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Page 4
AT MALTA.
On arrival at Malta, I and others were put through our firing course,
and the regiment took over the charge of prisoners and interned Germans,
of whom, together, there were on the island--so soon after the beginning
of hostilities--no fewer than 8,000. One of the first sketches I made
was of our Bivouac.
[Illustration: BIVOUAC AT MALTA.]
MALTA AND THE PIRATES.
Malta, which has been called "the master key of the Mediterranean and
the Levant," "the stepping-stone to Egypt and the Dardanelles," and "the
connecting link between England and India," is one of our Empire's most
valuable possessions, and its physical formation has made it for
generations past of great maritime value. The island is, in itself, a
rock, and all its earth and mould has been imported. In the days when
there were no submarines or warships, it was the headquarters of pirates
roaming at large in the Mediterranean. These pirate crews, after
capturing their prey, used to bring their captures into one of the
entrances of the island, now called the Grand Harbour. At the base of
the harbour is the town of Valetta, which was catacombed in those early
times, and tunnels were made through the island rock. When pirates had
brought a ship under cover of the natural harbour to these tunnels, they
took all the merchandise ashore and then broke up the vessel, so as to
leave no trace of the incident. The crew were usually massacred to a
man, and when chase was given, no trace whatever could be found of
either the pirates or their captures, and later on their ill-gotten
gains would be shipped off from the other end of the tunnel in another
part of the island.
Looking through between the trees in my sketch of the Casement Gardens,
under the Barracks of Floriana, which stand on an eminence overlooking
the spot, a portion of the harbour is seen which commands the back
moorings, and the water where the P. & O. liners lay up. Beyond the
vessel drawn I indicate the island of Fort Manoel, which is an ancient
fortress which possesses a very handsome gateway, which may have been
built by the Romans. In fact, all over this island are remarkable
relics, some of them probably as old as those of Stonehenge, but how or
by whom the original materials were brought there or the original
buildings constructed is now left by historians to conjecture.
[Illustration: CASEMENT GARDENS, MALTA.]
Other public gardens are those of Biracca and Floriana. Public
establishments include the biggest Fever Hospital in the world, the
Castille Prison, and the Governor's Palace.
SERGEANTS' MESS.
[Illustration: SERGEANTS' MESS AT FLORIANA, MALTA.]
The view of the site of the Sergeants' Mess at Floriana gives a good
idea of the massive style of architecture and the palatial design of
many of the buildings. The big construction of the walls will be noted,
and the height of the chimney. All the houses have flat roofs, and on
them people sleep at night because of the intense heat. From the roof of
this house is obtained the best view of the island. Although Malta is
composed entirely of rock, flowers grow profusely, and a variety of
creeper, very similar to our own azalea, climbs up the front of the
forts, requiring little or no root. A garden of this flower was attached
to the Sergeants' Mess house.
FORTIFICATIONS.
[Illustration: ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT, MALTA.]
The ancient fortifications proved impregnable for ages, and are now
modernised for the use of up-to-date artillery equipment. I show the
exterior of the Army Ordnance Department, Fort Tigne, and on the extreme
left, on the other side of the harbour, a portion of Fort Manoel.
THE MALTESE.
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