The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-19
observation-disclosures
md INCIDENTS OF FOREIGN TRAV
FL AND OBSERVATION-VuI.

FL AND OBSERVE
r,a Beautiful Bay Where the Apostle
paul Was Shipwrecked-A Wan
derer's Loving Companionship With
Birds - Notes on the Feathered
sopgsters of Malta and Cubs-Child
Training of Seal Fishers Some
lonesome Light Houses and Their
Keepers.
CCopriohf)
LONDON, Feb. 6.-When l first tramped
ovsr the nights Of Nasciar. descending into
the valley beyond, and saw spread before
ma the Bay of st. Paul. a sense Of awe
mingled with glorious citation came with
the stiffness and beauty of the spot where
the heroic apostle was shipwrecked. Tie
nav. which is about two miles long and one
IN breadth, is situated on the northern coast
of Malta, and is hardly distant brisk two
hours walk from Valetts, the chief city of
Malta. Countless excursions are made
bi.ber by water from Malta's capital, aud
often the roads are filled with all manner
of vehicles conveying pious or curious pill
prins. preferred coming in the early
morning and alone.
As l stood on Nasciar nights, the sun
was lust rising above the promoutory of
Ras ell Kaura. Its rays fell softly upon the
sleeping waters. They gave the little me-
mortal chapel a bright and smiling face.
They deepened the shadows on the eastern
shore, where fishermen were lazlly spread
ing their nets. They pierced the copse5 and
- he oil fhu al e L..
huts and cabins of the lowly folk
who are nearly as naked and quite
as listess of civilization as were their
barbarian forefathers among whom
St. Paul was cast nearly 1000 years
ago. They mellowed the Rrays OF
the massive walls of the ancient Salmona
palace, which crowns the Melliha rocks to
the northwest And where the little island
of Gzeeir, like a bit of the cliff tumbled
into the sea at the north, showed It's saffrony
surface between the blue of the bay and the
sapphire OF the sea, they flooded the great
statue of the saint with such transcendent
SHINE and seeming, that the Quickensd
fancy, for an instant at least, swept across
the centuries and bRsked in the very pres
ence of that far aud mighty soul.
A winding road skirts the beautiful bay q.
An ancient wall half hidden with shrubs
and flowers forms boundary with a second
DleaShub EOdOHby l6 uSueTulSIl
with their nets, some donkeys grazing at
the edge of the hill-slopes, seagulls 10 count
less numbers, ana half-naked lad urging
along herd OF goats with rocks and peb-
bles, were the only living things in view.
Soon a hindly-faced priest joined me. We
wandered down the road together. He had
come with the key of the little chapel
which is set on that point of the shore on
which tradition holds Paul's bark was
wrecked.
AS we came leisurely along the shore
something in the water attracted my com
panion's attention. We stepped closer TO
che whipping edge Of the sleeping bay.
The face of the priest showed momentary
excitement. and he made the sign of the
cross. There, softly humping against a
low-lying, shelving rock, hoated a water
logged piece of broken spar-wreckage
flashing Instantly to the fancy a wilder
scene Of nearly 1900 years ago, when the
fearless apostle found a hospitable friend in
Gin the chief man of the island" 1t proved
a startling incident to my guide. He re-
called the tradition that since st. Paul's
shipwreck within this very bay, no craft
had ever gone to pieces ON this part of the
coast and not even SO trifling hint Of the
terrors of the sea had ever come to the
Shore as we had just seen. Ruminatively
and much disturbed he led the way to the
chapel.
Il is a tiny chapel with an interior of
ures, whose subjects are the shipwreck, the
miracle of the viper, and the healing of
Publius' father, are remarkable, while the
yearly votive offerings, the good father told
me, are very great, The priests adios and
blessings followed me from the place, and as
! turned my steps toward ancient Citta
Fecchia. the last object in st. Paul's bay
my eyes rested upon was the ledge of stray
Cling rocks ''where the two seas meet" 1t
was trimmed with simmer of glistening
ripples as though but shining and slumber-
GUS as though but echoinE the dreamful
songs OF sirens inviting to a haven Of end
less sleep.
From my habit of wandering alone, and
much in the country in foreign lands, /
have come to regard their birds as my
most charming chance acquaintance. !
can recall no place where their companion
ship has seemed so enlivening and precious
to me as in the almost sterile Island of
Malta.
Absolutely without'trees save those trans
planted and nurtured like exotic flowers,
Malta would hardly be regarded as the
haunts Of birds. And yet l have seen or
heard here in midwinter nearly every one
Of the loved and humble sort we'll known in
summer time In northern climes.
Along the stony ROADS nave Kept 6XuIt-
ant pace with the hopping stonechat and
redstart, and chirped back CHEEKY greet
ing to hocks of chatfinches among the white
and gold of the orange trees. Climbing
the cliffs, or pothering among the ruins, the
melodies of thrush or linnet have flooded
the sky from the olive trees in the valleys
below. Crossing the walled fields l have
often come upon marshaled hosts Of titlarks.
Rocks, wrens, crossbills and fieldfares all
welc lmed me in a homeland language l
knew. The call notes of the reed sparrow
peopled the famous island of the sword and
cowl with olden forms and faces; and as the
balmy evenings came, the stillicidic, muir
murous songs of the blackbIrds thrilled me
with half-forgotten voices of evershGunting
youthtide days and ways
This recalls the exquisite pleasure have
enjoyed from my acquaintance with the
birds, and especially the song-birds of Cuba.
Their variety and melody roundabout the
grounds of old plantations ara ravishing.
1t has been written that what tropical birds
gain in brilliancy of plumage they lose in
variety and quality of song. That is not
true in Cuba. The birds seem numberless.
Their voices and singing are startlingly be-
yond anything possible for one to come
upon at any one time in the states.
On one occasion when riding from
Trinidad but a short distance into the
Vale del Aguacate, saw eighteen distinct
species Of birds-the crow, the parrot, the
indigo-bird. the paroquet, the lapwlng, the
oriole, the famingo, the robin, the brown
pelican, the pigeon, the hooking bird, the
canary, the goiden-winged woodpecker,