense, but not in a
spiritual one; yet the average Maltese not only sympathizes with the
profession of these Knights, but even indorses their daily lives, public
and private, which would not bear for one moment the conventional test
of our modern civilization. It would seem as though the virtue and honor
of Maltese wives and daughters counted for nothing, in this wholesale
opinion of the period covered by the sovereignty of the order, and that
the natives of that day ignored all sense of self-respect in their
estimate of the value of pecuniary prosperity as compared with the
sacredness of domestic purity. Women were bartered for like merchandise;
personal attractions formed the criterion of their market value, while
there was not even the pretense on the part of the Knights of keeping
their priestly vows as celibates, by which every member of the
fraternity of St. John was supposed to be bound. Women came voluntarily
and openly from Italy, France, Spain, and England to trade upon their
charms, added to whose number were those of their sex captured from the
harems of the Mohammedans. Among the native women, little regard was
paid to marital ties, and virtue among them was scarcely a recognized
idea. We may be sure that the vile example set before them by those to
whom they were taught to look up as their superiors was not without its
evil influence. Lewdness is as contagious as typhus fever, and vice
spreads like oil upon the water. We penetrate uncivilized countries and
affiliate with barbaric tribes, who, following some strange instinct of
the race, promptly adopt our vices, but are slow to imitate such of the
virtues as we assume, if we have them not. It is not pleasant to dwell
upon such a theme, but contemporary writers tell us that these islands
became the scandal of Europe, and the popular resort of titled
libertines, many of whom joined the Knights, who were then at the height
of their material prosperity.
Let us draw the curtain upon such matters, which have necessarily been
considered, and turn to such as are more attractive. Of these we shall
find a teeming abundance from which to choose in this _Fior del Mondo_.
The charmingly picturesque capital, Valletta, surrounded at all times by
a quaint Oriental atmosphere, lies on the north shore of the island, at
its nearest point to Sicily, upon a promontory extending a considerable
distance into the bay. For the sake of completeness, its exact position
is given: longitude 14 deg. 31'; latitude 35 deg. 53' north. The port
consists of two spacious land-locked bays, known as Quarantine Harbor
and Grand Harbor. The entrance to both is commanded by the massive white
battlements of Fort St. Elmo, supplemented by Fort Ricasoli on the one
hand, and Fort Tigne on the other. Each of the three fortifications now
bristles with threatening cannon of modern construction,--"the
red-mouthed orators of war." The two harbors, forming a double port, are
each subdivided into small bays, creeks, and indentures, which are well
adapted to naval and commercial purposes, for which they are improved,
all being embraced within the elaborate lines of the marine
fortifications.
Grand Harbor contains the naval hospital, arsenal, dock-yard, and
custom-house, with Fort St. Angelo inside and Fort Ricasoli at the
entrance. Quarantine Harbor has at its mouth Fort Tigne, while within is
Fort Mangel and Lazaretto Island. The landing designed for the mail
steamships is also here. The lazaretto is the most perfect of any
arrangement of the kind in Europe. The tongue of land upon which the
city stands is a narrow, rocky peninsula, dividing, as we have said, the
two harbors, so that Fort Ricasoli at the entrance of Grand Harbor, Fort
St. Elmo upon the point of the peninsula, and Fort Tigne at the mouth of
Quarantine Harbor are all on a line at the sea front, and are capable of
repelling the approach of any ship afloat. A bird's-eye view of the
topography of the port of Valletta is at first a little confusing to a
stranger, but its plan soon becomes clear, and the object of its
arrangement is realized. It is then seen that the natural facilities
have been admirably adapted to the general purpose by skilled engineers.
We do not hesitate to say that there is not a more complete system of
fortifications extant, in any part of the world, than the cordon of
defensive structures at Malta. The forts of the harbor, however, form
but a portion of the vast system of fortifications which completely
surround Valletta. Such a gigantic amount of heavy stone-work as they
represent could only be erected where the material was abundant and the
labor cheap. The stone excavated in sinking the deep ditches was used in
raising the escarps; and as to the necessary labor, that was done by the
army of slaves retained on the island by the Knights. When they were not
confined at the oars of the galleys, they were compelled to labor in
erecting these elaborate defenses. Like the Egyptian builders of the
Pyramids, the order was obliged to feed these workmen; but beyond that
expense their services cost nothing.
While the Maltese capital bears, appropriately, the name of the Grand
Master who originated and promoted its construction, these defensive
works, so remarkable and so perfect in their character from a soldier's
point of view, should perpetuate the name of Jerome Cassan, the
accomplished engineer of the order, who designed them, and under whose
able superintendence they were erected. No wonder they call forth the
admiration of all military officers who visit the place. Immense sums of
money and incalculable toil were lavished upon the undertaking,
regardless of any probable necessity for the expenditure. So far as the
science of military defense goes, it would seem as though perfection had
been reached when Chevalier Cassan finished his original plans; but each
new Grand Master of the Knights seems to have thought it to be his duty
to increase the number of forts, giving to the addition his own name, by
which each section thus constructed is still known. Exposed points on
the coast of both Malta and Gozo were fortified from time to time, until
there were no unprotected bays or inlets left. For centuries before this
was done, piratical invasions were frequently made by small Algerine or
Turkish expeditions landing at unfortified points. A score or two of
armed men were able to ravage a whole district, and carry off half a
hundred families to be sold into slavery. The Turkish and Algerine war
fleets were almost entirely manned at the oars by captives thus secured.
When these soldier-priests first took possession of the islands, there
was but one fort at Malta, namely, that of St. Angelo, which hardly
deserved to be called a fort. To-day, as we have shown, there is no
unprotected point on the entire coast line of the group. Modern
instruments of warfare have revolutionized the requirements of defensive
works, and many of these elaborate structures, it must be admitted, are
hardly appropriate to our times. Malta is the equal of Gibraltar in a
military point of view, though the fortifications of neither are
absolutely impregnable. Of the latter, it may be said that nature
prepared the place for man's adaptation; but as regards the former, art
alone has produced an unequaled amphitheatre of fortifications. On the
land side Valletta is protected by a labyrinth of marvelous ditches and
ramparts, many of which are cut out of the solid rock, besides having
vast chambers, or caves, of the same substantial character, designed for
the safe storage of grain in anticipation of the place being besieged.
These rock-hewn caves are so arranged that they can be hermetically
sealed. It is said that they will preserve grain in perfect condition
for a score of years. A quantity of provisions is always kept stored in
these receptacles for the use of the garrison, and to meet any sudden
emergency, the same policy being adopted at Gibraltar and Aden. The
warfare of our day, however, admits of no protracted sieges. Such a
struggle as took place before Sebastopol, not very long ago, could not
be sustained between two powers with the present means of destruction
possessed by both parties. In the future, conflicts will be short and
decisive. If anything relating to warfare can be merciful, the sharpest
and shortest process is most so. Lingering contests entail such terrible
consequent ills that they bring with them sufferings paramount to those
caused by the conflict of arms. "The next saddest thing in war to a
defeat is a victory," said Wellington, as he looked sorrowfully upon the
field which he had won by a fearful sacrifice of human life at San
Sebastian.
The two excellent harbors of Valletta might afford anchorage for six
hundred ships of war, as they have bold, well-defined shores, and an
average depth of ten fathoms. This was not so originally, but is the
result of a thorough system of dredging, which has been faithfully
completed.
As we look upon the scene from an elevated point, beneath the afternoon
sun, while freely inhaling the lotus-like air of the Mediterranean,
everything is serene and lovely. Over the terraced roofs of Valletta
rises the square tower of the Grand Palace, gay with many colored signal
flags. Across the harbor the eye rests upon Fort Ricasoli, and here
stands stout old St. Elmo, while in the distance Fort San Rocco crowns a
hilltop. Much nearer is Fort St. Angelo, with its record of a thousand
years and more. The numerous domes and towers of the city, though they
are not minarets, have much the same Oriental effect upon the eye.
Myriads of small boats, painted in bright, fanciful colors after the
florid Maltese style, and having canvas coverings sheltering the stern,
shoot hither and thither like birds upon the wing. The boatmen stand
while rowing, as do the oarsmen of the Venetian gondolas, pushing, not
pulling, at the oars. Hundreds of small feluccas line the shore. A group
of fishermen in rude but picturesque costumes are landing the product of
their industry. Half a dozen ships belonging to the British navy, and as
many huge mail steamers, swing lazily at anchor, while little erratic
steam launches dart back and forth from ship to shore; a memorable
picture, the sea and sky being its appropriate frame. French, German,
Italian, and English flags indicate the nationality of the several
vessels, but the eye searches in vain for the stars and stripes of our
Union. The same absence of the American flag is only too observable
throughout nearly all the ports of the Mediterranean and the far East.
The home-keeping citizen who reads these lines can hardly realize the
patriotic sensation mingled with dire homesickness which thrills the
traveler, long absent from his native land, at sight of our beloved
national emblem proudly expanding its folds upon a foreign shore.
We look in vain for one other significant flag, that of the
eight-pointed cross, which for centuries waved over these battlements as
the sacred banner of the Knights of St. John, the token of their
religious faith and their resolve to conquer or to die, which led them
in the van of battle at Jerusalem, at Acre, and at Rhodes, and under
which they slaughtered the besieging enemy by thousands beneath the wall
of Malta; the gallant flag which so often flashed defiance before the
eyes of sanguinary Turks, treacherous Greeks, and rapacious Algerines
upon the sea; the flag, alas! which was lowered in disgrace, in 1798,
without the firing of a single shot in its defense, to give place to the
tricolor of France, and to acknowledge the mastership of Bonaparte. This
was an act of cowardice equaled only by that of the arch-traitor
Bazaine, who shamefully surrendered a whole army at Metz which was
perfectly capable of winning a signal victory over the Germans, if it
had been led against them by a brave general. The world knows how that
dastard poltroon was tried and punished for his treason, as well as of
his miserable subsequent life and unregretted death in a foreign land.
To return to the Knights of St. John. This act of treachery--the
surrender of Valletta to the French--was virtually the end of the famous
order; the dying hour, as it were, of a brotherhood which had for
hundreds of years defied the whole Ottoman power almost single handed,
and whose members, as chivalrous knights, won the respect of
Christendom.
One often reads of the great beauty of the sunset as enjoyed upon this
group, and we cheerfully bear witness to the fact that this phenomenon
of nature is justly eulogized. Writers are apt to grow enthusiastic over
Italian sunsets, especially along the Riviera; but the author, who has
seen this diurnal exhibition in all parts of the globe, can truly say he
has nowhere witnessed it surrounded by more beauty and grandeur of
effect than in our own beloved land. Bostonians who possess an
appreciative eye for the loveliness of cloud and sky effect, have seen
at the closing of day, looking westward over the Charles River, as
glorious exhibitions of the sunset hour as any part of the world can
boast. As to the beauty of the afterglow, the lingering twilight of New
England, "whose mantle is the drapery of dreams," it can be excelled in
no land in either hemisphere. In the enthusiasm of the moment, while on
the Yellow Sea of China, the author gave precedence, in his published
notes, to the remarkable sunsets which characterize that region; but in
this soberer moment a calmer conviction is honestly recorded. Still, the
quivering flame that seemed to burn like lava on the line where sky and
ocean met, the iris hues softly reflected by the vapory tissue of clouds
in the opposite expanse, and the gorgeous robes in which the on-coming
night was wrapped that December evening upon the Yellow Sea, can never
be forgotten by any one who witnessed it.
On the disappearance of the sun beneath the Mediterranean at Malta, as
soon as the opal fires have burned out of the sky, light clouds usually
fringe the horizon, emitting rapid flashes of lightning which continue
for hours, recalling the Aurora Borealis as seen at Bodoee and Tromsoee,
in Norway. There is no lasting twilight in this latitude. Night follows
close upon the footsteps of the departing day. The brightness of the
stars supervenes so quickly after the curtain falls upon the scene, and
the mellow evening atmosphere is so clear, that the twilight is hardly
missed by the watchful observer, as the Spirit of the night, upon dewy
sandals, begins her course of the circling hours.
CHAPTER IV.
The Soil of Malta.--Imports and Exports.--Absence of
Trees.--Equable Climate.--Three Crops Annually.--Use of
Fertilizers.--Ignorant and Pious Peasantry.--Food of the
People.--Maltese Women.--Oriental Customs.--Roman Catholic
Influence.--Improvisation.--Early Marriages.--A Resort for
the Pope.--Low Wages.--Beggars.--Wind Storms.--Blood Oranges.
--The Carob-Tree.--Maltese Lace.--Sailing along the Shore.
It has already been mentioned that a large portion of the island of
Malta is covered with a thin, rich soil, some of which, it is said, was
brought from Sicily at infinite cost and labor. If this is so, of which
we have reasonable doubts, it was done only to a very limited extent.
Vessels sailing hence with merchandise for the mainland or Sicily,
having no return cargo, may have occasionally brought back as ballast
quantities of earth, but that there was ever any systematic importation
of soil is not probable. Much of the surface of the island is still only
bare, calcareous stone, exposed to the fierce winds, rains, and
scorching sunshine. A process of disintegration is constantly going on
which gradually reduces this surface rock to friable matter, and as soon
as a space becomes favorable in its conditions by such means it is
promptly improved by the natives for agricultural purposes. The
extraordinary success which crowns the husbandman's efforts is the
triumph of industry over natural obstacles. All soil is but broken and
decomposed rock, pulverized by various agencies acting during long
periods of time, counting centuries as days. The molten lava poured from
the fiery mouth of Vesuvius has, in the course of ages, become the soil
of thriving vineyards at Resina and Castellamare. The Bahama Islands,
composed originally of coral and limestone, have, during the lapse of
centuries, become such fertile soil at the surface as to nourish the
royal palm, the orange, and the banana, together with the stout-limbed
ceiba and the most delicate fruits of the tropics. It should be
remembered, also, that vegetation does not depend alone upon the soil
for its life and fruitfulness. Like human beings, it borrows vitality
from the rain and atmospheric air.
This Maltese soil must be of a very prolific nature, and contain hidden
properties which stimulate plant life beyond comparison, to furnish the
means of support for so large a number of inhabitants in so
circumscribed a space. It is true that cattle, sheep, and grain are
regularly imported for the consumption of the garrison and the people,
as the island does not yield sufficient meat and breadstuff for the
support of the population; but other products which are raised here and
exported go far towards balancing the deficiency, by the grain and other
needed supplies which they purchase in return. Two articles, salt and
soda, are produced upon the island and exported in considerable
quantities, the annual income from which reaches a large aggregate sum.
The early potatoes which are grown in several districts of these
islands are of a very choice character, commanding a special market in
England, and realizing good prices. So the Atlantic cities on the
American coast depend upon Bermuda for their early supply of the same
article. Where the ground is not cultivated, wild-growing masses of the
prickly pear often form a feature of the landscape, while the almost
entire absence of trees in the larger island, outside of the city,
creates an arid appearance. The charming color and grateful shade which
are afforded by groves is almost entirely wanting. Neither art nor
nature can produce an effective landscape without their aid. Where the
land is carefully improved, it is not unusual to realize three crops
annually from the same ground, by a timely succession of seeds. It is
the common practice to follow the harvesting of a grain crop by
immediately planting the same field with cotton. This last article has
long been an established product of Malta, where it is believed to be
indigenous. The islands produce two kinds of cotton, one of which is
pure white, the other of a yellowish brown, both having a staple
combining length and silkiness in a peculiar degree. It will thus be
seen that the capacity of the soil and climate is very comprehensive,
and it is interesting to know that there are over sixty thousand acres
of land under cultivation in Malta at the present writing.
The climate is so equable and mild that there is no sterile period of
the year, no unproductive month in the twelve. Every division of the
season has its special vegetation and its fragrant flowers, thus
rendering the reign of floral beauty ceaseless. March and April,
however, are the months which present the most luxuriant phase of
vegetation in this latitude. Though Malta lies much farther south than
Naples, the heat of summer is not so intense there as it is in southern
Italy. The plants which are so liberally displayed in the balconies of
the dwellings require no shelter all the year round. Thus at all times
striking bits of color line the second stories of the houses upon the
Strada Reale. It will depend somewhat upon the stranger's fancy whether
he is attracted by these beautiful flowers, so vivid in color, or by the
graceful forms, the lovely olive-hued faces, and appealing eyes, which
are half hidden behind them, like screened batteries. One cannot closely
observe the use of the Maltese hood, presumedly the insignia of modesty,
without becoming convinced that it serves in no small degree the same
purpose as the Spanish fan in the hands of an accomplished Andalusian
woman.
The obtaining of three crops annually from the same field is not only
remarkable in itself, but is also significant of the prevailing industry
of the Maltese, as well as of the fertility of the soil and the
propitiousness of the climate for agricultural enterprise. It is
observed that in sheltered places, where the soil is quite neglected by
the hand of man, nature exhibits often a wanton luxuriance of vegetable
growth almost tropical. Another obvious reason for this marked
fertility of the cultivated soil should be mentioned, namely, that the
natives understand and fully appreciate the great value of manure, which
no artificial fertilizer can equal in permanent results. Like the
Chinese, the people here achieve excellent returns in agriculture by
deserving them. The most unwilling soil will succumb to such persevering
and intelligent treatment. The careful collection and application of
domestic refuse to the land is systematically pursued by the farmers,
which process is conducive to cleanliness and health as well as to good
husbandry, thus serving a twofold purpose.
Were the same liberal use of easily obtained enrichment, together with a
system of irrigation (also well understood in Malta), to be applied to
our constantly abandoned farms in New England, we should hear much less
grumbling as regards their sterility, while the returns which would be
realized in the shape of an ample harvest would liberally compensate for
all cost of time and labor. There is no zone where nature will do
everything for man; his work upon the farm is only begun with the
planting of the seed. The fact is, many of our farmers work on the
principle of the Kodak man,--"You touch the button, and we do the rest."
Sitting down in indolence and despair, such men wonder that their
utterly neglected lands do not yield better crops, talking the while
about rich fields and virgin soil which are supposed to exist somewhere,
far away in Utopia.
Until the author visited Malta, he thought that the British island of
Barbadoes, the farthest windward of the West Indian group, was the most
densely populated spot on the globe, but here we find human beings
numbering over thirteen hundred to the productive square mile. One
intelligent statistician places the population at fourteen hundred, but
the first estimate is quite extraordinary enough. As a matter of
comparison, it may be mentioned that the population of England averages
three hundred souls to a similar space. The steady increase of the
people in numbers speaks well for the average health of Malta, on whose
dry soil and in whose usually pure air children thrive and adults live
to an extreme old age. The residents have a saying that invalids are
obliged to go away to Nice or Mentone, on the mainland, to die, since no
one shuffles off this mortal coil by natural means in Malta. There is
certainly nothing in the local conditions or in the geographical
position to generate any sort of malady. No vegetable matter is
permitted to decompose, nor are objectionable substances allowed to
remain aboveground. Malta no doubt has its drawbacks, but its climate,
as a rule, is very healthy. "Malta healthy?" responded a local physician
to our inquiry. "Why, we professionals are simply starved out for want
of practice." "How about the plague and the cholera?" we asked. "Ah, an
occasional visit of that sort occurs, to be sure, at wide intervals,
otherwise our occupation would be gone." He added, "All the world is
liable to such visitations; but as to the general healthfulness of this
island, no one can justly find fault." Such is probably the truth.
English physicians continue to send certain classes of their patients
hither regularly.
The men one meets outside of the city, in and about the villages,
engaged upon the land, or otherwise, form a hardy, swarthy, and capable
race,--industrious, ignorant, and very pious. These men, on an average,
are not quite so tall as those of North America, but they are strong,
broad-shouldered, frugal, and honest, with a decided Moorish cast of
countenance, whose usual expression is a compound of apathy and
dejection. That the Maltese are a temperate people is very plain.
Drunkenness is scarcely ever to be met with even in the humbler portions
of the capital, or along the shores of the harbor, where seamen
congregate, and where every facility for indulgence is easily
procurable. It is but fair to say that sobriety of habit is the rule
among the common classes of the people. In the rural districts great
simplicity of life prevails. Vegetable diet is almost universal, varied
by an occasional meal of fish. Meat is much more costly, and is seldom
indulged in by ordinary people, in town or country. Fish, which abounds
along the shore, is both cheap and nourishing. Shell-fish, especially,
are a favorite food in Malta. We say meat is costly; it is only so, as
compared with the means of the common people, and the amount of money
they realize in the form of wages. Beef sells in the market here at
about the same price as is charged in our Atlantic cities. Considerable
mutton is raised in the group, but the beef which is used for food
purposes is nearly all brought from over the sea, the larger portion
coming from the Barbary coast. As regards the cost of living at Malta,
that depends so much upon individual requirements that no general rule
applies, but it is certainly considerably less expensive than at either
Nice or Cannes.
A certain inclination for seclusion is observable among the Maltese
women in all parts of the group. They are rarely, if ever, seen abroad
with their husbands. Their predilection for indoor life is pronounced,
and when hastening to morning mass through the streets of Valletta, the
shielding black hood is always in requisition, unrelieved by a touch of
bright or cheerful color. The general effect is nun-like and funereal.
There is an axiom current here to the effect that "A woman should never
appear abroad but twice,--on the day of her marriage, and that of her
funeral." This sentiment emphasises in a degree the fact of the Eastern
origin of the people. No such absolute seclusion as this saying implies
is, however, observed here. Though the faldetta is universally worn,
still, as we have already intimated, many women use it in so coquettish
a manner that they not only expose their pretty faces, but they also
manage to see all that goes on about them. The average woman is very
much the same, whether in Cairo, on the Strada Reale, Malta, or on the
Champs Elysees,--whether in the atmosphere of the Mediterranean, or on
the banks of the Seine. The semi-Oriental custom of the sex, as observed
in these islands, is doubtless a relic of their association with and
descent from the Mohammedans. As they neither use nor understand a word
of any language except Maltese Arabic, it is of course impossible for a
stranger to hold conversation with them. One would have to speak, not
Turkish, but Maltese Arabic, to do so.
The land in Malta is universally terraced on the side-hills. This method
serves a double purpose: that of beautifying the landscape, while it
secures the soil in its proper place, as one sees it in Switzerland or
on the Rhine. Being of a spongy nature, the soil retains the moisture
for a long time, thus insuring fertility. Though there are long periods
during which no rain falls, little trouble is realized from drought. The
ownership of the land is about equally divided between the English
government, the church, and two or three thousand farming proprietors.
The Roman Catholic institution is the same leech upon the common people
here that it proves to be on the mainland and in European countries,
keeping the ignorant, superstitious class in indigence by taxing its
individual members up to the last point of endurance, and beclouding
their humble mental capacity. How else could a swarming tribe of useless
non-producers like the priesthood be supported in well-fed, sensual
idleness, and the costly ornamentation and ceremonies of the church be
maintained? There is said to be a priest for every thirty families in
the group, men who are intensely bigoted and ridiculously ignorant
outside of their professional routine, but who are the apt tools of more
able personages who hold higher positions in the church. They are ever
ready to show their credulous parishioners pieces of the true cross and
other sham relics "to whet their almost blunted appetite." Yet it may be
doubted if these cunning Maltese agents of the Romish church could go
any further in this direction than was lately done by a priest of the
same denomination in the city of New York, who pretended to exhibit for
worship a bone from the body of St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary,
which anxious hundreds of deluded people were "permitted" to kneel down
and kiss!
Do not let us talk any more about idol worship among the Fiji tribes or
the people of "Darkest Africa," while we have in our midst such
barefaced trickery under the veil of religion.
The humble owners of the land in Malta, as we have tried to show, are
naturally a thrifty, hard-working people, neither rich nor poor. The
reader would be surprised to see how much of seeming plenty, comfort,
and contentment exists among these sturdy natives under such adverse
circumstances. Notwithstanding their uncultured condition, the lowly
country people have a genius for poetry; indeed, all Eastern tribes who
speak the Arabic tongue are thus endowed. This talent finds expression
in a sort of improvisation, by which means two persons will hold earnest
converse with each other, asserting and denying in something very like
epic poetry. They chant their words in a wild, Maltese sing-song, which
appear exactly to accord one with the other, though the music seems to
be equally improvised with the ideas of the singer. However
unconventional the words and the music may be, there is still a certain
rude harmony in both, evidently animated now and then by gorgeous gleams
of fancy.
These Maltese are a prolific race, marry quite young, rear large
families, and are very fond of their children. Brides only thirteen
years of age are common among the working classes. It is a touching
sight to watch these childlike mothers with a crude instinct gently
fondling their tiny babes,--dolls, we were about to write. It recalled
far-away Japan, where the daily life of the humbler classes presents
similar domestic tableaux. Japan is a land of babies, where the annual
crop is marvelously sure. In both instances, these youthful mothers, as
may naturally be supposed, grow old in appearance at a comparatively
early age. It requires no prophet to declare that premature maternity
entails premature old age.
We do not intend to convey the idea that ignorance and its natural
consequences do not prevail among the Maltese peasantry, when we say
that there is much of seeming comfort and contentment to be found among
them. As an average class, these children of the soil exhibit only too
clearly their want of culture and intelligence. The priests oppose all
efforts to improve them by schools. Education is virtually tabooed by
the church, it being held that devotion to the Roman Catholic religion
is all that is necessary for their spiritual or earthly welfare. Said a
famous English general: "Thinking bayonets are dangerous. What we
require in a soldier is a machine that knows just enough to obey
orders." So it is with the followers of the Roman Catholic faith; people
who can read and reason for themselves are "dangerous," so far as
putting trust in that bigoted creed is concerned. What the church
requires is machines which will obey orders, and yield up their
hard-earned wages to support the priesthood and the regal Romish palace
of the Pope at Rome. Any unprejudiced observant traveler in Spain,
Italy, Mexico, or South America will bear witness to the truth of this
statement. Not one twentieth of the inhabitants of this Maltese group
can read and write. In populous, overcrowded China, eight tenths of the
inhabitants can read and write, and yet the Western nations look upon
them as semi-barbarians.
Can any one indicate another people on the globe, eight tenths of whom
can read and write? Education is not only compulsory, but it is the only
stepping-stone to high preferment in the civil service of the
government. Our venal politicians would do well to profit by the example
of China.
It will be remembered in this connection that since the suppression of
the Pope's temporal power in Italy Malta has been looked upon as a
possible future residence for the head of the Romish church. An
influential section of the councils of the Vatican has favored the
idea, and it would seem to be well suited for the purpose. Were this to
occur, Malta would eventually become the Mecca of Catholicism. We may
not expect to see such a change brought about in our day; if it should
ever happen, it would add but one more to the strange vicissitudes in
the history of Malta.
The wages paid to ordinary laborers in these islands are insignificant
in amount, though there has been an improvement in this respect during
the last decade. Boatmen in the harbor demand but nine-pence, English
money, for rowing a person to or from a ship lying a quarter of a mile
from the landing. Equally moderate terms prevail for pleasure
excursions, according to the service and the time occupied. Women
employed in field labor receive twenty-five cents per day, and men one
third more. The P. & O. Steamship Company pay to colliers half a dollar
a day; the same men get forty cents per day at the wharves. Blacksmiths,
carpenters, stonemasons, boat-builders, and sail-makers rarely earn more
than seventy-five cents per day. The drivers of the street vehicles in
Valletta are quite reasonable in their demands, and a shilling will pay
one's fare to any part of the city. The little one-horse vehicles called
_carrozzellas_ are well adapted to their purpose.
The same economic conditions are found here as prevail in India and
China. The multiplicity of seekers for employment keeps the prices which
are paid for services at a minimum rate. So, in over-populated
Barbadoes, a plantation hand can earn but twenty-five cents for a day's
work continued through ten hours. To be sure, that sum will more than
feed him; and as to clothes and shelter, these are of secondary
consideration in the tropics, where only conventional ideas require the
native race to wear clothes of any sort. Idlers swarm about the landings
and in the open squares of Valletta, who, it would seem, might be better
employed upon the soil inland. An organized effort of capital and
official influence to this end would accomplish the object, and render
many a square mile of the now sterile ground not only beautiful to the
eye, but also exuberantly productive. All over the civilized world the
most useless and idle portion of the people leave comparatively
comfortable homes in the country, where at least good food and shelter
can nearly always be earned, to crowd into cities, attracted thither by
the glamour of vice and fast life which always prevails more or less in
populous centres.
The arrival of a P. & O. steamship in the harbor of Malta, with a goodly
number of passengers bound either east or west, is a harvest time for
the beggars, who know very well how to challenge the generosity of
strangers. They have made a careful study of the business; they have
elevated it, as De Quincey would say, to the dignity of a fine art. The
"Nix Mangare Stairs" of Valletta are the congregating place of an army
of mendicants of every species, men, women, and children, who exhibit
all manner of deformities, both real and artificial, as well as every
grade of dirt and squalor. In landing and making one's way up to the
main thoroughfare of the city, it is necessary to run the gauntlet of
this horde of poverty-stricken people. At the base of these "nothing to
eat stairs," the longshoremen and fishermen also congregate. It was just
here that Midshipman Easy and his companion procured the boat in which
they escaped after the "triangular duel." The evil odors permeating the
atmosphere in the vicinity are what might be expected from a people
reveling in garlic and eschewing soap. The daily food of the class one
sees in this section of the city is a slice of black bread and a raw
onion. The traveler's disgust and sympathy are both wrought upon to an
extreme degree, while amid all the clamor and whining appeals the
practiced eye pauses for a moment to note the picturesqueness of mingled
colors and of ragged humanity. The same recalls to mind the broad stone
steps leading up to the Capo di Monti from the Piazza di Spagna, in
Rome, where the artists' models assemble, clothed in a "congress" of
colors.
When it is remembered that the violence of the winds which sometimes
blow over these islands is such that in any other part of the world they
would be called hurricanes, the successful results achieved by the
Maltese gardeners and agriculturists appear more surprising. In order to
furnish protection from these fierce winds, high and solid stone walls
surround every grain, vegetable, and fruit field, all of which are
purposely made small in area. These yellow walls, wearisome, monotonous,
and unlovely to the eye, are often ten feet in height, not only
sheltering, but also hiding vegetation, so that when the island is first
observed from on shipboard, while a few miles away, it appears like a
huge stone quarry. Nothing could possibly seem more uninviting. Under
these circumstances, scarcely a tree or shrub of any sort is visible,
with the exception of an occasional slim and solemn-looking cypress, or
a straggling old olive-tree raising its isolated and twisted head above
the arid rocks. Some of these walls are redeemed from utter dreariness
by the pendulous cactus which hangs from their tops, fringed with yellow
bloom. It is a strange though common plant, consisting of a succession
of bulbous formations, quite flat and an inch or more thick, which serve
the double purpose of stalk and leaves. The incurious traveler is thus
impressed, by these screening walls, with an incorrect idea of the true
nature of the island.
A passenger once said, in our hearing, replying to a friendly query:
"No, I did not land at Malta, and had no desire to do so. It is nothing
but a bare rock, with a few dwelling-houses inside of big lines of
fortifications. I saw quite enough of its barrenness from the deck of
our ship to disenchant me."
How mistaken was this superficial estimate! One would think that the
most prosaic passenger would wish to know more of the builders, and the
monuments they have left behind them, in the stately city beneath whose
stupendous ramparts the ship lies anchored. Let us chaperon the reader,
so that he shall entertain no such unwarranted impression of this Queen
of the Mediterranean.
Malta is particularly beautiful when seen from the Valletta side. At
first, while distance intervenes, the city, softly limned against the
azure sky, seems like some phantom mirage; but soon the picture, rapidly
growing in distinctness, becomes clear in detail. The grim, defiant, and
almost endless fortifications, the many-domed and terraced city, the
grand and lofty stone warehouses, the great war-ships surrounded by
lesser commercial craft, all gayly decorated with national emblems,
combine to form a picture long to be remembered, while the island is
girt by a sapphire sea of purest blue, reaching far away to the
horizon,--such a blue as is sometimes reflected in the eyes of very
young children, or seen in wood-violets just opening their petals to the
light. One should approach the place with a kindly purpose, and not
harshly repel the happy suggestions of the moment. If we would find
picturesqueness and beauty anywhere, we must bring with us a reasonable
degree of appreciation. It is the softened soul which receives
delightful and enduring impressions. One pities the man who can travel
from Dan to Beersheba and say, "All is barren," while we sympathize and
rejoice exceedingly with him who finds "sermons in stones and good in
everything."
A close inspection of Malta will undeceive any one as to its being a
sterile spot. Grapes, melons, figs, oranges,--almost equal to those of
Bahia, in Brazil,--lemons, peaches, apples, and pears, besides many
other kinds of fruits and berries, are raised here in abundance.
Gardening is brought to a high state of perfection; the closest
observation reveals no weeds. It is plain that the husbandmen are
familiar with toil and endurance. The small but prolific vineyards are
charming to look upon, though it must be admitted that the Maltese
grapes are not of the best sort for wine-making. The wine in common use
here is imported from Sicily and southern Italy. Comparatively little
fermented liquor of any sort is consumed by the natives. Grapes are
usually eaten in their natural condition, when sufficiently ripe, but
they are not so plentiful as to form a portion of the food supply of the
populace at certain seasons, as is the case in Switzerland and the south
of France. The blood orange is grown in the vicinity of Valletta in
great perfection, being propagated by grafting a slip of the ordinary
fruit tree upon a pomegranate stem. The color of the pulp of the fruit
thus produced inclines to that of the adopted tree; hence its expressive
name. This luscious orange, even in Malta, where it abounds, sells for a
higher price than the ordinary fruit. In Florida we have large and
productive orange groves, but they are the result of infinite care and
intelligent methods. Here in Malta the orange seems to grow after its
own sweet will, requiring but very little attention from the period of
the fragrant blossoms to that of the ripe and golden fruit. The
Mediterranean orange is not so large as the Florida product, but it is
of finer quality and rich in flavor, with a thin skin and an abundance
of juice. One other indigenous fruit should be mentioned. It is called
St. John's fig, because it is at its perfection on the anniversary of
the fete of that apostle as celebrated by the Romish church. Other
species of figs are grown upon these islands, but none equal to this.
The mingling of sexes is so important and so clearly defined a factor in
regard to the fruitfulness of the tree that the cultivators of the
fig-trees in Malta heed it as strictly as they would in the breeding of
favorite animals.
The staple product of the group is perhaps cotton, which is exported in
limited quantities, sufficient being retained and manufactured here for
the use of the common people. The Maltese are believed to have been
famous for the production of certain lines of textile fabrics, even in
the ancient days of Phoenician sovereignty. History tells us that the
Sicilian praetor, Verres, sent hither for women's garments,--certain fine
articles of female wear, with which to deck the favorites of his court;
and doubtless there was even then produced here something similar to
that which is so favorably known as Maltese lace, and which is still so
profitable a product of this people. Diodorus Siculus said in his day,
"The inhabitants are very rich, inasmuch as they exercise many trades,
and in particular they manufacture cloths remarkable for their softness
and fineness." Lace is also now made by the Greek women, not a little of
which finds its way to the counters of Valletta merchants, where it is
sold to strangers as being of native manufacture.
Here and there small plots of sugar-cane and tobacco may be seen under
fairly successful cultivation, but we suspect that both are of modern
introduction, for certainly they are not indigenous. The appearance of
these small fields of the Indian weed and the saccharine plant, to one
familiar with their growth in Cuba and Louisiana, is like a broad
caricature. Cigars, chewing tobacco, and snuff are produced here, but
almost entirely from stock which has been imported in the raw state for
this purpose. Considerable quantities are exported in the manufactured
form, though the local consumption is large, the English garrison being
liberal purchasers, while tobacco in some form is the usual indulgence
of the longshoremen.
One occasionally sees in Malta a peculiar tree called the carob, with
thick, dark green foliage. It is a species of locust, growing to an
average height of ten feet, but spreading along the earth three times
that size in width. If its extended branches reentered the soil it would
be like the Asiatic banyan-tree. The carob is said to be as long-lived
as the olive-tree, and bears a nourishing bean, which is cooked and
eaten by the common people. It is considered particularly excellent for
fattening domestic animals. Sheep and goats eat the bean in a green
state from the branches of the carob, which has given rise to the saying
that in Malta animals climb the trees to procure their food. This tree
is green all the year round like our spruce and pine, and flourishes in
the most rocky soil, requiring but little depth of earth to sustain and
feed it. It seems to have no difficulty in finding or in making
fissures, into which to send its expanding roots. It will be remembered
that the friable rock of which the group is formed, until it has been
exposed for some time to atmospheric influences, is almost as soft as
common clay. If there are palm-trees on these islands, outside of the
botanical gardens at Floriana, we did not chance to see them, but we
have known writers to speak of the palm as growing in Malta. The
climate, though semi-tropical, is hardly adapted to the life of this
beautiful tree, which is one of the greatest charms of the tropics and
the East.
Nothing in the neighborhood of Valletta affords such enjoyment, or is so
suggestive and restful, after a busy day occupied in sight-seeing, as a
pull along the coast beyond the harbor's mouth, in a good Maltese boat,
propelled by a couple of stout oarsmen, while the languid sea breaks
upon the shore in tender caresses. It goes without saying that a
moonlight night must be selected for the excursion. One is not likely to
forget the picture presented by the grim fortifications, the looming
towers and domes, the tall, slim spire of the English church, the mass
of flat-roofed dwellings, the clear-cut architectural lines of the
principal edifices, or the fascination of the cradlelike motion, the
delightful coolness, the great sense of peacefulness and silence. Is not
this elysium? How responsive are the dimpled waters to the smile of the
gracious moon, which suggests so much more than it reveals! How idle and
sensuous is every surrounding! When the passing breeze touches the
surface of the waters with a gentle pressure, the color deepens, just as
a youthful maiden's cheek might do, electrified by a lover's first kiss.
Is it because one realizes the evanescent character of these delights
that a feeling of sadness intervenes? Is there not a gladness which
makes the heart afraid?
It is impossible to give expression to the golden memories we have
cherished of these delightful Maltese associations,--pictures which time
cannot efface, images, beautiful and enduring.
CHAPTER V.
The Climate of Malta.--The Furious Gregale.--Liability to
Sunstroke.--The African Sirocco.--Cloudless Days.--A Health
Resort.--English Church.--View of Etna.--Volcanic
Disturbances.--Will Malta Eventually Disappear?--Native
Flora.--Flower-Girls of Valletta.--Absence of Lakes and
Rivers.--The Moon-Flower.--Grand Stone Aqueduct.--After the
Roman Plan of Building.--Fountains.--Results of Irrigation.
The climate of Malta is a subject of more than ordinary importance. The
air and sky are African, though its life and associations are strongly
European. The winter temperature--December and January--very rarely
falls below 50 deg. Fahr., and though hail-storms do sometimes visit the
islands, at rare intervals, snow is unknown. The season when such
unwelcome visitations occur is very short. An entire day devoid of
sunshine, even in the winter months, is unusual. It is not without
interest to know that the longest day in this region is fifteen hours
less eight minutes. In summer the thermometer rises to 85 deg., and even
95 deg., in the shade, while the direct rays of the sun are then almost
unbearable by human beings, and especially by unacclimated foreigners.
_Coups de soleil_ are not uncommon in the ranks of the soldiery. Those
familiar with the life of Grand Master La Vallette will remember that he
died from sunstroke received here in 1557. A brief exposure to the
sun's heat cost the life of the hardy old soldier who had survived so
many dangerous wounds received on the battlefield. It is a saying in
Malta that only newly arrived tourists and mad dogs expose themselves to
the blaze of the midday summer sun. Even the natives are cautious in
this respect.
The temperature drops rapidly when the fierce wind known as the gregale
prevails, blowing from the northeast across the Ionian Sea directly into
the Grand Harbor of Valletta. When this wind occurs, the blue of the sky
turns to a dull leaden hue; clouds troop up from the east in close
phalanxes; the birds fly low, uttering ominous cries; and all nature
seems to be in the throes of distress. An evil wind,--sometimes it is of
such force as to drive the largest vessels from their moorings, while it
makes sad havoc among the lesser craft. On such occasions, everything
afloat which can be so handled is hauled up on the shore, which is the
usual mode of securing small vessels all along the shores of the
Mediterranean to-day, just as it has been for centuries. The natives who
navigate these waters have quite a reputation as efficient mariners; but
they do not compare favorably with either American or European sailors
in this respect. They are not seamen of the long voyage, who have
learned to contend successfully with the ocean when in its wildest
moods. Their instinct is to run at once for a safe harbor when a storm
threatens. So with the mariners of the Red Sea, between Aden and Suez,
who will not venture out of port if the hot winds of that region blow
too hard to permit a candle to burn on the forecastle of their vessels.
Asiatics, as a rule, are poor seamen.
A pampero at Montevideo or a norther at Vera Cruz is not much more
disagreeable and destructive than is the gregale at Malta (the
"Euroclydon" of the Scriptures). Nor is one other dreaded visitor much
less objectionable; that is, a strong wind rising on the Egyptian coast,
which, sweeping hitherward, wraps an unwelcome mantle of cold gray mist
about the Maltese group.
This bit of terra firma is so isolated and exposed on all sides that
when any severe weather prevails in "the great middle sea," it must
encounter its entire force. In summer the heat is often aggravated by
the sirocco, a humid, wilting, scorching wind which blows from the
southeast across the African desert, sometimes charged with a fine,
penetrating dust, for which it is difficult satisfactorily to account.
This wind, on leaving Africa, is quite dry; but when it reaches Malta,
having traversed a long expanse of sea, it becomes heavily charged with
vapor, without losing the heat which it borrowed in passing over the
African desert. It subjects those whom it encounters to something very
like a steam bath. Yet regardless of all drawbacks, whose importance we
are by no means inclined to exaggerate, the average winter weather is
considered by many Europeans to be delightful and wholesome, attracting
scores of English invalids and others annually, who are in search of a
temporary home abroad to avoid the dreary London season of fog and
gloom. After giving the subject considerable attention, together with
careful inquiries of local authorities, the author came to the
conclusion that Malta was not a very desirable resort for consumptives;
nor should it be forgotten that a low form of typhoid fever is common
much of the year in Valletta. The dreaded African wind just described
prevails in September and October, often blowing for three or four
consecutive days. It must be a sound constitution which can successfully
withstand its enervating influence. An invalid quickly loses appetite,
courage, and even physical capacity to walk any distance, when the
sirocco prevails.
The winds of the Mediterranean are so regular in their occurrence as to
be easily and correctly anticipated at their proper seasons. This was
understood, and attracted special notice, even in ancient times. "The
wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it
whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to
his circuits" (Ecclesiastes i. 6).
The seasons are divided here into five winter and five summer months,
spring and autumn being each one month in duration. Winter begins in the
middle of November; summer, in the middle of May. The winds are rather
cool in winter unless they blow from the southwest. When they come from
other quarters, they pass over snow-clad mountains, the Atlas range,
those of Corsica or Sardinia, and the hoary brow of AEtna. The chief
advantage of this island group as a winter resort for those in delicate
health is the large proportion of sunny, cloudless days, while the main
drawback is the occasional fierceness of the winds. This sums up the
matter in brief.
A book has been lately issued from the press, written by one who
traveled eastward, entitled "Seeking the Sun." It is to be hoped that
the author was successful in his search. If not, let him visit Malta,
not forgetting to take with him a white umbrella. It is useless to look
for a land without climatic objections. The difference between Malta and
the famous Riviera on the opposite coast of the mainland is, upon the
whole, very slight. At Nice and Mentone, in fact all along that favorite
coast bordering the Mediterranean, the mistral is the bane of the
health-seeker; while in this group the gregale is the twin evil. This
minute mention is made for the sake of completeness. On the whole, the
Maltese climate is equable and mild. It is not so dry, atmospherically,
as Algiers, Tangier, or Egypt; but it is quite as warm. As is generally
the case throughout the Mediterranean basin, the difference in
temperature between night and day is scarcely two degrees. Uniformity in
this respect is a great desideratum, and it is certainly to be found
here. The author has realized a difference of thirty-three degrees
Fahrenheit within twenty-four hours in Cairo, Egypt, and also in St.
Augustine, Florida.
Malta was first rendered popular among English health-seekers by the
visit, for this purpose, of Dowager Queen Adelaide, widow of William
IV., who passed the winter of 1836 on the island, with decided advantage
to her physical condition.
The Dowager Queen evinced her gratitude for restored health by erecting
here an Episcopal place of worship, known as the Church of St. Paul,
situated on the Piazza Gelsi. It is a plain edifice, both inside and
out, but of chaste and elegant Grecian design. The old palace of the
German branch of the Knights of St. John was torn down to afford a site
for this church, the construction of which drew upon the generous
donor's purse to the extent of one hundred thousand dollars. Its tall,
pointed spire is quite conspicuous, in a general view of the town, the
architecture being so in contrast with its surroundings. There was a
bitter but useless opposition made by the arrogant Roman Catholic
priesthood of Malta against its construction. The priesthood, however,
soon found that they had to deal with a power that could crush their
influence in the group altogether, if it chose to do so, and were forced
to eat humble pie, after exposing their spirit of bigotry. This church
has a fine set of bells, and contains a valuable theological library.
The Dowager Queen also established an infant school or kindergarten,
with an English lady teacher, which proved to be a decided success, and
a revelation to this isolated community as regarded the education of
children. It proved to be a spur to mental culture in older persons, who
saw, with surprise, children five or six years of age able to read and
to answer simple questions in arithmetic, as well as exhibiting ripening
intelligence concerning everything about them. This admirable example
was not without its due effect upon the government. There are to-day ten
infant schools and seventy-six primary schools in the city of Valletta.
The visit of the Queen Dowager lasted three months, during which time
she endeared herself very much to the Maltese by her kindness and
consideration.
The excellent and melodious organ used in St. Paul's Church was removed
from the cathedral in the quaint old city of Chester, England, where it
had long served its purpose, being replaced there by a very superior
modern instrument.
The atmosphere of this region is so clear that the grand, solitary,
sulphurous cone of Mount AEtna can be sometimes seen, though it is
situated a hundred and thirty miles away, in Sicily. The coast,
stretching east and west from Cape Passaro, which is the nearest point
to the Maltese islands, is also occasionally visible. The mountain, when
seen against the northern sky, assumes the shape of an irregular cone
with a widespread base. Some not clearly understood law of refraction
must aid the human vision to discern these objects at such great
distances beyond the horizon. The most favorable time of the day to seek
a view of far-away AEtna is at sunrise or near sunset. The reader
familiar with the White Mountains of New Hampshire has doubtless seen
Portland harbor, in the State of Maine, from the top of Mount
Washington, though this is a distance of about eighty miles. In this
case, the object which is sighted at such long range is at sea level,
while AEtna is over ten thousand feet above the surface of the
Mediterranean Sea. Sailors describe the view of far-distant objects as
promoted by "atmospheric looming," which perhaps applies in this
instance, when one not only sees the low-lying coast of Italy, but it
appears to be hardly more than twenty or thirty miles away.
The idea of this group of islands being in some way connected, beneath
the bed of the sea, with the volcano just named is no longer
entertained. The Maltese islands have often experienced severe shocks of
earthquake, but, so far as is known, never at the time when AEtna was in
eruption. Sir Walter Scott, in his journal, mentions having experienced
a shock while he was on a visit to the island, of which the inhabitants
seemed to take little, if any, notice, showing that it was not a very
uncommon occurrence. On the Pacific side of South America, say at
Valparaiso, it must be a very decided demonstration of this sort to
cause remark. The most destructive earthquake in Malta of which we can
find any record was in 1693, when the shocks were quite severe, and
continued at brief intervals for three successive days, producing great
consternation and injury. No loss of life is mentioned as having
occurred, but the dwelling-houses and fortifications of Valletta
suffered considerably, and one or two churches were nearly destroyed in
the city. At Citta Vecchia, in the middle of the larger island, the
dome, towers, and in fact the entire walls of the cathedral were leveled
with the ground by a succession of violent shocks.
There is a remarkable tradition, which has been handed down from
generation to generation for centuries past, that the time will come
when Malta and its dependencies will be swallowed up by the sea, and
that where it is now so securely anchored the Mediterranean will be
navigable for ships of any size. When we recall the fact that, within
the memory of many of us, an island suddenly appeared off the shore of
Malta, between here and the coast of Sicily, so large as to be formally
taken possession of by Great Britain (called Graham's Island), but which
has since totally disappeared, so that the sea is as deep over the spot
where it stood as it is anywhere in the vicinity, the possibility of the
prediction relating to Malta does not seem to be so very unreasonable.
The only marvel is that the probability of such an event should have
been predicted so long ago, and that we should have seen in the present
century an exemplification of just such an occurrence in the appearance
and disappearance of the island just spoken of, so very near Malta.
The Mediterranean constitutes the greatest marine highway in the world,
a fact which particularly impresses one who has traversed nearly all the
lonely seas and oceans known to navigators. It is seldom that some sail
or island is not in sight from the deck beneath one's feet, while
mammoth steamships are constantly met speeding to or from European or
Asiatic ports, leaving in their wake two marked features, one of dark
wreathing smoke, reaching skyward, and the other of bright, mingled
colors upon the frothy sea. Over the seething waters thus churned into a
Milky Way, in the wake of the steamships, hover flocks of broad-winged,
snow-plumed gulls, watching for bits of marine food, or for scraps
thrown from the ships' galleys, while filling the air with their rude,
contentious cries.
The native flora of Malta is of a character similar to that of Sicily
and northern Africa. The same semi-tropical species prevail, with but
few exceptions, and where there is sufficient soil to permit, there is
the same wild exuberance of vegetation. It was early in March when the
author first landed at Valletta, a most propitious date for a first
impression. The trees were in full bloom within the sheltering walls of
the city, the lovely blossoms of the fruit trees being especially
conspicuous, while every available nook and corner was beautified by a
display of fragrant flowers in great variety. Among these were
heliotrope, pinks, tulips, hyacinths, pansies, roses, and daffodils,
"that come before the swallow dares." Many balconies of the
dwelling-houses were wreathed with creeping vines, among which a cluster
of scarlet bloom caught the eye here and there, relieved by pale blue
and pink fuchsias. Choice bouquets were selling on the streets for a few
pennies each, the pretty Maltese girls displaying exquisite taste in
the arrangement of colors relieved by backgrounds of maidenhair ferns.
Mingled with these charming flowers some very beautiful orchids were
seen, though we were told that they were not in their prime so early in
the year. To one fresh from a long sea voyage, it seemed as though a
floral carnival was in full tide,--a revel of roses. This queen of
flowers, together with violets, both of which grow here in profusion,
was famous even in Cicero's time, when luxurious Romans reclined upon
pillows stuffed with the odorous leaves. The Mediterranean sun and light
appear to intensify the native color of every blossom and every flower.
Was it a passing fancy only, or do these children of Flora sacrifice in
a degree their normal fragrance in order to assume this extraordinary
vividness of complexion? One is reminded of the gaudy birds of the
tropics. Those of most vivid and brilliant plumage have not the
exquisite sweetness of song which characterizes our more soberly clad
favorites of the colder north. No zone monopolizes perfection;
compensation is sure to peep out somewhere. If a certain charm or
endowment be wanting, there is sure to be some equivalent furnished.
One floral gem is especially remembered which was shown to us in a
private garden near the Porta Reale, and which was indeed a novelty. It
is called in Malta the moon-flower, and its hour of bloom is at
eventide. It never sees the sun, folding its leaves at the first gleam
of the dawn. The flower is ermine white, like the snowy japonica, and
is nearly as scentless as that regal flower. So the lily-like
night-blooming cereus of the Bahamas opens its petals at sunset, and
closes them at the break of day.
There are no rivers, natural lakes, or running streams worthy of the
name on these islands, but there are numerous excellent never-failing
springs, whose overflow is improved for irrigating purposes, and whose
regular supply has been carefully utilized for a period of over two
centuries by means of a system of waterworks of a very substantial
character. This important work was begun in 1610, and finished in 1615.
The winter rains are fairly abundant in the months of December, January,
and February. The water from this source is saved for domestic use by
means of ample stone cisterns, nearly every dwelling-house being thus
provided. The grand aqueduct which furnishes the city with
drinking-water is over nine miles long, finding its chief fountain-head
at Diaz Chandal, not far from Citta Vecchia. In order to insure a full
supply, several springs were united by means of subterranean conduits,
so that the combined water flows towards the capital in one large
channel. As far as Casal Attard the aqueduct is under ground; from this
point it rises and disappears according to the undulations of the
surface of the island. These springs are never affected by drought, and
as to the quality of the water, we can bear testimony to its purity and
excellence. In its course, the water passes over a line of many hundred
substantial stone arches, picturesque to look upon, but entirely
superfluous. It is built after the old Roman style, being raised to a
level across the valleys and depressions. These people did not know that
water will always rise to the height of its source. The Romans showed
the same want of knowledge regarding this, the simplest law of
hydraulics; _vide_ the graceful, half-ruined arches which cross the
Campagna to the very gates of the "Eternal City." The principal outlet
of this Maltese aqueduct is a conspicuous and ornamental fountain in the
square of St. George, fronting the old palace of the Grand Masters. From
here the water is distributed by conduits, which extend to various parts
of the town and fortifications. There are over fifty public fountains in
Valletta. Some of these at times exhibit novel pictures, when the people
in characteristic groups gather about them for their supplies.
Such a system of waterworks, built in the old style as described, must
have cost an extravagant sum of money, but the Knights of St. John did
not lack for ample means to perfect any undertaking which might conduce
to their health or comfort, and, it may be added also, which would
contribute to their luxurious mode of living.
In the course of time, this first aqueduct proving to be inadequate to
the demand, a second one was added. The new iron supply pipes were laid
after the modern style,--that is, under ground; and as Valletta is
situated at a lower level than the springs from which the water is
derived, the arrangement works admirably. It is still necessary, as we
have said, to preserve all the rainwater possible, for domestic use. In
a climate like that of Malta, the consumption of water is much larger
per capita than is usually the case in more temperate regions. The
amount used for irrigating purposes alone is very large; the prevailing
fertility is to be attributed nearly as much to ample moisture as to the
free use of domestic refuse for enrichment of the soil. The average
annual rainfall is a little less than twenty-three inches, which would
be entirely insufficient to sustain vegetation without artificial
irrigation.
It was thought that the dry, cracked soil of the pampas of Australia was
nearer to positive sterility than that of any known region; but when
water was flowed liberally over experimental portions, and the seed, was
planted without the application of any other fertilizer, in due time
"the soil laughed with a harvest." In China and Japan, the patient
husbandmen water their gardens, however extensive they may be, entirely
by hand, except the rice-fields, which, being planted in low and marshy
soil, are artificially flooded twice or three times each season. These
Asiatics have found that serving each individual plant in just
proportions produces grand results at harvest time.
Before describing Valletta, the unique and fascinating capital of Malta,
in detail, we will ask the reader to accompany us to the adjacent island
of Gozo. In coming from the west it is seen before Malta proper, and in
point of historic remains is quite as interesting, while in natural
verdure it far excels the larger and more populous island, from which it
was doubtless detached by some great convulsion of nature in prehistoric
times.
To reach Gozo from Valletta, a boat taken at Quarantine Harbor will land
the visitor at the shallow bay of Migiarro, on the southeastern
extremity of the island, amid a fleet of fishing-boats, hauled high and
dry upon the shelving strand. The boats are called _speronari_, and are
as buoyant and fleet as a sea-bird flying before the wind. They are
pointed at both ends, the prow terminating at a height of two feet above
the level of the thwarts. They have retained their peculiar shape for
centuries. It is always interesting to pause here for a few moments, to
take note of the abundance and excellence of the fish brought in by the
boatmen just arrived from their early morning excursion offshore. The
variety and redundancy of aquatic life in this latitude is something
marvelous.
CHAPTER VI.
Homer's Fabled Siren.--Singular Topographical Formation in
Gozo.--Beautiful Island Groves.--Fertile Grain-Fields.--
Flowering Hedges.--Aromatic Honey.--Herds of Goats.--A
Favorite Domestic Product.--Milk Supply.--Prolific Sheep.
--A Maltese Market.--Quail Shooting.--Rabbato, Capital of
Gozo.--The Old Citadel.--Lace Manufacture.--Prehistoric
Ruins.--The Giant's Tower.--Attractive Summer Resort.--Pagan
Worship.
Gozo, the fabled isle of Calypso, the Gaulos of the Greeks, the Gaulum
of the Romans, and the Ghaudex of the Arabs, with its rock-bound,
cave-indented shores, is oval in shape, and has the same general
characteristics as Malta, but is much more fertile. The undulating
surface of the island gives a casual observer the idea of its being a
hilly country, yet at only one place does it reach a height of over
three hundred feet above sea-level. This is at Dibiegi, where a hill
rises to an elevation of about seven hundred feet. When approached from
the sea, Gozo appears to lie much lower than Malta proper, and this is
really so. Through the early morning haze, both look like huge marine
monsters sleeping upon the surface of the waters. The hills we have
referred to are singularly conical, but are uniformly flattened at their
tops by the disintegrating process of the elements, causing them to
present the appearance of a myriad little volcanoes, though they are
very innocent of any such dreaded association. In the Hot Lake District
of New Zealand, near Ohinemutu, the author has seen a precisely similar
appearance, but in the latter instance the effect was undoubtedly
produced by volcanic action. The boiling springs, geysers, and hot lakes
of this New Zealand district are almost identical in character with our
Yellowstone Park phenomena. Both must be the result of smouldering fires
far below the surface of the earth. In the New Zealand district an
active volcano is near at hand, which often rages with destructive
force.
Gozo is beautified with occasional groves of trees, which is an
adornment almost entirely wanting in the larger island. These groves,
however, are by no means numerous. The one great deficiency of the group
is the absence of arboreal vegetation, and yet an abundance of trees
could be made to grow and flourish here with very little effort. There
are marl beds which might be utilized for the purpose, situated in
various parts of the islands, besides which, the rocky formation of the
group, as we have shown, is of a porous nature, full of fissures and
crevices, easily admitting the roots of vegetation. There is a tradition
that Malta was once covered with trees, and that they were gradually
sacrificed to meet the demand for fuel and for other purposes. The
cultivation of shade trees about the villages would add an element of
beauty, and would afford needed shade, besides promoting a more liberal
rainfall, which is so very limited here. Some of the Grand Masters have
done much by their personal efforts to induce the planting of fruit and
ornamental trees in and about the city. Several of the squares are thus
beautified, the trees forming an agreeable shade where in midsummer the
glare is almost intolerable in exposed places.
A modern survey shows the circumference of Gozo to be a trifle less than
twenty-five miles. It has been famous from time immemorial for the large
amount and the delicious quality of the honey which its inhabitants send
to market. The thriving fields of red-flowering clover, which is called
_sulla_ by the natives, and which grows to an average height of three
and a half feet, together with an abundance of wild thyme and purple
blooming vetch, afford rich food for the industrious bees and the gaudy
butterflies, "Yellow bees, so mad for love of early-blooming flowers."
The peculiar clover of which we speak is indigenous, and a well-grown
field, each upright stem surmounted by a large crimson flower, looks
more like cultivated roses than simple clover blossoms. When the breeze
sweeps gently over these fields, the eye is delighted by broad waves of
rich color rising and falling in the warm sunshine, while an
indescribable, ripe, harvest smell permeates the atmosphere. The
geranium grows to a mammoth size on this island, and tall, dense, and
secure hedges of it are not uncommon. In full bloom these form a most
striking feature of the landscape, as peculiar as the agave hedges of
Mexico. The former, when wearing their full-dress of scarlet, seem like
a fiery cordon drawn about the spacious area thus inclosed. The latter,
with their pale blue-green sword-like leaves, are as repellent as a line
of fixed bayonets, and absolutely impervious to man or beast. The byways
of the northwestern part of Gozo are delightful, verdant, and pastoral,
while the air is redolent of clover, violets, and hedge roses.
One of the ancient titles of this island was Melita, a name which is
believed to be derived from the excellent honey which it has always
produced. We can honestly testify to the delightful aromatic flavor of
this delicate article. Truly, it is a land flowing with milk and
honey,--Melita, "Isle of Honey,"--its choice goat's milk being also a
staple commodity. As for butterflies, to which we have incidentally
referred, graceful, leisurely, aerial creatures, nowhere outside of
southern India can finer specimens of this beautiful and delicate insect
be found. An enthusiastic German naturalist in Valletta told the author
that he had secured a rich collection in Gozo, and that he was then on
his way to the little island of Filfla to reap a harvest in another
line, namely, among the curious lizard family, which thrive upon its few
square rods of rocky soil.
Who ever traveled in out-of-the-way places abroad, without meeting some
quaint German naturalist, wearing a green woolen cap with an impossible
leather visor, a sort of Dominie Samson, in search of ugly centipedes,
stinging ants, extraordinary spiders, or other hideous bugs? These
"Innocents Abroad" are all alike, wearing gold-bowed spectacles, and
having a chronic disregard for clean linen. One can easily forgive the
butterfly enthusiast, these delightful, innocuous insects, exquisite in
their frailty and variety of colors, are so like animated flowers; but
pray spare us from poisonous bugs, with innumerable crooked legs.
One has not far to go, after landing upon Gozo, before small flocks of
well-conditioned, silky-haired goats begin to appear, intelligent-looking
animals, with large, gazelle-like eyes and transparent ears. They are
generally tended by a barefooted lad or a young girl having the
slenderest amount of covering in the shape of clothes. These boys and
girls, nine or ten years of age, are often strikingly handsome, the
latter betraying a perfection of youthful promise as to form, distinctly
seen through their scanty rags. The boys have the blackest of black
eyes, and the brownest of brown skins, such as one sees among the Moors
who come into Tangier with the caravans arriving from Fez. These sheep
tenders would answer admirably as models for an artist, often
unconsciously assuming artistic poses, forming grand pictures, and
reminding one of the subjects which Murillo delighted in. The quiet
self-possession of these children of nature is both impressive and
significant. They are utterly untaught, but how graceful in every
movement! It would be as impossible for one of them to be awkward as for
a young kitten. Every attitude is statuesque and full of repose. They
have borrowed somewhat of the grandeur of their birthplace, bounded by
wide, untamed waters and limitless sky. As is often noticed among
European peasants thus employed, the girls are always supplied, though
never so young, with some knitting or crochet work which keeps their
fingers fully employed. In the populous centres, men may loaf in the
laziest fashion, and remain quite unemployed, unless it be in the
arduous occupation of smoking rank tobacco, but the women seem to be
instinctively busy at all times.
We are reminded in this connection of another article of production for
which Gozo enjoys a certain and favorable reputation, namely, goat's
cheese, a delicate dairy compound, which should be eaten while it is
quite fresh. It is so well appreciated by the people of Valletta that
little, if any, of the article is ever exported, though choice packages
sometimes find their way to the larder of the P. & O. steamers, much to
the satisfaction of traveling gourmands. The goats raised upon this
island are of a breed which, it would appear, is specially adapted to
the local necessities, having singularly well-developed udders, which
reach nearly to the ground, and yielding milk profusely, while
subsisting upon the most common and inexpensive nourishment. Small herds
of these animals are driven by their owners about the streets of the
capital, and milked at the doors of the consumers, just as one witnesses
to-day in Paris and other continental cities. There is no chance for
adulteration when served after this fashion; and we all know that milk
challenges our credulity more seriously than nearly any other article
of domestic use, where water is so very cheap and accessible.
Cows would require too much pasturage to be profitably kept on these
islands, whereas the hardy goats, as we have said, are cheaply fed and
easily managed. Sheep, which are kept here in considerable numbers, are
quite prolific, often having four lambs at a birth, and rarely less than
two. The cows and oxen which are imported are designed almost entirely
for food, though some few are employed for domestic or farming purposes.
Cattle come almost wholly from the Barbary States. These animals fatten
quickly upon the rich clover, which is so cheap and abundant here, thus
making excellent beef. Asses and mules are the chief means in use for
transportation, and as a rule they are very fine ones. We were told that
Malta-bred animals of this class were in special request throughout
southern Italy. The native owner has an Arab's fondness for his horse or
mule, feeds him abundantly, and cares for him kindly. Animals thus
reared naturally present a better appearance, show finer instincts, and
bring better prices. Those of Gozo are remarkable for their size and
docility.
The gardens of this island supply the citizens of Valletta with nearly
all the vegetables which are required for daily use, together with
fowls, turkeys, and geese. Large quantities of green fodder come from
the same source for the sustenance of the animals kept for use in the
town.
An interesting sight may be enjoyed by going into the principal market
of the capital of Malta, in the rear of the Grand Palace, at early
morning, where one can watch the various products, fodder, fruits, and
vegetables arriving from Gozo. The quantity and excellent condition of
the supply gives promise of good fare at the average tables of the
citizens. Various game birds are seen, also brought from the sister
isle, especially quails. This bird not only breeds freely in the Maltese
group, but comes hither at times from Algeria in large flocks, driven
thence by the close pursuit of the local sportsmen. The Tunisians make a
wholesale slaughter of the quails annually in the month of May, shipping
the game thus secured to France, it being a favorite bird with the
Parisian gourmands. In the mean time the people of Algeria complain of a
fearful increase of the all-devouring locusts, indigenous there, which,
when young, form the food supply of the quails. So all extremes outrage
some clearly-defined law of nature, and entail prompt punishment.
Doubtless the securing of a reasonable number of these birds would do no
harm; but when the pursuit is carried to the verge of extermination,
some penalty must follow.
During the open season, as it is called, the officers of the British
garrison--desperately at a loss, it would seem, to find
amusement--resort to Gozo for quail shooting. There is also a certain
season of the year when a variety of ducks, plover, snipe, and other
aquatic birds may be taken. Only about a score of species of the
feathered tribe make their permanent home in the group; but there are
hundreds seen resting here from time to time, on their migratory course
to other climes. In stormy weather, dead birds are found at the base of
the big lighthouse on Gozo, attracted and half-dazed by the staring eye
of fire piercing the darkness of the night. When flying at great speed,
they are dashed fatally against the stout glass which shelters the
lantern. Similar occurrences are known in Massachusetts Bay, at the
lighthouse on Minot's Ledge, where the keeper is enabled to replenish
his larder with game birds after a hard blow at night. This lighthouse
at Guirdan, Gozo, dominates Cape Demetri, looming far heavenward when
observed from the sea, above which it stands four hundred feet, at once
gladdening and guiding the seamen in the nightwatches.
An attempt was made to introduce hares into Gozo for sporting purposes;
but the residents of the island, with the dire experience of Australia
and New Zealand before them, protested against it, and fortunately
succeeded in averting the dreaded scourge. As is well known, the rabbit
pest in the two countries named has assumed such proportions as to defy
the combined efforts of the settlers to get rid of them. Every green
leaf and tender root which comes in their way is destroyed to appease
the hunger of these rabbits; and vegetation is as effectually
obliterated from the land as would be the case if visited by millions of
locusts.
Let us review, for a moment, the geographical and topographical
character of this island.
Gozo is situated off the northeast end of Malta, from which it is
separated by a deep channel, less than four miles wide, known as the
Straits of Freghi. The principal town and capital is Rabbato, a sleepy,
Old-World metropolis, of very little consequence to the outside world.
It has been named Victoria by the English. The place contains some five
or six thousand inhabitants, besides which there are nine thrifty,
though small, villages upon the island. Lace-making is the almost
universal occupation of the people of Rabbato and its vicinity. The
incessant clicking of the bobbins, driven by deft fingers, greets the
ear on all sides. Of course there is a "Calypso" Hotel ready to capture
the innocent tourist. It is worthy of note that this special industry of
fine lace-making should have prevailed so long in Gozo. For aught that
is known, it may have originated here. It is certain that its popularity
dates long prior to the Roman colonization in the Maltese group. Common
usage does not retain the title given to the capital in compliment to
Queen Victoria of England, and in honor of the Jubilee year. It is
popularly known, as it certainly should continue to be, by its original
name.
Rabbato is situated very near the centre of the island, on one of a
group of conical hills. The citadel overlooking the place is partially
in ruins, but was once quite a substantial and extensive fortification,
being over half a mile in circumference. Whoever selected the spot as a
stronghold could hardly have realized that it was commanded by more
than one elevation in the immediate vicinity. Where its walls are not
raised upon the edge of a precipitous cliff, it is approached by very
steep stone steps, which could only be surmounted by an enemy under a
concentrated fire from several points. The place has a deep ditch after
the style of the Valletta fortifications, but this old stronghold is
rapidly crumbling to pieces. It was a mistake to select this spot for
the capital, if for no other reason than on account of the absence of a
good water supply. At the Bay of Marsa-el-Forno, near at hand, there is
not only a good harbor, but excellent drinking-water in abundance, while
the fertile soil makes a charmingly verdant neighborhood. There are some
delightful summer residences on the shore of this bay, the resort of
citizens who come hither from Valletta in the "heated term." Only those
foreigners whose official duties compel them to do so brave the summer
heat of Malta in the capital. The naval vessels which have wintered here
disperse to their several stations at that season, and invalids return
to England or elsewhere.
Rabbato was chosen as the capital of Gozo for the same reason,
doubtless, that Madrid was made the seat of government for Spain,
because it was so nearly the exact centre of the country, while almost
every other recommendation is wanting in both instances. The same remark
applies to Citta Vecchia, the ancient capital of Malta proper. The small
city of Rabbato contains a couple of fairly good hotels, a Jesuit
college, a cathedral, and two or three convents. Without wishing to
discourage the curious traveler from doing so, we would suggest that
when he visits the capital of Gozo, he go prepared to repel an army of
mosquitoes. The neighborhood is famous for this insect pest. The guide,
native and to the manner born, remarked that they never troubled him,
but devoted their attention entirely to strangers, which affords no
consolation to the afflicted.
The visitor finds in this neighborhood some very interesting
Phoenician and Roman remains, but mostly of the former and earlier
race of colonists upon the island.
Among the antiquities is one very remarkable ruin known as La Torre de
Giganti, "the Giant's Tower," which is probably the remains of a
prehistoric sacred temple, whose builders bowed before the image of
Baal. The careful study of antiquarians points to the fact of its having
been formerly the temple of Astarte, the Phoenician Venus. There are
others who attribute this ancient monument to a people who inhabited the
group before the nomadic tribes of Tyre and Sidon formed a colony in
Malta. This singular edifice, be its original purpose what it may, is
constructed of stones laid in a very skillful manner, no mortar being
used. The builders must have possessed admirable and efficient tools;
there is evidence enough to prove this in the careful finish shown in
many places. They must also have used powerful machinery to properly
adjust such heavy blocks in place. The great antiquity of the Giant's
Tower is undisputed. Its style antedates both the Greek and the Roman
examples which have been spared to us, and it is plainly the work of a
primitive people. It is situated on an eminence not far from Casal
Shaara, and forms a large inclosure with walls of great thickness. In
shape it is a circular tower open at the top, not unlike the "Towers of
Silence" which form the Parsee edifices near Bombay used for the
disposal of the dead. In this tower at Gozo, doubtless, the rites of
fire were celebrated; human victims were probably sacrificed here, and
their bodies burned. Fire, it will be remembered, was the symbol under
which ancient tribes worshiped the sun. The character of this tower is
also emphasized by a carved serpent cut in the solid stone, an emblem of
religious veneration among the ancient people of the East. Egyptian gods
were often represented with the bodies of serpents.
Even in our day, certain sects among the Japanese venerate this reptile
as sacred. In Benares, India, bulls, elephants, and monkeys are held to
be representatives of divinity. The author has seen in the Temple of
Honan, at Canton, China, a pen of "sacred" hogs! In the sincere struggle
to find some element as representative of the Great and Good, before
which to bow down and worship, for these singular devotional freaks seem
to be the outcome of such a purpose, one would think that the wildest
fanaticism must surely stop short of such excessive grossness.
Touching this most interesting Gozo tower, which it is not unreasonable
to say may have stood here for some three thousand years, it shows that
the builders, whoever they were, did their work thoroughly. It is
entered by two massive doorways, twenty feet in height and five or six
wide. The interior is cut up into various apartments, the use of which
can only be conjectured. The diameter of the whole is about ninety feet,
a considerable portion being paved with large, hewn stones. The whole is
supported by a foundation which no earthquake has yet been able to
undermine, though, as we are aware, the island has experienced many
shocks.
CHAPTER VII.
A Maltese Fishing Hamlet.--Old Fort Chambray.--A Grotto
shorn of Poetic Adornment.--The "Azure Window."--Bay of
Scilendi.--Pirates' Caves.--Prehistoric Bones and
Skeletons.--The Vast Changes of Land and Sea.--Suez
Canal.--Geological Matters.--Native Race of Arabic
Descent.--Curious Stone Mortars.--Primitive Artillery.
--Maltese Fungus.--Springtime.--Riches of the Harvest.
--Origin of the Island of Gozo.
The Bay of Migiarro, which means "the carting place," is the commercial
port of Gozo, so to dignify it, and was once considered of sufficient
importance to cause the Knights to erect a substantial stone tower or
fort for its defense. This is now in ruins, but the place has become a
busy and populous settlement, whose interests centre upon the fisheries
of this coast. The beach is a fine one, much resorted to for bathing
purposes. Close at hand, southward, is the grand cliff of Ras-el-Taffal,
a promontory nearly two hundred feet in height, crowned by old Fort
Chambray, which was named for the member of the brotherhood of St. John
whose liberality built it. He was a very rich Knight from Normandy, and
when he died, he left one fifth of his large estate to finish this
defensive work. The whole sum was required, and much more besides, to
complete the well-designed and elaborate fort. It was begun in 1749, and
was many years in course of construction, but it is now gradually
crumbling away, not being considered of importance.
Notwithstanding their many ancient monuments, the object which seems to
be of the most interest to the inhabitants and to tourists is the Grotto
of Calypso. This is a rocky fissure on the northwestern shore of the
island, situated about a league from Rabbato, and is the spot where the
grotto is supposed to have existed. It is now only a simple limestone
cavern, presenting no peculiarities worthy of detail. It has the usual
stalactitic incrustations and developments, recalling the much more
extensive caves of the same nature which the traveler sees at Matanzas,
Cuba. It is quite isolated, but is constantly visited by small parties
from Valletta, who drink in romantic ideas from the associations of the
place, and refreshment from the clear, sparkling spring which meanders
through the cave of the defunct goddess,--
"The fair hair'd nymph with every beauty crown'd."
While on the spot we seek in vain for those "verdant groves of alders
and poplars, the odoriferous cypresses," and for "the meadows clothed in
the livery of eternal spring," with which Homer poetically endowed the
voluptuous abode of the Siren whose name he has immortalized. The view
presented from the top of the hill crowning the location of the Grotto
of Calypso is well worth mentioning, overlooking the Bay of Melleha and
most of the island of Gozo, with Comino and Malta in the distance. The
surface of the surrounding sea is at all times sprinkled with busy
fishing craft, pleasure yachts, row-boats, and large hulls freighted
with a wealth of merchandise.
In the neighborhood of Marsa-el-Forno, there is a stalagmitic cave of a
curious and interesting nature, which was discovered so late as 1888. It
is mainly situated under a field that lies close to the village church
of Sciara. This cave attracts large numbers of visitors to Gozo, and in
many respects is quite unique. It is eighty feet in length and sixty
wide, and contains a museum of curiosities which are the wonder and
admiration of all who behold them. When the cave is lighted by torches
or magnesium wire, the effect is extremely beautiful, the thousands of
crystalline stalactites suspended from the ceiling reflecting prismatic
colors of extraordinary brilliancy. It is indeed a fairy-like grotto,
much more worthy as a dwelling for Homer's nymph than the crude and
exposed cavern on the shore, already described. To one at all familiar
with these caves, which are found in various parts of the world, it is
no special marvel. These cavities are formed by the slow process of
well-understood chemical action, the active agent being the carbonic
acid gas which is held in solution by the rainwater that percolates
through the limestone roof of the cave. This acting upon the limestone
dissolves and conveys it away in liquid and gaseous forms.
Not far from here is a curious natural stone arch on the shore, called
Tierka Zerka, that is, the "Azure Window," through which one may look
upon the sea as though it were an artificial opening set with clearest
glass. It very naturally recalled a somewhat similar freak of nature
which occurs on the island of Torghatten, off the coast of Norway, where
one gets a sort of telescopic view, through a stone tunnel five hundred
feet long, of the blue sea and the islands in range far beyond it.
The next largest town to Rabbato is Casal Nadar, the only one on the
island whose population approximates in number to that of the capital.
This place is famous for the fruit which is raised in its neighborhood,
and especially for its excellent apples and choice ornamental trees. It
has nearly four thousand inhabitants. The cultivation of the land is
brought to a much higher standard here than in the larger island, but
the dwelling-houses are inferior to those of the villages of Malta
proper; and yet in estimating the general thrift of the country
population of the two islands, the result is decidedly in favor of Gozo.
A pleasant drive of three or four miles from Rabbato, through a
garden-like region where poppies, clad in imperial scarlet, peep out
from among the hedges to delight the eye, brings one to the Bay of
Scilendi, whose perpendicular cliffs contain many rocky caves, few of
which, probably, have been explored within the memory of living
residents hereabouts. They are believed to have been, in olden times,
the rendezvous of corsairs, where their ill-gotten wealth was stored,
where they held their revels, and where their prisoners were confined
until they were sold into slavery at Constantinople, or on the Barbary
coast. The manifest fertility of the soil lying between here and the
capital is owing principally to the irrigating capacity of several
invaluable and never-failing springs of pure water with which this
region has been exceptionally favored. The tangled masses of kelp and
seaweed, which constantly accumulate on the shore, are regularly
collected by the thrifty natives and liberally applied to the land as a
fertilizer. This material, becoming duly decomposed, imparts its rich
chemical properties to the soil, and thus repays the laborer tenfold.
Malta has been pronounced by an act of the English Parliament as
belonging to Europe, but the fact that the stratification of the
southern part of the island corresponds exactly with that of the coast
of Barbary indicates a similar origin. Ptolemy thought it was African,
but Pliny gives it to the Italian coast. Geologists of our day not only
believe that the Maltese group was once a part of Sicily, but that in
the far past it was also joined to Africa. In evidence of this
deduction, carefully prepared maps of soundings taken between the
islands and the continent on either side of the group are produced,
while in the soil of both Sicily and Malta the skeletons of hyenas and
other animals indigenous to Africa are frequently to be found, besides
other fossil remains indicating a like conclusion. If this supposition
be correct, how great must have been the changes which have taken place
in the physical geography of southern Europe and Malta! What a general
upheaval and subsidence must have agitated this famous sea in the remote
past! That important topographical changes have taken place in these
waters and in their relative connection with the land during historic
times is well known. A little more than two thousand years ago, the
Mediterranean and the Red Sea were united. De Lesseps' canal was no new
proposition. Nature had already half done the work by means of the
Bitter Lakes, and the modern engineer had only to restore a connection
which time had destroyed.
Among many other interesting fossil bones, teeth, and complete skeletons
unearthed at Gozo by naturalists, those of a pygmy species of elephants
were found, which must have stood but about four feet in height; these
were manifestly of African origin. The Ceylon elephant is distinctly
different, in size and in several other features. The latter is the
species universally met with in India, the beautiful island named having
yielded a regular supply to this country from time immemorial.
Dr. Andrew Leith Adams, a distinguished English surgeon and naturalist,
who resided for a period of several years in Malta, found fossil bones
and teeth of hippopotami in various parts of the group. He says in a
published account that he "unearthed hundreds of elephant's teeth,
together with those of other tropical animals." He also discovered, in
caves on the south side of the larger island, vestiges of aquatic birds
of a species now extinct, and which in life must have been larger than
the swan of our day. The presence of such remains indicates a great
change of climatic conditions between the far past and the present time.
It is difficult to imagine that Malta was ever the native land of
elephants and sea-horses, but Dr. Adams shows, at least to his own
satisfaction, that it was once covered with a productive soil and
luxuriant vegetation. According to the same authority, it must have had
lakes, rivers, and lagoons; trees and shrubs must have flourished in
profusion, and it was doubtless part of a land the principal portion of
which is now hidden beneath the surging waters of the Mediterranean.
Some of the most remarkable of Dr. Adams' discoveries were made in the
neighborhood of the village of Melleha, north of St. Paul's Bay, on the
principal island of the group. Here, in the sides of the ravine below
the hamlet, are numerous caves of various sizes, both natural and
artificial. Some of these are thought to be Phoenician tombs, as lamps
and lachrymatories have been found in them. A few of these caves are now
occupied by Maltese as dwellings. The village of Melleha has a very
ancient church, partly excavated in the solid rock, which is held in
great veneration, as it is said to have been consecrated by the Apostle
Paul. It contains a very ancient picture of the Virgin, believed to have
been painted by St. Luke! Penitential pilgrims come from all parts of
the group to kneel and pray in this church, a service which, according
to the local priests, carries with it absolution for any amount of sin
and wickedness. It is needless to say that a good round fee is also
contingent thereon.
The inhabitants of Gozo are, as a rule, thrifty, frugal, and
industrious; the gipsy-like dark-haired women, who almost invariably
have the charm of large, brilliantly expressive eyes, and even the young
children, devote themselves assiduously to making the famous Maltese
lace, for which a ready and profitable market always exists in European
and American cities, especially for the finer quality and more delicate
designs. Thus employed, for many hours of the day, they are often seen
in family groups, seated by the doors of their humble dwellings,--small,
massive, square stone buildings,--singing quaint old songs and gossiping
together. Strangers visiting these districts almost always carry away
with them, as souvenirs, specimens of this choice article, which has a
reputation all over Christendom. The collection of crown laces belonging
to the Queen of Italy contains specimens of Maltese lace reputed to be
five centuries old, while photographs of objects found in Egyptian tombs
date back the history of this delicate fabric to a thousand years or
more before Christ. A choice pattern manufactured from a new material is
now being made at Gozo, in small quantities. The basis is a peculiar
sort of white silk. The completed fabric of this style is costly, and
comes very near to the texture of a spider's web.
The Gozitans speak a language which differs somewhat from that common
in Malta proper, and which is generally considered to be a pure native
tongue, resembling the Arabic much more closely than does the mixed and
confusing dialect of the larger island. The names of places, persons,
monuments, household utensils, animals, and articles of food are all
Arabic pure and simple. It is curious to realize that this people should
have succeeded in keeping aloof from their conquerors so as not only to
retain their own language in its purity, but also their personal
resemblance to their Mohammedan ancestors. Their complexions are almost
as dark as those of the natives of Barbary. Sometimes one detects a
tendency to protruding lips and flat noses. When the Knights of St. John
took possession of Malta, they found the islanders universally
professing the Roman Catholic religion, but yet entirely governed by
Arab forms and customs. Their constant intercourse with the Barbary
States probably served to confirm them in these inherited proclivities.
At several points on the shore of Gozo where the attempt of an enemy to
land might be possible, the Knights during their early sovereignty
improvised a sort of ordnance called an earth mortar, after the
following process. A hole of the proper dimensions was cut or drilled in
the solid rock, at a certain angle trending towards the shore, designed
to hold a hundred pounds of gunpowder. The explosive was placed at the
bottom, and after a proper fuse was connected therewith, it was covered
with a layer of boards to act as a sort of wadding. Upon the boards a
ton or more of stones and rocks were placed, which completed the charge.
On the approach of an enemy, which would necessarily be by boats, the
fuse could be promptly ignited, and a wild discharge of rocks would at
once take place, sending the missiles high into the air at an angle
which would drop them upon the approaching enemy. These stones, falling
with destructive force upon the boats and upon those who were in them,
would scatter death and confusion in their ranks. We have never heard of
such a device put in practice elsewhere, but should imagine that it
would prove efficacious in a rude way to defend an exposed seacoast. A
large or even a small stone descending from a considerable height, under
such circumstances, would be sure, if it fell in a boat, to go through
its bottom, causing it to fill at once, and would be equally fatal if
falling upon the heads or bodies of human beings. The rock, which is of
the nature already described, admitted of being easily hewn into such
shape as was desired, while exposure to the atmosphere soon hardened it
to the required consistency and resisting power. A second discharge of
such a mortar might possibly involve as much danger to the defenders as
to the enemy. It must be remembered that at this period, between three
and four hundred years ago, the use of artillery was comparatively in
its infancy, and iron mortars, when they were procurable, were of the
crudest manufacture.
As forming a contrast to those days, and to the present means of
conducting offensive and defensive warfare, it may be appropriate to
mention that the author happened to be at Gibraltar not long ago, when a
hundred-ton cannon was landed there. With this extraordinary piece of
ordnance, it was believed that an effectual shot might be fired across
the strait to Africa! As it is at least twenty miles from the Fortress
of the Rock to the opposite coast, we took the declaration of the
artillerist who expressed this opinion of the power of the gun with
considerable allowance.
Hagar Tal Girnal--the "General's Rock"--is the name of a small,
outlying, and nearly inaccessible ledge off the shore of Gozo, upon
which there still grows in profusion, springing from the crevices of the
rock, the curious plant known to botanists as _Fungus Melitensis_,
Maltese fungus. This was so highly prized by the Knights of St. John as
to be most carefully gathered in its prime, dried in the sun, and
preserved as a stancher of blood in case of dangerous wounds, and also
for the suppression of internal hemorrhage. Indeed, the fungus was
believed to possess a variety of valuable medicinal properties. Small
packages of it were sent annually by the Knights as precious gifts to
the European potentates, it being equally prized by the recipients, who
believed it to be otherwise unattainable. It is certainly a very simple
weed, which is in flower about the last of April. When fresh it is of a
dark red color, like our sorrel, and is of a spongy softness, but it is
no longer held in such high repute either as an internal medicine or as
an efficacious dressing for wounds. The famous rock is now seldom, if
ever, trodden by the foot of man. It was always difficult of access in
rough weather, though it is hardly a hundred yards from the mainland.
The nearest village to the General's Rock is Casal Garbo. The people of
the neighborhood declare that the famous fungus grows exclusively on
this rock, but this assertion
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