MALMO 



3614 



MALTA 



MALMO, mahlm'uh, a seaport town of 

 Sweden, ranking next in importance to Stock- 

 holm and Gothenburg and lying on the oppo- 

 site shore of the Sound from Copenhagen, in 

 Denmark. It is situated on a level plain and 

 was formerly strongly fortified, but the only 

 fortification now remaining is the citadel where 

 the Earl of Bothwell, husband of Mary, Queen 

 of Scots, was imprisoned in 1573; this is now 

 used as a prison. About 3,500 vessels leave the 

 docks of this busy seaport each year in normal 

 times, carrying the city's exports of grain, flour, 

 gloves, chocolate, etc., to many European cities. 

 Malmo is the terminus of eight railway lines. 

 Its town house is an example of Renaissance 

 architecture of the year 1546. Population in 

 1912, 92,340, 



MALORY, mal'ori, or MALLORE, SIR 

 THOMAS, an English author, famous as the 

 writer of the fine romance of chivalry, the 

 Morte d' Arthur, which contains the stories of 

 Arthur and the Round Table, afterward adapted 

 by Tennyson in the Idylls of the King. Little 

 is known about the author of these tales, ex- 

 cept that he flourished in the latter half of the 

 fifteenth century. Morte d' Arthur is the first 

 important English prose romance, and was 

 probably translated from the French. Caxton's 

 prologue quaintly and fittingly describes the 

 book: 



Herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, 

 humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friend- 

 ship, cowardice, murder, hate, virtue and sin. Go 

 after the good and leave the evil, and it shall 

 bring you to good fame and renown. And for to 

 pass the time this book shall be pleasant to read 

 in ; but for to give faith and belief that all is true 

 that is contained herein, ye be at your liberty. 



MALT, mawlt, the name given to grain that 

 has been allowed to germinate or sprout for 

 brewing and distilling purposes. The germina- 

 tion is effected by applying water and heat and 

 is allowed to proceed only until the grain has 

 become soft or mushy and has thrown out tiny 

 sprouts. When the malt is crushed the starch 

 in it is converted into sugar and gummy sub- 

 stances known as maltodextrins. The process is 

 mainly for the purpose of rendering the various 

 elements in the grain soluble in water so that 

 some part of the food properties may pass into 

 the liquid which is to be brewed or distilled. 



The greater portion of all malt is made from 

 barley, though small quantities of oats, wheat, 

 rye, maize or rice are sometimes added in 

 the making of beer or whisky. The barley is 

 steeped in huge cisterns for about two days at 

 a temperature, of 60 F. and is then thrown in 



rectangular heaps on floors, where it germinates 

 for about eight days. It is then dried in a kiln 

 for three or four days at a temperature varying 

 from 100 F. to 160 F. After the rootlets have 

 been picked off, the grain is ready for the dis- 

 tilling or brewing process. One hundred parts 

 of barley yield about ninety-two parts of dry 

 malt, but the loss in nourishing value is far 

 greater, probably as high as sixty per cent. See 

 DISTILLATION; DISTILLED LIQUORS; ALCOHOLIC 

 DRINKS. 



MALTA, mawl'ta, an island in the Mediter- 

 ranean Sea, between Sicily and the African 

 coast, considered by its loyal people as "the 

 flower of the world." In reality it is a land of 

 yesterday, as it still retains many of its charac- 

 teristics of a 

 thousand years 

 ago. It is one of 

 the most impor- 

 tant of the Brit- 

 ish dependencies 

 and the head- 

 quarters of the 

 British Mediter- 

 ranean fleet ; 

 though small, it 

 is one of the 

 most important 

 spots in the 

 world. The area LOCATION MAP 



is about ninety-five square miles, and the ad- 

 ditional dependencies include Gozo, Comino, 

 Cominotto and several islets around the coasts 

 of the larger islands. The shore is broken into 

 several good harbors, the most important being 

 at Valetta, the capital. As this is too small to 

 accommodate the British fleet, a new break- 

 water was constructed in 1909. Malta has a 

 bare, stony appearance, because of the absence 

 of trees and on account of the stone walls which 

 surround the gardens and fields to shield the 

 crops from the violent winds. Although there 

 are but few streams, water is easily obtained 

 from numerous springs. Corn, cotton, potatoes, 

 fruits and clover are raised in great quantities. 

 Filigree ornaments, lace and jewelry constitute 

 the leading articles of manufacture. 



During the winter months many tourists visit 

 Malta, as it is interesting historically, as well as 

 architecturally. The island was held by the 

 Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusa- 

 lem from 1530 to 1798, when it was surrendered 

 to Napoleon (see KNIGHTS HOSPITALERS OF 

 SAINT JOHN). In 1800 the English took it from 

 the French and formally annexed it in 1814. 



