ARCADIA. ' 315 



like cloth fpread out to bleach in the Sun. We 

 caft anchor here, to lay in water, which is pre- 

 ferved in great purity, in ciflerns. In vain (liould 

 wc have fought, in this place, for any other fpecies 

 of fupply : the ifland is deflitute of every thing, 

 though, from it's fituation between Sicily and 

 Afica, and from the vaft extent of it's port, 

 which is divided into feveral arms, it ought to be 

 the centre of commerce for all the Nations of Eu- 

 rope, of Africa, and even of Afia. It's inhabitants 

 fubiift en irely by plunder. We prefented them 

 with fome feeds of the melon, and of the xylon (5). 

 This is an herb which thrives in the driefl places, 

 and the wx)ol of which ferves for the manufadlure 

 of cloths extremely white and delicate. Though 

 Melita, which is an entire rock, produces almoft 

 nothing fit for the fubfifience of men and animals, 

 yet there is taken annually, about the autumnal 

 Equipox, a prodigious quantity of quails (6), 

 which repofe there, on their paflage from Europe 

 to Africa. It is an amufmg fpedlacle to fee them, 

 fattened as they are, crofs the Sea, in quantities 

 inciedible. They wait till the wind blows from 

 the North, when, raifing one of their wings in 

 the air, like a fail, and beating with the other 

 like an oar, they graze along the waves, having 

 their rumps kmded with fat. When they arrive 

 at this iiland, they are fo fatigued, that they may 



be 



