church of St. John. It was a fete day in
Malta, and other bells joined in the chorus which floated upward with
mellow cadence, creating a tender glow of peacefulness. While we gazed
half-entranced upon this varied scene, the sun declined serenely toward
its ocean bed, and slowly disappeared. At the same moment a sharp,
ringing report was heard from the flag-ship of the squadron, preceded by
a small puff of white smoke, which rose in circling wreaths from the
evening gun. Then the national colors came gracefully down by the
halliards from each peak and topmast head, and the brief twilight
following was steeped in the red and yellow afterglow of the departed
day, always so beautiful where sea and sky make the horizon, fading into
each other's embrace.

How full of vitality and animated contrasts seemed the small world that
lay within the scope of vision as we gazed! But now it was the close of
day; both man and beast were ready to seek repose. Nature had set the
example. Even the sea-birds turned toward their night-haunts, where they
might fold their busy wings, as the war-ships had just furled their
pennants.

What a delightful picture it was to hang in the gallery of one's memory,
often to be recalled by a single word or sound.

Let us look inland from an advantageous point in the city of Valletta;
an undulating country presents itself to the eye, sparsely settled, with
here and there a small village, always dominated by its quaint stone
church, and divided round about, as already described, by high stone
walls designed to shelter the vegetation. A central rocky ridge is
observed running north and south, which divides the island of Malta
proper near its middle, the eastern side being the most extensive and
populous. This view does not reveal any of the small groves; these are
hidden in the few valleys where they exist, and the landscape is almost
entirely devoid of arboreal ornament.

The people are few and the churches many, the latter quite out of
proportion to the number of the population or their pecuniary means. In
no other country, unless it be Mexico, is there such a manifest
disproportion in this respect.

Two leagues away to the westward, upon a prominent elevation, the
highest point of the ridge referred to, Citta Vecchia is seen breaking
the line of the horizon. It is called the "old city" to distinguish it
from Valletta, the modern capital. At this distance it appears dim and
dusty, almost like a mass