Let's Tour The World

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 267, 10 November 1934, Page 2 (Supplement)

Let's Tour The World

Last Views of Malta. Home of the Fleet in the . Mediterranean. The population of the colony of Miiltu. numbers at present about 224,000 people—quite a large number tor the small size of the group of islands of which it is composed. But as we travel over its winding; roads, we see evidences on £very hand that it hae carried a numerous population from very early times. There are rains not only of Spanish, Roman and Saracen buildings, but of monuments and cave-dwellings of a much earlier race, who evidently farmed the land, and were skilled in pottery and building. On the high ridge near the centre of the island stands Notabile, . the old capital, dating from the days of the Roman occupation. It- ie now chiefly a ruin, with traces of palaces and dwellings built "by Roman and succeeding conquerors. Near these massive piles staud the, humble limestone houses of. tiie- -Maltese countvyfolk, who seem to botlrer little over the ancient glories ,of their ;i<sland home. It seems evident, in fact, that throughout the ages they have gone their own way, and taken very little notice of those peoples who were their overlords. Even to-day, although English is the language taught in the schools, and Italian the tongue need in the courts of law; the coxin-

try Maltese still speak a language of their own—a language which seems to be a mixture of Latin and Arabic, and probably of ancient Phoenician ae well. In spite of the fact that most of the soil of tl>e region is poor and stony, and that the rainfall is very slight except during a very few .months of the year, the country people make their living largely from' the land. The farms are small, and the land frequently terraced, in order to make the most of the hilly slope* The scanty rainfall is eked out with supplies from springe which are foimd in many places, andy by pumping from wells. By these means the Maltese produce a certain amount of grain and potatoes, and "a considerable quantity of tropical fruits such as oranges, grapes and figs. Then, too, in every village one comes across women and children—boys as well as girls —seated at their., doorways in pleasant little groups, each with a low stool and a long pillow which is rested against the nearest convenient wall; and while tongues wag merrily, and the olive-tanned, faces are frequently illumined with happy laughter, their, nimble' fingers fly in and out to a- clicking, accompaniment

of wooden bobbins, while they weave the beautiful Maltese lace which is famous the world over. The climate and soil of Malta are not productive enough to support dairy cattle, so cows' milk —except from tins—is little known. Yet, nevertheless, as one walks the streets of Valetta or of the country villiigee, one often sees milk being delivered. What is more, it is delivered "on the hoof!" How is it done? The answer ie—goats! In Malta the milkman arrives at one's door with a herd of a dozen or so of stnid old "nannies"; and when he receives the housewife's order he casts hie eye over the flock, selects a suitable animal, and milks her then and there into the waiting jug. There is no doubt whatever about the milk being fresh! Unfortunately, the milkman's goats themselves are not always healthy, with the result that his customers sometimes contract a complaint known as "Malta fever." Back again in Valetta, the capital city of the colony, there is still much of interest to be eeen. As we walk across one of the big open squares, for example, our eyes are attracted to large flat stones which project several inches above the level of the pavement, and which seem to be very much in the way. Pausing to investigate, we are shown a place where one of these large flagstones

has been drawn aside, revealing a hole in the ground big enough for a man to enter with ease; and, peering down, we find a large empty space hollowed out beneath the pavement. The whole public square, in short, Iβ a great storehouse, where, in days gone by, when enemies were attacking the city, it was possible to store supplies of grain sufficient for the whole population. Then, not far away is the palace which Napoleon commenced to build. He did not have time to finish it before the people rose in revolt against him; and the palace is now used as a hospital for the sick men from the British Navy. Here and there about the ancient fortifications we come to little sentry boxes of the prevailing stonework, each adorned with an ear and an aye—silent evidences carved by their builders of the purpose for which they were designed. But the building in Malta which most deeply stire the imagination is the Church of St. John. This was the most beautiful creation of the architect Girolamo Cossar, who designed the city of Valetta; and its magnificent stonework and mosaic make it one of the most impressive temples in the Empire. Round the sides of the main portion of the church is a succession of smaller chapels, each devoted to one particular nationality, and each consecrated to the memory of some knight of that nation who was at some time Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. This chureh, more than anything else in Malta, serves to impress upon us the thought that here we have the home for long and troubled centuries of men of many races, yet all bound together by one ideal and purpose—their zeal for the Holy Land and the faith of their fathers. And so we leave these very knightly gentlemen, sleeping their last long sleep beneath the marble flags, and make our way down the narrow, terraced streets to the foreshore, where a gaily-painted rowboat is waiting to take 113 back to our steamer. Soon we pass out under the frowning bastions of St. Klmo, and on through the blue waters of the Mediterranean, while the limestone Muffs of the island colony sink into the blue haze bcliind us.