The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-01
WAKEMANS WANDERINCS
MALTA AND THE MALTESE-V.
Malta Transformed from Barren Rock
to n Tropical Garden-Infnite Patience
An NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Landmaking.
Pleasant Homes and Environment.

from within the environments OF the fisher
folk of the Adriatic, and even with all the
fair domes and minarets of Venice in view
across the opaline waters Of the flashing
lagOons, the peasaBtry Of Malta are to my
eyes set in fair and sunny perspective.
They are thrifty and yirtuous, loyal and
loving, kindly and pious, patient and good.
There is not land under the sun where
natural conditions have been 50 brayely
overcome, and where original sterility has
been so transformed into permanent fruit
fulness and Insurance. Nearly the entire
face OK Malta was originally a barren des-
ert rock Sl upon a minor portion Of its
western slope and within the tiny gardens
Of the rich, when Charles Y gave it 10 the
Knights of IT. John there was not natural
soil enough upon the island in which 70
bury the dead. Perhaps that may account
for Malta's thousands Of rock hcWn tOmbs
found in catacombs beneath towns, cut in
all accessible rocky lodges and projections,
or even sunk ia surface levels, rs / have
found them. And yet today there is much
aptitude in the boast oil the Maltese that
their island Of stone is the Ft0rc del Monde,
or Flower OF the World, " for it actually
supports from the products Of the soil it
now possesses a greater population in pro-
portion to its insignificant area than can
elsewhere be found outside China and Ja-
pan.
The accretiOn Of this soil during the 800
years between the arrival Of the knights
and the present day has been a work OF
conservation of trides majestic in its miser-
illness and patience, and is without parallel
in economic history. The incorrect state
ment has been made that Malta's entire
soil has been brought ia shiploads from
Sicily Some of 10 mas been. But 10 las
been chiefly brought; from all quarters OF
the globe. There is no such thing as waste
i'm Matte The she'll Of an egg the chaH
packing5 OF merchandise, the entrails OF
fish, he swcepings Of ships decks and de-
bris from their holds. even the exuye oil
birds. are all treasured. and these IN other
lands infinitely little and despised things,
with the curious method Of year by year
creating. literally creating rod by rod
tiny additional patch Of cultivable land
out of the very rock of the islands face
has at last given Malta its splendid lnXu-
rance.
Sngularly, 100, il is practically all hid
den from sight. You can find it, but you
cannot see it in the general view. There
IRE few points in the entire island where
from the highways your eyes can rest upon
ANYTHING but rock. The road before you,
the walls beside you, the house walls and
roofs wherever discerniDle, are all Of stone.
This has all come about in the terraclng
and dildng Of the uneven surface OF the
island. through the infinite labor and pa
thence of the Maltese peasantry since the
knights with the monks OF their time
TAUGHT them how coil might be- made 10
flow from rocks and honey be sucked from
the very stone Is / have heard them tell
i'm their almost plaintive Arab chants.
which they are always half grooming and
half singing when engaged in any manner
of labor
Nine-tcnths Of all the cultivated land in
Malta has been made by actually breaking
up with pickaxes the surface of the rock 10
the depth of nearly two feet, leveIing IL
and piling upon this mass the same stone
reduced 10 powder, as it is very soft and
easily pulvorized mixed with layers OF ,nis
pumice and everything in the nature Of soil
which has for "a long time been scraped to-
gethcg and treasured against this most inn
portant OF all times with the peasant ten
ant.
lie has less pride in his wife, his chill
dren or his animals They have q wise
and serious way of blessing the dead along
these patriotic lines heard il al Dingli
where. after mass. the peasants were be.
rating the memOLy of "A mean and miserly
fellow but recently deceased They said
very unpleasant things about him until
one who had not previously spoken set the
current the other way in perfect torrent
of praise by the single remark. But LUIGI
gave Malta another tumolO (about one
third of an acre OF land"
80 peasant farmer owns his own land.
A nobility grew mp under the regime OF
the knights which exists 80 this day. ]
thought that of the Balearic islands insig
nihcant 90 the degree of tTayesty, but the
nobility Of Malta are still less in numbers
and Importance. They are styled mar
Qu.scs, counts and barons. There are per
haps a score of them all told, and know
of a certain BaltimOrean who controls
twice as many acres of land in the high
lands of Scotland for shooting as they
collectively possess. About one-half Of the
100000 acres of cultivable land is owned by
these nobemen. The remainder is very
equally divided between the church and
the British crown.
Holdings are nearly all under short, gen
orally eight year leases but there are
number of go and 100 years leases, giving
a virtual ownership. These tiny Maltese
farms are very small A few comprise az
many as five salinas, or about twenty-one
acres. The most are from one TO three
salinas And / know Of many with nc
more than three mOndelh, or less than an
eighth of an acre of land each. The rentals
for these with all repairs and improve
mcnts at the cost of the tenant, range from
i've TO twenty dollars per acre.
II the peasants holding is little and pic
turesque ia its grouping Of scrasgy ter
races, his home and belongings are indeed
snug and picturesque. There is not
squalid. poorly built rustics abode upon
the island. Ii 10 be scarcely larger than
sentry box. the walls will be of stone,
which is so soft he can chop it ont Of the
lodges with an aX, after which it hardens
by exposure
These structures are usually very low
occasionally two low stories, but oftener
0nc-and always after the Moorish style oil
extending four, or at least three. sides
around be open court. This Is inyariable,
however diminutiye may be the nome.
have often seen them 80 small that mem