A Journey from Naples to Jerusalem, by way of Athens, Egypt and the Peninsula of Sinai, including a trip to the Valley of Fayoum, together with a translation of M. Linant de Bellefond's 'Mémoire sur le lac Mœris.'

Front matter

A JOURNEY FROM NAPLES TO JERUSALEM. BY DAWSON BORRKR. ' '. • A JOURNEY FROM NAPLES TO JERUSALEM, BY WAY OF ATHENS, EGYPT, AND THE PENINSULA OF SINAI, INCLUDING A TRIP TO THE VALLEY OF FAYOUM ; TOGETHER WITH A TRANSLATION OF M. LINANT DE BELLEFONDS' " MEMOIRE SUR LE LAC MŒRIS.'4 r BY DAWSON BORRER, ESQ. "When a traveller rclurneth home, let him not leave the countries where he hath travelled altogether behind him." — Bacon Ess. 18. EGYPTIAN GIRL ORNAMENTED WITH KOHL AND BLyE PIGMENT. LONDON . J. MADDEN AND CO., 8, LEADENHALL STREET 1845. ALEXANDER MACINTOSH, PRINTER, GREAT NEW-STREET, LONDON. Tl) WILLIAM BORRER, ESQ., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c. &c, OF BARROW HILL, SUSSEX, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED, BY HIS SON, THE AUTHOR. il

Preface

. The author of this volume feels that an apology is clue to the public for thus venturing to lay before it, a work, every page of which cries aloud that it is begotten of a young and unpractised pen. There is a halo, however, of such sublime interest encircling those countries on which he more particularly treats, that the slightest informa tion regarding them is worthy of attention, although clad in garments of unaspiring composition. Let this be his excuse for thus trespassing, as he can neither boast that extensive erudition, which a VI

PREFACE.

. alone renders travellers' notes worthy of a place amidst the archives of literature, nor that flow of language and elegance of style which it behoves the aspirant to literary fame to command. Led onward by this motto, " Jucundum nihil est, nisi quod reficit varietas," he roamed from land to land seeking amusement and instruction, not un mindful tbat " the use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, see them as they are ;" and that notwithstanding the great and good Lord Verulam permits not the traveller to " change his country manners for those of foreign parts," yet he is allowed to ' ' prick in some flowers of that he hath learned abroad into the customs of his own country." The Author must be pardoned for reiterating a declamation very generally made by those who, after " Voyageant sans dessein " betwixt the straits of Dover and the ancient gates of India, sit down at their own hearthsides to " make a

PREFACE.

. VII book," viz., That he had not during travel, nor indeed until some months after his return to England, the remotest intention of offering his "notes by the way " to the public gaze. If a more extensive circle than that for which these notes were originally put together reap any gratification from their perusal, he is fully repaid for any labour it may have cost him. As to the hurried translation annexed of M. Linant de Bellefonds' " Memoires sur le Lac Mœris," as the Author visited the valley of Fayoum, so little known, and as the original pamphlet is difficult to be obtained in this country, and the Egyptian lithography of the map inserted therein is so execrably executed as to require minute examination to understand it, he deemed that it might not prove unacceptable in the form now presented. La Bruyere said of a book laid before him for inspection, " Que sa place etait immediatement au-dessous rien." Critics may, perhaps too justly,

PREFACE.

. Al'TF.Il A BATH allot to this, my work, a place upon the same shelf: to that iron-hearted race I dedicate the little vignette below, and beg that my grateful siesta may not be rudely broken in upon. I'age CONTENTS.

Chapter I. Voyage From Naples To Malta

Breeze off Calabria. — Messina. — Syracuse. — Ancient city. — Tlie Latomiæ. — The last of the Peripatetici. — Approach Malta. — Valetta. — Fort St. Elmo. — Language. — Aspect nf the island. ........ 1

Chapter II. Malta

Excursion to Citta Veceliia.— Grotto of St. Paul, &c. — Cimmerian excavations. — Road to Monte Bcnjemma. — Great squill or sea onion. — " Carthagenian tombs " of Monte Bcnjemma. — Prickly pear. — View from heights of Monte Benjemma. — Lose my way. — Maltese sheep, pigs, Italian swine. — Maltese cows. — Ploughs. — Knights Hospitallers of St. John. — Obtain a berth on board Her Majesty's ship Geyser, for Athens. . . . . . . .12

Chapter III. Malta To Athens

Leave Malta. — Her Majesty's ship Geyser. — Coast of Greece. ■ — Island of Cerigo. — Rnund the promontory of Cape Malea. CONTENTS. X Page —Eastern coast of the Morea.— Greek isles.— First view of Acropolis of Athens.— Enter Piræus.— Her Majesty's ship Howe. .....•■•■

Chapter IV. Athens

Leave Geyser for Athens. — Long walls. — Reach Athens. — New Palace. — Honey of Hymettus. — Temple of Jupiter Olympus, — Ilissus. — Acropolis. — Cecrops. — Herodes Atticus. — Temple of Theseus. — Pnyx. — Areopagus. 38

Chapter V. Athens

Visit Her Majesty's ship Howe. — Sea gulls. — Hill of Musæus. — Temple of Æsculapius. — Athenian dogs. — Pipes, tobacco, and custom of smoking in the East. — A day's cock-shooting on Pentelicus. — Marble of Pentclicus and Hymettus 50

Chapter VI. Athens

Excursion to Eleusis. — Groves of the Academy. — Defile of Daphne. — Reach Eleusis. — View from the Hill above. — Battle of Salamis. — Evil Eye. — Return to Athens. — Dine at British Ambassador's House. — Marriage Ceremony. — Modern Athens. ........ GO

Chapter VII. Athens To Alexandria

Leave Athens. — Albanian servant. — Insolent Frenchman. — Leave Piræus for Syra. — Syra. — Gale. — Run into Nio CONTENTS. XI Page for refuge. — Excursion in the Island. — Wine of Nio. — View of Crete. — Annexed to Egyptian Government. — View of Egypt. — Alexandria 73

Chapter VIII. Alexandria

Ride to the Frank quarter. — Modern Alexandrines. — Antiquities of Alexandria. — Nubian slave. — Pasha's palace. — Mehemet Ali 88

Chapter IX. Alexandria To Cairo

Leave Alexandria. — Mahmoudieh canal. — Rising and subsiding of the Nile. — Wild fowl. — Egyptian villages. — Heavy dew. — Arrival at Atfe. — Nile. — Drunken engineers. — Visit an Egyptian village. — Assailed by inhabitants. — Dung cakes for fuel. — Birds. — Boulac. — Cairo. — Hotel. — Mamelukes. ........ 98

Chapter X. Cairo

Visit Citadel, &c. — Young Englishmen at the Hotel.- — Forest of Petrified Trees.— Mosque of Sultan Hassan. — Tradition. — Island of Rhoda. — Rising of the Waters. . . .112

Chapter XI. Cairo

Heliopolis. — Fountain of - the Sun. — Ficus syeamorus. — Egyptian swallow. — Grievous murrain. — Mirage. — Boy CONTENTS. 123 172 with a tail.— Curious birds.— Gardens of Shubra. — Moroc or Honey Guide. — Christian proselytes. — Cerastes Cornua. — Serpent charmer. ....-■•

Chapter XII. Excursion To Fayoum

Introduction to a Nomadic life. — Water skins. — Travelling costumes. — Old Cairo. — Albanian soldiers., — Djiza. — Arabs. — Pyramids. . . . . . . .138

Chapter XIII. Fayoum Excursion

Pyramids of Djiza. — Ascent of the Pyramid of Cheops. — Meditations on summit. — Moslem at prayer. — Progress of Mahomed. — The Moslem faith. — Assault on a hyæna. ■ — Mysterious sounds. — Explore the Pyramid of Cheops. — Egyptian bats. . - . . . . . . . 154

Chapter XIV. Fayoum Excursion

Explore Pyramid of Cephrenes. — Admeasurement of Pyramids. — Lake near Abousir. — Wild fowl. — Papyrus. — Pyramids of Saccara. — Abd Allatif 's Relation. — Abousir Honey. — Difficulty in finding Encampment. — Prussian Savans.' — Pelicans. — Pyramid. — Ibis pit. — Mummied cats.

Chapter XV. Fayoum Excursion

Journey to Tamieh. — Dispute with attendants. — Village Sheikh. — Nitrous exudations. — Encamp at Tamieh. CONTENTS. XIII Tage 192 212 229 258 Egyptian vulture. — Fresh contention with attendants.— Leave for Birket-el- Keroun. — Ancient ruins. — Encamp ment. — Want of Water.

Chapter XVI. Fayoum Excursion

Nocturnal Gale.— Bedouin Thieves.— Lose our Party. Birket-el-Keroun. ■ — Whirlwind. — Arab Encampment. — Senures., — Our Sheikh leaves us.- — Partridges. — Leave Senures. — Ancient Remains. — Medinet el Fayoum.

Chapter XVII. Fayoum Excursion

Medinet el Fayoum. — Site of ancient city. — Dried Bedouin. — Robber. — Machines for irrigation. — Leave Medinet el Fayoum. — Curious shrub. — Encampment. — Muleteers desert us. — Jackalls. — Nocturnal alarm. — Pelican shooting. — Memphis. — Ovens for chicken hatching. — Reach Cairo.

Chapter XVIII. Journey From Cairo To Suez

Preparations to leave Cairo. — Fatal accident to Mr. Lloyd. — Leave Cairo. — Comet. — Journey to Suez. — The camel. — Speed of dromedary. — Flight of locusts. — Suez. — Sail to Wady Tawarik. — Sea foams or evil waters. — Shells.

Chapter XIX. Suez To Sinai

Exodus of the Israelites. — Ancient Canal between Head of the Gulf of Suez and Nile. — Ayun Musa. — Alarm an Arab CONTENTS. Pago 281 Woman.— Wady-Sudr.— Peculiar Bird.— Terabin Arabs. —The Mountain of Pharaoh's Bath.— Bitter Waters of Marah. — Wearied Pilgrims. — Wady Ghurundel. — Shrub Ghurkud. ....■■■•

Chapter XX. Suez To Sinai

Mound of "Abu Zennah." — Wady Useit. — The Bride of Themmzln. — Wady Shubeikeh. — Jerboa. — Thunder-storm. — Cold Nights. — Wady Nusb. — Ascent of Surabit el Khadim. — Egyptian remains. — Sinaitic Inscriptions. — Bedouin Shepherdess. — Pass of Nukb Hawy. — Horeb. — Convent of Sinai. — Ascent of Sinai. — View from summit. — Kas-es-Susafeh. ....... 316

Chapter XXI. Sinai

Jebel Catharine. — Disputes as to the true Mount of God. — Peter, the Athenian. — His journey to Saturn. — Monks of the Convent of Sinai. — The Holy Fathers' last resting-place. — Ancient Anchorites. ...... 331

Chapter XXII. Sinai To Jerusalem

Leave Convent of Sinai. — Porphyry strata. -- Black Locust. — Scarabæus Pilularius. — Scorpion, Hares, Quails. — Lose my pistols. — Arab sagacity in tracing footsteps. — Storks migrating. — Wady el Arish. — Optical delusion. Adventure with Arabs. — Sheikh taken prisoner. — Sand storm. — Pursued by Arabs. — Ancient foundations in Wady el Ain. — Ancient site. — Wady es Serdam. . . _ CONTENTS. XV Page 364 395 417

Chapter XXIII. Sinai To Jerusalem

Ruins of Eboda. — Eastern Wells. — Rain. — Ruins of Er- Ruhaibeh. — Syrian Partridge. — Explore mysterious Excavations. — Chameleon. — Elusa. — Arab Encampment. — Beersheba. — Arab Migration. — Storks. — Barbarians of Dhoheriyeh. — Dispute with them. — Tawarah Guides leave us. — -New Escort. — Encampment in the " Hill country of Judæa." — -Escort refuse to go to Jerusalem. — Accident to a Camel. — The Roller. — Behold Jerusalem !

Chapter XXIV. Jerusalem

Enter Jerusalem. — Quarantine. - Stewed Israelitish garment. — Head Officer of Quarantine-Establishment. — Courtesy of Mr. Young, the British Consul. — Dogs. — Temple of Solomon. — Mount of Olives. — Absalom's Tomb. — " The Field of Blood." — Vale of Gihon. — Black fetid limestone .

Chapter XXV. Jerusalem

Easter Festival. — Holy Sepulchre. — Crusades. — Nox tenebrosa. — Merops Apiaster. — Incident. — Struggle with a Nubian. — Retire with spoil. ......

Chapter XXVI. Excursion To The Dead Sea

Pilgrims. — Greek dance. — Lose our friends. — Fierce muleteer. — Road to Bethlehem. — Rachael's tomb. — Vale of CONTENTS. XVI Pate 467 Rephaim.— " City of David."— Valley of Eshcol.— Hebron. —Quartered at a Rabbi's house.— Visitors. — Sepulchre of the Patriarchs.— Abraham's oak. — Our friends restored to us.— Their adventures.—" The Pool in Hebron."— Au old acquaintance. — Curious adventure. . . . • *33

Chapter XXVII. Excursion To The Dead Sea

•• Shake the dust from off our feet " at the Gates of Hebron. — Juvenile Anakims. — Lot's Burial-place. — Arabs. — Wilderness of Ziph. — Wild Animal. — Dead Sea. — Descent of Cliffs of En-gedi. — Gardens of En-gedi. — Fountain of En-gedi. — Bathe in the Dead Sea. — Gravity of its Waters. — Ascent of Cliffs of En-gedi. — Character of the Dead Sea. — Well of Fresh Water. — Narrow Escape of a Horse.

Chapter XXVIII. Excursion To The Dead Sea

Defile of Kedron. — Convent of St. Saba. — Holy Fathers alarmed. — Controversies of the Fourth Century. — " Turdus c-yaneus." — Crayfish. — Englishman robbed and wounded by Arabs. — Black fetid limestone. — Plains of Jericho.- — • Gazelles. — Jordan. — Bathe in the Jordan. — " Pride of Jordan." — Narrow Escape. — -Report of Arabs. — Nukb-tree. — Jericho. — Arab Encampment. — Jackalls. — Mount Quaiantana. — Spring cured by Elisha. — Modern Jericho, &c. &c -1'JO

Appendix

. No. I. Copy of an Attestation presented to the Author at the Convent of St. Salvador at Jerusalem. . . 541 No. II. Death of Mr. Lloyd. ....... 542 No. III. Engraving of a Syrian Plough 546 Translation of M. Linant de Bellefonds' " Memoirs sur le Lac Mœris." ■> JOURNEY EROM NAPLES TO JERUSALEM etc.

Chapter I. Voyage From Naples To Malta

Breeze off Calabria. — Messina. — Syracuse. — Ancient city. — The Latomiæ. — The last of the Peripatetici. — Approach Malta. — Valetta. — Fort St. Elmo. — Language. — Aspect of the island. It was blowing a stiff breeze from the N. W., when, upon the 6th day of January, 1843, the creaky old Neapolitan steamer, Francesco, rapidly pursued her trackless course towards Sicily. The wrathful waters, bellowing amidst the thou sand caverns of Calabria's stern coast, dashed back in foam and spray, repulsed by that dark barrier. Clinging to the bulwarks of the trembling craft, then cried I, with Gonzalo, " Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze — anything. The wills above be done ; but I would feign die a dry B death." That night, and the morning of the 7th, the gale continued with unabated violence, but towards the afternoon, lulling slightly, we ventured to bring-to, and land some passengers at the point Tropæa, a short distance north of Cape Vaticano, and on the southern sweep of the gulf of St. Eufemia.

These passengers were, two peasant women, of Calabria, and a shaven-pated priest, whom, had it not been for the severe weather, we should have before landed some twenty miles above this point ; but it was impossible to do so with safety. The sea still ran high, and the paddle-box of the steamer striking the gunwhale of the bark alongside before it could get clear of her, very nearly capsized it. The shrieks of the priest rang in our ears above the roaring of the waves, as, throwing his hands on high, he cried aloud to the Madonna to save his craven soul ; but a heavy sea rolling on relieved the boat from the steamer, and away it shot some twenty yards astern, pitching the holy father headforemost into a heap of baggage in the stern ; and this was the last we saw of his Reverence, for we ourselves were now dashing onward on our course, and the little Calabrian craft was hid in the troughs of the sea.

The fire-begetting cone of Stromboli was now upon our right, the most remarkable of the Æolian or Lipari isles. The God of the winds proved to us that he had not forgotten his ancient seat, as driving on we neared that fruitful isle, midst the fertile vales and plains of which " Spontaneous wines from weighty clusters pour, And Jove descends in each prolific shower." Regardless of the howls of Scylla and Charybdis, we entered the fine basin, formed by a curious sickle-shaped curve of land, running out opposite the town of Messina, which, backed by sloping hills well clothed with vineyards and wood, smiles upon the harbour and the opposite Calabrian coast, a pretty object, prettily situated — the case, indeed, with most Italian and Sicilian towns; but then within their gates, how different; — what narrow streets, what stifling atmosphere.

But with Messina it is not so, for she has good streets, respectable hotels, pleasant promenades in her suburbs. However, we had little opportunity of enjoying any of these, for we only tarried there a night and a day, during which time it rained with out intermission, and blew a hurricane; so that an English brig in the harbour broke her moorings, causing great commotion and destruction amongst feluccas and other small craft seeking refuge there. The depth of water in the centre of this basin is so great, that men-of-war may securely ride within it. On the morning of the 9 th the scene was changed : we were quietly floating in the " great harbour" of Syracuse, with a warm sun shining upon deck, and an officer of health reaching up with a lengthy pair of tongs from a boat alongside to receive our papers. b How is Syracuse fallen ! how changed since that period when pronounced by Cicero, " maximam Græcarum urbium pulcherrimam omnium," the most beautiful and powerful of all Greek cities; since that period when the Athenian Thucydides declared her nowise inferior to his own native city, the emblem of magnificence and strength, the eye of Greece, the school of the world!

The brave Marcellus, born " in war's rude lists to combat, From youth to age" " when he surveyed from an eminence the great and magnificent city of Syracuse, shed many tears in pity of its impending fate, reflecting into what a scene of misery and desolation its fair appearance would be changed when it came to be sacked and plundered by his soldiers." The ships of Alex andria and of Carthage no longer seek the harbours of Ortygia ; the only one of the four districts of the ancient city where the shadow of its former strength in some degree is stayed. There, bastion walls and flanking towers cite before you the spirit of the " mathematical Briarcus," Archimedes; who, deigning for a time to turn his attention to " the amusements of geometry," baffled the daring of the Roman Consul, hurled massive rocks and crushing beams upon his many-oared galleys, seizing them by their prows, with claws of iron and gigantic hooks, whirled them high in air with irresistible force, then plunged them in the deep ; so that the surface of the harbour of Ortygia was covered with the miserable wrecks of the attacking fleet; — numbers, bravery, and determination prevailed over by the force of one mighty genius !

As to the modern Syracuse, a more wretched city I have seldom entered, a more squalid-looking people than her inhabitants I have seldom seen. After breakfasting at a place (not to be dignified with the name of cafe) on bad bread and oranges, which we bought from an old crone sitting beside the gutter in the centre of the street, we hastened to visit the most celebrated and interesting spots around the city ; of all of which those which excite the most stirring recollections are, the Latomiæ, or excavations in the rock, where the miserable 7,000 Athenians, wretched remnant of the proudest army ever fitted out by Greece, were left to writhe beneath the scorching sun and cold night winds, cursing Alcibiades and the Assembly for not heed ing the ominous mutilations of their Mercuries, and envying the fate of Nicias and Demosthenes, who had led them on, a sacrifice to evil policy and avarice.

A stout square man, with an enormous beard, an outcast of Israel, accompanied us this day on our excursions; with him he bore a huge folio, and whenever a good thought struck him, it mattered not where we were — in the streets or in the lanes — down he sat at once and transcribed it ; the fruit of intellect was not to be lost. This strange remnant of the Peripatetici became so excited within the tomb of Archimedes, that it required great exertion to draw him away towards the ship again. He was quite a land philosopher, however ; on board giving Avay to a very immoderate perturbation of spirit, clinging to the cabin divans, whilst loud and lamentable gushings forth of agony shook his portly frame. By nine o'clock on the morning of the 11th we were rapidly nearing Malta, the forts and houses of La Valetta gradually appearing.

The Cyclops, man-of-war steamer, hove in sight westward, having in tow the Formidable, 84-gun ship, the narrow escape of which from going to the bottom in the then late gales, after having received great damage off the Spanish coast, may be remembered. The aspect of Malta, approaching it from this quarter, is not very striking ; the surface of the island sloping from the south-west to the north-east, it has a flatter and lower appearance viewed from this side, than might perhaps be expected by the impressions received from general descriptions of the rock. Gliding into the Valetta harbour, as we gazed upon the massive frowning forts guarding its entrance, particularly that of St. Elmo, how could we but thrust aside " the cloudy wings" of time, and behold the valiant Valette, surrounded by his devoted band, wielding on high those blades which their ancestors had dyed with Moslem blood, as MALTA. gathering round the holy sepulchre, they struggled to preserve its purity ; but in vain ! the overwhelming hosts of Arabia pressed on ; the sword of the cross flashed forth in Cyprus, Rhodes, and Candia.

Each retiring step of chivalry was tracked with the blood of the Mahommedans. Solyman the Magnificent urged on the chase. Driven from island to island, the cross ultimately was planted on this sea-girt rock ; the gathering cry was raised, here to make a last and desperate stand. Nature had fortified the spot ; art had rendered it almost impregnable. The Infidel knew this, and stood aloof. But brigantines shot forth from beneath the beetling cliffs of Malta, scoured the seas, descended upon the coasts of Africa and Greece; then were seen to glide from the harbours of Tunis, Tripoli, Modon, and Coron, deeply laden with captives and with spoil. The sign of the cross was on the flag. The fury of the Turkish Emperor was roused afresh; and in 1565 galleys and galliots innumerable, crowded with the flower of his warriors, belted the rocky fortress of the Knights of Malta.

The walls of St. Elmo trembled before the mighty battering engines. The voice of prayer was heard within by night, the shout of valour and encouragement by day. Yet the rock showed above the ruins ! Two alone were left of its defenders ; they plunged into the boiling waves ; and the Turkish colours floated on the ramparts. " Ah!" cried the veteran Mustapha, as the shout of the Allah Acbar MALTA rung through the Moslem ranks, " what will the capture of the father cost, when the son has caused such destruction amidst our noblest troops 1 " For though Fort St. Elmo had fallen into their hands, the city itself still remained untaken. And the son it proved, indeed, had held out sufficiently long to afford time for the arrival of a Spanish fleet to succour the father. Again the colours of the holy order floated on the rock ; again the flowing vests and scarlet cassocks of the chivalrous knights were seen upon the bastioned walls ; and the dark hulls of the Turkish fleet had disappeared from the eastern horizon.

Whoever thinks of Malta, forthwith the Knights of the Holy Order of St. John stand forth, and their pre-eminently illustrious deeds crowd the memory. Whoever writes on Malta speaks of the noble Provencal, Valette; but is it not excusable 1 As to the island itself, its character is curious and unique, as is the language of the natives; therefore it is worthy of a passing notice from all. The three centuries' rule of the Knights of St. John, probably assisted much in producing the abominable lingua Franca, so much in vogue there. A body of men, gathered together, as it were, from the four corners of Europe, and huddled, with their retainers, on a little rock of twelve miles in diameter and sixty in circumference, naturally made a Babel of it. The eight different tongues, of those consti- MALTA. tuting the order, quickly formed an alliance with the degenerated Arabic of the natives, and thus begot an incomparable patois, which the great and increasing concourse of foreigners continued to ornament.

I say degenerated Arabic of the natives, for though it is usual to consider the Maltese tongue as of Phœnician or Carthaginian origin, the research of the Rev. C. F. Schlienz, as noticed by Dr. Lowe, almost proves it to be a mere corruption of Arabic, " nearly the whole trea sury of its words conforming with the rules, and even to the anomalies of the Arabic grammar." My friend, Mr. Henry Woodhead, who had un dertaken with me the eastern trip, was unfortu nately laid up soon after our arrival here with a feverish attack, which prevented our very minutely examining the island. But one or two excursions I made by myself in the course of our stay. After passing the gateways, drawbridges, and innumerable lines of fortifications of La Valetta, one hopes, perhaps, to find something to cheer the eye.

Cherish not such hope ! Before sallying forth mount the bastions, and gaze towards the four cardinal points, lest you be a prey to woeful disap pointment. You will see one vast field, apparently of ruins, extending around you, — one scene of deso lation. Then get upon your ragged island horse, and ride for the livelong day on narrow paths, covered with loose stones, and flanked with walls on either side of unhewn blocks piled one on MALTA the other; by dint of craning over which, you may probably succeed in pricking your chin with the top of a cactus, or, if fortune smiles upon you, a bttle withered clover, a few cotton plants, starved leeks, or a tobacco plant or two may assuage your curiosity. The fact is, the whole rock is covered with these walls, forming small compartments, Avithin Avhich a little mould has been cast to cover the nakedness of the land, and which, the pro prietor earnestly hopes, by means of these walls, to preserve from being carried by the next gale of wind back to Sicily, from whence it was brought with infinite care and expense.

These walls are also supposed to be of much avail in keeping the sun off, but the strong reflection from them must almost overwhelm any little advantage gained in that way. At one corner of these little compart ments, and forming part of the wall, you will often observe an erection, a degree higher than the wall itself, flat-topped and square, with, in all probability, an enormous mass of prickly pear nigh at hand. It requires considerable reasoning to con vince yourself that this is a house, but such you are told it is; and perhaps it may be further demonstrated by a black-eyed urchin, full of fun and impudence, making his exit from a hole in the side, with a broad grin on his bronzed face, and the eternal " nix mangiare," rapidly issuing from between his lips. The Mosaic precept, " When thou buildest a new MALTA. house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house if any man fall from thence," is not here attended to; so I presume the tops of the houses are not so much resorted to as in the East.

Chapter II. Malta

Excursion to Citta Vecchia. — Grotto of St. Paul, &c. — Cimmerian excavations. — Road to Monte Benjemma. — Great squill or sea onion. — " Carthagenian tombs" of Monte Benjemma. — Prickly pear. — View from heights of Monte Benjemma. — Lose my way. — Maltese sheep, pigs, Italian swine. — Maltese cows. — Ploughs. — Knights Hospitallers of St. John. — Obtain a berth on board Her Majesty's ship Geyser, for Athens. I rode one day to Citta Vecchia, the Medina of the Saracens, the pride of the island, until La Valetta rose and gradually eclipsed the ancient queen ; for nature has at the foot of Mount Xiberras formed a most noble harbour, which, im proved by the hand of man, now yields the palm to none. Proximity to the sea was of secondary con sideration when Citta Vecchia had her foundations laid upon that commanding summit, in the centre of the island, which her crumbling walls now occupy; a strong position, and good covert from shafts and bolts, was sought by her founders, and there it was found.

They had few ships to shelter, little merchandise to crowd their ports. It is a bare and rugged height indeed that Citta MALTA Vecchia stands upon, and rocks and houses so strongly assimilate in colour, that it is difficult to distinguish them. The isolated position of the old cathedral, which is rather a striking structure of the seventeenth century, somewhat rescues you from the above difficulty, however. Arrived at the base of her hill, I was surrounded by several wild-looking beings of the Cicerone character, and, to save annoyance, fixed on one, an active-looking fellow, who, to try his metal, I trotted up the ascent, and finding his powers of speed very superior to those of my steed, engaged him to run by my side to Monte Benjemma, some three miles the other side of Citta Vecchia ; but first was I led to visit " the Grotto of St. Paul," which lies beneath a church, small, and of mean architecture.

A marble statue of the apostle adorns this exca vation in the natural rock, which otherwise is with out ornament. " Old man," said I to the ancient individual that has the care of this church and cave, " do you really suppose that St. Paul enjoyed here the hospitality of Publius, the Roman Governor"? do you think that the blessed apostle would have told us that Publius ' received him and lodged him courteously' if he had offered him such a gloomy cavern as this] Even refined Romans might have sometimes preferred grottoes to palaces during the great heat of summer, but St. Paul, in January, 61, surely would not have deemed this subterraneous abode a pleasant one." MALTA. This cave was probably once a quarry, there being nothing within it to characterize it as an ancient sepulchre or abode. Leaving it I then passed on to some catacombs nigh at hand, having first purchased with a few "grani" a large fossil tooth of some Saurian, remains of which are numerous in the tertiary limestone of the island.