The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-28

= +. Z, : ssg (. 4
pair of unmentiona bles drop on ones
hat or down the back of his neck as
he goes through
From the harbor the view of the city
is beautiful. Great walls, which look
like forts, rise up from the water, and
back of these the houses mount the
hills in terraces. Manylof the buildings
are painted in bright colors. and under.
the glorious sun of the Mediterranean
they shine out Respondent. The city
has some fine structures. It has an
opera house in which Patti sang the
first time she came to Malta; it was
when she was still girl, and the price
she received was S25.
Another building Of note is the
Church Of st. John, containing the
tombs of the grand masters of the
knights of Malta. This church Is one
of the most remarkable in Europe, and
III is revered by the knights through
out the world. 1t Is now over 900 years
old, but it is still in excellent condi-
ton. The church is glOriously dec
GRATED. 1t has an altar maSnificently
carved, and fairly loaded with gold and
silver. The railing in front of it is
made OF virgin silver and beneath 1t
are kept the keys OF Jerusalem, Acre
and Rhodes. Some of the paintings in
the church We're brought from Rhodes
and 1T has tapestries made in Brussels
at a cost of 100000.
You have heard Oft Cappucini Gem
etery, in Rome, the chapels Of which
are walled with the bones of dead
monks. I visited similar one few
weeks ago during a trip to Palermo,
the capital of Sicily, and I find here at
Malta another evidence OF the grue-
some taste of the plous fathers of the
past ] refer to a church here known
as the Church of the Monks. in which
the bodies Of the deceased are put
away unburied. Their skeletons are
wrapped in the eloaks which they wore
in life. and they will, I suppose,
be thus clad until the day of judg-
ment. The place is a hideous one,
and a visit to 1t some times af-
fects people seriously. Not long ago
a smart young fellow went through
with his sweetheart. He thought he
would have n joke upon her. and when
her back was turned he siyly pinned
her skirt to one OF the cloaks. AS she
started to so the skeleton was pulled
| forward, and it fell upon her as though
about to embrace her, The girl was
terribly frightened; and it is said that
| the shock destroyed her reason.
Pretty Maltese Maidcns.
I like the Maltest girls. They have
large, soulful eyes, beautiful features
4 and COmpleXlOnSH the Color OF the uhfiS
moss rose. They wear great black
hoods over their heads with long black
cloaks hanging to them. so that the
most of the person Is hidden and little
more than the face and eyes shows
out This part Of their costume is
called the omnella 1t is usually made
of black silk; and the hood Is bound
at the front over a thin piece Of whale
bone, which is drawn over the head,
forming an arch The left a.rn Is usual
| ly covered by one part OF this dress,
and the right is used for holding
down the other side and bringing the
I two together
In most respects the Ml,tese of the
Ibette>. class dress much like the, peo-
PIE OF Europe, and 1t Is only the peas
ants who have costumes at all out
of the way The peasant women wca,
hoods. Their dresses are OF a striped
native cotton and they seldom have
shoes. The. men wear short papta-
looms, Which leave the legs bare to
Il the knee, being tied about the waist
lMithsa ,slrdle OF cotton or silk, Above
this they have on a cotton shirt. ant