people waited for hours in the scorching heat as she passed to some court joust or tournament; to hear one word of commendation from whose lips the Moorish nobility gladly imperilled their lives with bulls in the ring! Now she lay on the ground, alone, unveiled, her face exposed to the gaze of the universe, save for the misty moonlight that streamed down upon her, and enfolded her in a veil whose beauty was of no ordinary workmanship. Was this, then, the end of that happy love meeting? was this the end of her whom he had delighted to call his queen, his treasure, his peerless one! The sight of that early death, that lifeless beauty, weighed on his heart; the tears came to his eyes as he knelt down beside her with a strong longing to see those dark eyes once more lifted towards him; watching eagerly for some faint breath, some little sign of life. But no; there was no movement;-it was only the wind that gently raised some wavy locks of hair-motionless, silent, she had passed away for ever from him.

Once more the feeling of despair filled him. Life was no longer worth living for. Then, too, the cries and shouts from the Palace, the clashing of scimitars, which hitherto he had been too much excited to notice, forced themselves on his ears. What had happened? Had Yussuf raised a riot here in his very stronghold? It was quite possible; the wretch had been plotting against him for some time, and it had been the keen excitement of his life to outwit his enemy. Even now there was a chance that brave resistance might defeat him; Yussuf might be made prisoner, and then Abdallah would have everything his own way. But then would that make him happy? He remembered once more the awful change in his life; it paralysed his will. "What is there worth living for? let him have his way, let him take my kingdom. It is written in the Book. It is the will of Allah." And hearing the shouts and cries approaching, he went sullenly forward to meet his " fate."

So the garden which witnessed Maliba and Abdallah's first happy meeting was witness also of their last parting, and the gallery that once echoed the "Song of the Lover's Rock" can tell now of a still sadder tragedy; the ex-king of Granada, as he dragged out his melancholy prison-life years afterwards on the African coast, remembered again and again the lovely garden, scene of the keenest happiness, and alas! the keenest misery of his life-a happiness so intense, that when remembering it he forgot his captivity, his lost kingdom, his lost wife and child, and revelled once more in that golden

past as though it were even now present; a misery so intense, that when he remembered it, he turned with a sigh of relief to the prison, the indignities, the hardships of his captivity, and almost wished that Allah had taken from him also his memory. Yet their story is not all sadness-for Maliba died a martyr to the faith she had but dimly known, and we cannot doubt that she was taken into the peace of CHRIST,-while it may be that she who had obtained mercy was permitted also to pray for him whom she had loved on earth so well, that he too might find the Light, and pass one day into the blessed kingdom of the true and only SAVIOUR of mankind.

"THE GATES OF OUR ENEMIES."
I.-MALTA.

WE have heard a great deal lately about England "possessing the gates of her enemies," and of her most recently acquired gate, Cyprus, we have all heard already enough and to spare. It is our own fault if we do not know the principal geographical, geological, botanical, zoological, entomological, ethnological, and every other logical fact in connection with our new "gate of our enemies ;" certainly the papers have done their utmost to enlighten us on the subject.

I propose in this paper to take a look at one of our old gates, Malta, for a change. It is said to be a very important one, and it is certainly very convenient as a coaling place for all ships trading between England and India. Some people whisper that is its only use; the Government is evidently of another opinion, as five regiments are stationed there.

However important, politically speaking, or unimportant it may be, it is a very charming and interesting place to winter in, for the climate is delightful, and the bright blue sky and balmy breezes make it a favourite resort for invalids, in search of sun and warmth, when England is enveloped in sealskin and sable.

The spring is spoilt by the warm relaxing south-east wind, known as the sirocco, which completely knocks down the English visitors, and even the natives suffer from it. When the sirocco departs the hot weather sets in about May, and from then till August the heat is intense, no rain falls worth mentioning, and the glare of the sun on

the white houses and streets of Valetta is almost blinding. During these months all those who are compelled to reside in Malta live for the most part in the water; there are little bathing-houses built by the side of the Sliema harbour, and here many Maltese ladies spend a great part of their day.

In August or September the summer breaks up, and then a succession of terrific storms of thunder, lightning, hail, and rain break over the island, cooling the air and feeding the thirsty soil after its long drought. Most of this same soil was originally imported from Sicily, for Malta itself was only a barren rock of white stone, which rises precipitously from the sea, but owing to the great industry of the Maltese, it has become most fertile and productive; though in no part of the island is the soil very deep, and it is everywhere very stony owing to the crumbling nature of the rock. In spite of these disadvantages, the inhabitants by dint of hard labour manage to get two and even three crops of everything in one season; the land is never allowed to lie fallow, no sooner is the corn harvest over in June, than a crop of cotton is immediately sown.

Owing to the shallow soil, there are scarcely any trees in Malta, and grass is a great luxury, which we seek for in vain. Flowers and fruit are very plentiful and cheap, but where they come from is a mystery, for you never see a garden; you might drive half over the island and you would not come across one, and yet you will see flowers in every house you enter, and you can buy an enormous bouquet of rare flowers for half a franc. Fruit is so cheap that the poorer classes mainly live on it; strawberries, wall-fruit of all kinds, pears, melons, figs, and oranges are among the most common. The blood oranges

and the little mandarines are by far the best oranges, and when you have been in Malta a few weeks you do not care for any others. The fruit of the prickly-pear is much eaten by the poor, but it is not by any means a tempting-looking fruit.

The general appearance of the island is not beautiful, there are no fences, and the roads are separated from the fields by low stone walls which intersect the country in every direction, cutting it up into terraces and fields. The principal features in the landscape are the pricklypear trees, which are singularly ugly, and of a dull dusty green, and the fields of red clover, which give a certain beauty to the country from their lovely colour; this clover grows four or five feet high, and is used as fodder for horses.

The coast is very much indented, especially on the north side of the island; the harbours of Valetta remind you of the pieces of a puzzle, they are so irregular in their shape. The southern side, on the con. trary, is composed of precipitous rocks which form a strong natural fortification, and render any artificial defence unnecessary.

Malta is very strongly fortified, in fact it is almost impregnable. Valetta is surrounded with forts, and John Bull struts about her streets with his usual air of universal monarchism, and congratulates himself on the strength of her fortresses.

Valetta, the chief town, is a handsome little city containing some beautiful buildings and fine houses built of the white Maltese stone. The old Auberges of the Knights of Malta are the most remarkable feature; they are large handsome buildings, and look like club-houses, they are built of Maltese stone, and the façade is generally elaborately decorated. This is the case too with most of the houses in the principal streets, and is due to the softness of the stone, which renders it easy to work upon. The streets are very narrow and tremendously steep; some are streets of stairs, and most of them have side-walks of steps.

Valetta is a remarkably clean place; the dazzling whiteness of the stone in the glare of the sun of course adds to its appearance of cleanliness, besides which the streets are swept every morning. It is a picturesque looking town from the sea, its whiteness contrasting well with the wondrous blue of the cloudless sky, and the no less wonderful blue of the sea itself. In Malta one is for ever trying to decide which is the bluest, the sea or the sky, till at last one gives it up in despair, and decides it is not a difference of degree at all, but of kind.

The most interesting shops are the jewellers' and the lace shops. This lace is made principally in Gozo, where it can be bought for half the price given in Malta; I say given, because no one who knows anything of the Maltese system of bargaining dreams of giving the price asked; if you persevere long enough you will frequently get the article for half the first price named. On Sunday the shops are closed, except when a P. and O. steamer comes into harbour, and then down come the shutters, and brisk trade in lace and Maltese silver ornaments is driven.

The Governor's palace is a long low building, not very striking; it contains an armoury and some fine tapestry, but is not otherwise interesting. There is another palace in the country to which the

Governor migrates in the summer; this stands in some gardens called the San Antonio Gardens, and is one of the sights of the island. These gardens consist of orange trees, yew trees, and lovely flowers; there is no grass, the walks are paved with flag-stones, and there are round ponds containing gold fish: from these ponds the gardens are watered by means of wooden troughs.

The Maltese are very proud of their cathedral, if S. John's Church can be dignified by that name, but I confess to being disappointed in it; the interior is full of huge monuments to the Knights of Malta, every nation of the Order having a separate chapel.

The comparatively new town of Sliema is considered healthier than Valetta, from which it is separated by the Great Harbour, and ferryboats are constantly plying between the two places, though there is a good carriage road from Sliema to Valetta. This road is the principal resort of the English, who drive backwards and forwards day after day.

The Maltese are a very devout, as well as a very industrious race; Church-bells are ringing all day long, beginning at four or five o'clock in the morning; and it is no uncommon sight to see quite a congregation kneeling outside a Church, sometimes as a penance, but generally because the Church is crowded. There are a great number of priests, some few intelligent-looking men, of the upper classes, but for the most part they are very coarse and unrefined.

The Maltese men are generally well made and handsome, with fine dark eyes, curly black hair, and dark olive complexions; but the women as a rule are decidedly plain, and their dress is most trying and unbecoming. The poor and the middle classes still retain the faldette, a frightful head-gear, consisting of a long black hood, as inconvenient as it is ugly; it is like a black petticoat with a hoop in the hem, and this hoop is placed over the head, forming a hood at the back, and held by the hand on one side. At the back the women look like nuns, for they invariably wear black dresses; and the faldette is always black, sometimes of stuff, but among the better classes it is of silk. This style of dress is rapidly dying out among the higher classes, who have learnt to dress like their English sisters.

The Maltese language is a mixture of Italian and Arabic, with a sprinkling of French words; it is not unmusical, as such hybrid tongues generally are, and is accompanied with a great deal of action.

Like the people of most southern states, the Maltese are passionate,