became masters of the Island, to whom it was confirmed by the treaty of 1814.

What follows relates to the present state of Malta and its inhabitants.

"At present, the principal city on the Island is Valetta. It is built entirely of stone, and is consequently exempt from one of the greatest evils to be feared in the cities of the Levant;-viz. fire. It' would be almost impossible to burn a house here, if a person should undertake it; and it would be quite impossible that a fire should spread in any part of the town. The streets are in general well paved; and are kept tolerably clean by the labors of convicts, who clear and sweep them regularly, under the direction of soldiers. The houses are, almost without exception, well built and excellent. The churches are numerous; and the larger ones particularly are furnished with two or three bells each, and some of them with still more. These are rung almost perpetually. The streets cross regularly at right angles; and, at the respective corners, are images of the different saints; as St. Augustine, St. Francisco, St. George, the Virgin Mary, &c. Under many of these images there is an inscription, in the name of the bishop of the island, promising forty days indulgence to every one, who shall repeat before the image a Pater Noster, an Ave Maria, &c. I have inquired of two priests, and several others, about the import of this promise; but can get no satisfactory answer. One says, it means forty days earlier release from purgatory. Another says, it means a release from forty days of penance imposed by one's confessor. A third says, it does not mean precisely forty days, but a much less period, the duration of which is not precisely known; for instance, if a confessor orders forty days fasting as a penance for some sin, this indulgence may perhaps release from one day of it. Thus we see in passing through

the streets, that the city is given to idolatry. The population of Valetta is about 20 or 25,000.

"Not long after my arrival in Malta I one day made an excursion into the country. I went in company with five military gentlemen, all of whom I have the happiness to consider as brethren in Christ. We went first to the palace and gardens of St. Antonio. This place was the public property of the knights. It is now the summer house of the governor and his secretary. The gardens occupy, as the gardener informed us, about thirty acres of ground; and are filled with plants, flowers, and fruits, of innumerable kinds. From St. Antonio we went to the ancient capital of the Island, now known by different names, Medica, Citta Vecchia, (Old City) City Notable, &c. It is six or seven miles from Valetta; and contains about 3,000 inhabitants. After visiting the cathedral of St. Paul, a very magnificent building, we went to the grotto, which bears the name of the same Apostle. It is beneath a church; indeed one of its apartments is a subterranean chapel. In another, which is about the size of a small bed-chamber, is a marble statue of the Apostle, who, according to the tradition of the place, used to retire to this retreat for his devotions. A young ecclesiastic, who accompanied us, broke off some pieces of the stones and gave them to us, saying, that they would prevent all harm from the bite of serpents. I inquired if he had ever experienced or witnessed its efficacy. He replied, 'No; but they say so.'

"From this grotto we went to the catacombs. As I have not seen any catacombs before, I cannot compare these with others; and our examination of these was so hasty and imperfect, that I can say but little about them. We entered a number of subterranean apartments of different sizes. The rooms are altogether excavations in the solid rock. We observed a great number of small excavations, like coffins of different sizes. Our ecclesiastical guide

told us, (and others have told us the same,) that there was an avenue which led to Boschetto, (two miles distant,) and another which led to Valetta; but these and some others have been closed up because many persons, venturing in too far, had never returned. On my telling him, that when the Saraeens possessed Malta, Christians used to live in caverns and catacombs, he said that was impossible, for there were no Christians in Malta before the time of St. Paul. I was not able to convince him, that St. Paul was here long before the time of the Saracens. Bres considers these catacombs as the work of the Greeks, who settled in Malta. From the catacombs we went to the Boschetto, a place distinguished from almost every other spot on the island, for its groves of fruit trees and a delightful fountain. In the course of the day, I had considerable interesting conversation with the gentlemen who accompanied me. How delightful to see military officers, who unite with agreeable manners and extensive information, humble and ardent piety!

"The island contains about twenty-five lasals or townships. A lasal includes a village and the surrounding country. The inhabitants are generally poor, and many of them live miserably. At least this is true, and most emphatically true, if we compare them with the people of the United States of America. Their situation in regard to literature is deplorable enough. The great body of the people, and in the country almost all without exception, know no language but the Maltese. This scarcely deserves to be called a written language. It is a dialect of the Arabic; but the Arabic alphabet is totally unknown to the Maltese. In writing letters, in their own dialect, they always use the Roman character. I have seen no books in their language, except a popish catechism, the Gospel of John, a grammar and a dictionary. The catechism was published by the bishop, for the religious instruc

tion of children; and is the only book, that is generally known among the common people. Of the laboring class I am told very few can read even this, though perhaps they may have learned it when boys. The Gospel of John was translated under the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. Jowett, and printed by the Church Missionary Society. This has but just begun to be circulated; and the circulation of it will probably be attended with difficulty. It can, however, scarcely fail to be useful, both in a religious and literary view. The Gospel of Matthew is now in preparation. There are schools in the different villages, in which children are taught the catechism; often however, by rote, without ever learning to read. Out of Valetta, such a thing is seldom heard of, as a woman being able to read.

"The principal literary institutions of the Maltese are the Library of the Knights, and the College of the Jesuits. Both these are now in the hands of the government. The library is open at certain hours every day except feast days; and all persons have free access to the books, but no book can be taken from the room. A large part of the volumes are in Latin; many in Italian; some in French and other languages. There are very few modern publications among them. The whole number of volumes I believe is 50 or 60,000. It was founded by a knight in 1760, who gave 9,700 volumes. Afterwards, whenever a knight died, his books were added to the public library. Formerly the Jesuits had a large establishment here. What was then their college, is now the university of Malta. Its funds have fallen under the management of the English government, but are still devoted to the support of the institution. There are fifteen or twenty professors, and perhaps 200 students. Dr. Naudi is professor of chemistry in this institution. I apprehend the stipend of the different professors is not very great..

"In regard to religion, I presume the Maltese must be considered among the most dutiful and devoted sons of the Church of Rome. In the bishop's catechism, in reply to the question, 'What do you believe?' the child answers, 'I believe all that which our Holy Mother Catholic Roman Church believes and teaches.' Probably few of the Maltese could express their creed more correctly, or assign any better reason for it. My Arabic master, who is a priest, has told me, 'We ought to believe blindly, whatever the church says.' The pope some time since sent permission to relinquish a considerable number of the festivals, so far as to labor during the day, after attending mass in the morning. But the Maltese (whether excited to it by their priests or not, I cannot say) refused to comply with the new plan, and strictly observe all their festivals as before. The ecclesiastics are very numerous. The streets are always full of them. The whole number in Malta, I have not been able to ascertain. Some say 500; others 1,000; and others say not less than 3,000. Only a small number of these are preachers. The others find employment in saying mass, hearing the confessions of the people, visiting the houses of the people at certain seasons to bless them, administering the sacraments, &c. A certain course of study is requisite, as preparatory to the office; but after being once ordained, study seems to be very generally neglected. I have sometimes asked the Maltese, why their priests, since they are so numerous, do not establish schools, and teach all the children and give them a good education. The answer generally is, either that they are too ignorant, or too lazy. It often happens, on the Sabbaths and great festivals, that public processions pass through the streets. A large company of ecclesiastics in their sacerdotal robes, with lighted candles in their hands, bear along the image of the saint, to which the multitude reverently uncover their heads. When