Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-11-17
0Qurtrstrr Daily Spp.

JACK AT LIBERTY.-The sailors of a Brit
ish fleet of six line-of-battIe ships, any many
smaller vessels, have lately been ashore at
Malta, with plenty OF money in their pockets,
Ill search OF fun. A writer from Malta thus
describes them =
They are to be seen in all directions, in all
sorts of groesque costumes, as if it was car
nlval tlme-many in long toys, Jim Crow
hats, others in Bell tOppers, with holes cut in
them, or wreaths round them in short, any
thing different to other people Many have
been driving about in the very best carriages
that could be hired, aping the ladies in driving
to shop doors and having goods sent out to
their carriages to choose from, driving to the
garden of the Cafe de la Refine, having ice
creams and waters sent to their carriage, max
ing the waiter take one himself and peting
him with the change, aud then driving off fan.
ming themselves in the most lackadaiscal way
AT the opera it was their acting, not that of the
performers, that the audience had to attend
to- Most had some extraordinary pets-young
pigs with spectaces on, little dogs dressed up.
rabbits, monkeys, &c. these occasionally es-
capped, and Jack very unceremoniously gave
chase, climbing in the most extraordinary
manner in what appeared to be quite i'm
possible places. Pigeons, fowls, and cats that
escaped were comparatively harmless it was
the concert arising from the pigs and dogs
varied occasionally with the Growing of some
of the cocks that had escaped into the upper
boXeS-that prevented the possibility OF at
tending to the music. The sailors do not un-
derstand Italian, nor are they restrained by
any false modesty in letting that fact be
known. The demand for an English song was
loud and vociterous, many of Russell's were
named, and many slaves from Dbdn's were
volunteered by the sailors themselves. 1t was
possibly fortunate that the prma donna did
not understand English, for some of the re-
marks and criticisms were not very compli-
mentary.
An old Italian gentleman in the pit took
some trouble to translate one Of the songs as
it was sung. To show the sailors gratitude,
half dozen bottles Of rum were passed to
him to drink from. He thought to escape by
saying he could not drink from bottle In
an instant dozen shoes were off, and he had
willy nlly to drink out of the heel raw spirits,
which nearly took his breath away, and by
way of restoring him the sailors gave him
some hearty slaps with their brawny hands on
his back which shook him fearfully. The old
gentleman at last made his escape from his
friends, who, as he left, pressed upon him a
bottle of rum for his old woman at home
These scenes are pleasingly varied in the
theatre with battles between the sailors and
their natural foes, the police, who have a long
and standing hatred to each other. If Jack
gets the upper hand, the main guard is called
in, the result of which is generally that those
who have been fighting escape, and some
dozen sailors who cannot move, and are totally
unconscious from ike effect OF drink are
pounced upon by the police, who carry them
unreslstlng to the police office. The next
morning the sailors, with empty pockets, are
brought before Maltese magistrate, who has
about the same feeling for Jack that cat has
for mouse. The ceremony before the magis-