OVERLAND ROUTE TO INDIA. 245 



attractive to strangers. When climbing the rock, Dr. Harvey's 

 observation was of course directed to the vegetation. He saw a 

 small tuft of maiden-hair fern (Acliantum capiUus) springing out 

 of a dry rock by the road side, and at once concluded that at 

 another season there must be plenty of water trickling through 

 the limestone ; and a few other dried-up mosses and ferns told 

 him a similar story. The Poke tree appears to have especially 

 interested him. He writes : " After climbing some way, we 

 reached the guard-house, where I was struck by a novel-look- 

 ing tree thirty or forty feet high, with a trunk as thick as my 

 body, and well covered with leaves. When at a little distance, 

 seeing pendant green blossoms, I took it for a Spanish chesnut, 

 but on coming closer I was utterly astonished to find it a 

 Phytolacca, or ' Poke.' Perhaps the ' Virginian Poke ' may 

 be seen in College gardens, a small vulgar-looking weedy thing, 

 like a large Chenopodium more than anything else, and that 

 was my preconceived notion of ' one of the family.' But the 

 Gibraltar Poke is a very beautiful and thickly-leaved shady tree, 

 with no trace of herbaceous matter about its branches. I had 

 known there was an arborescent species here, but little expected 

 to see it on such a grand scale. Had it not been in blossom, I 

 should not have recognized it. It is common on the rock every- 

 where about." 



It was od a Sunday morning that the steamer touched at 

 Malta, where she remained till " sundown," but uncertainty as 

 to her stay forbade more than a few hours being spent on shore, 

 nor did the party venture to stop for service. They had time, 

 however, to take a short peep at both churches, the " grand old 

 Cathedral of the Knights," and the " beautiful little church built 

 by Queen Adelaide for the English residents." After a quarter 

 of an hour spent in the cathedral, where high mass was being- 

 performed, with the full ceremonial of dress, incense &c, "it was 

 pleasant," Dr. Harvey writes, " to go for a few minutes into the 

 English church (before the people had assembled), and to con- 

 trast its meek adorning — "not braiding the hair or putting on of 

 apparel," &c. — with the flaunting draperies and perfumes of the 

 rival faith. I hope they may have faithful teachers, men true 

 to their vows, neither favouring laxity on the one hand, nor 

 formality on the other. There seemed room to accommodate 

 GOO persons. They have a sweet peal of bells that ring out a 



