is a familiar saying among
the English residents in the island to the effect that "a Gibraltar Jew
starves alongside of a Maltese tradesman;" and still another, quite as
significant, to this effect: "It takes seven Jews to cheat one Maltese."

It is well to remember one characteristic of the mode of doing business
here. As in most of the Eastern bazaars, and also in the shops of Spain
and Italy, the local merchant does not expect the purchaser of his goods
to pay the first price which he names for them. It is often the case
that he is quite prepared to sell at fifty per cent. less. A certain
amount of dickering seems to be considered necessary, and it is in fact
the life of trade in Valletta and Alexandria. The dealer, after he has
specified the price of any given article, regards the customer with an
air of serene indifference, as though it did not matter to him in the
least whether he sells his goods or not. All the while, however, he is
secretly exercised by an intense anxiety lest you should not purchase.
If one really desires an article, it is pretty safe to offer half the
sum which is at first demanded, and nine times in ten it will consummate
the bargain. It is an illegitimate mode of doing business, but one which
is common in many parts of the world.

Speaking of the yacht Sunbeam recalls some pleasant memories. It has
been the author's privilege to meet that graceful craft in various
foreign ports, and to have known its cultured mistress. The last time he
saw this white-hulled rover was in the harbor of Sidney, Australia. It
was on the passage thence that Lady Brassey died of malarial fever, and
was buried in the bosom of the ocean which she loved so well. Lord
Brassey, who is an excellent seaman and practical navigator, fully
shared with his accomplished companion this fondness for ocean
adventure. The cabin of the Sunbeam was fitted with all the accessories
of a lady's boudoir, and with charming good taste. It was a veritable
museum of choice bricabrac, not an article of which was without its
pleasant association, a token to stimulate agreeable memories. One who
wrote so delightfully of her foreign experiences could not fail to draw
inspiration from such surroundings. All parts of the known world had
contributed to the adornment of her cabin, including domestic articles
from the South Sea Islands, Fiji weapons, African symbols, Samoan
curiosities, Chinese idols and oddities, Japanese screens, and Satsuma
war