40 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



sixteen fold, and in the best sixty-four fold, a fer- 

 tility which exceeds that of Sicily. Cotton too, 

 which when spun is mostly exported to Spain, the 

 carraway seed {Cuminum Cyminum, L.), and the 

 aniseed (^Pimpinella Anisum, L. Sison Anisum, 

 Spreng.), all brought hither from the East, during 

 the crusades, are much cultivated in Malta and the 

 neighbouring Gozzos ; one of which, the Lampas 

 of the ancients, even bears the name of Comino 

 from carraway (^Cuminum). * 



In general the observer is every where struck 

 with the proofs of the extraordinary care with 

 which the industrious inhabitants take advantage 

 of every spot, however small, that can be obtained 

 from the rocky soil, which is almost entirely desti- 

 tute of mould. Indeed, were it otherwise, this 

 little spot, which does not much exceed six square 

 miles in extent, would not be able to maintain a 

 population of above seventy thousand souls. It is 

 said, however, that the population has decreased 

 since the island has been under the dominion of 

 the English, especially of late years, both by the 

 stagnation of commerce and by diseases. The 

 situation of the island is indeed, on the whole, 

 healthy; but the S.E. sirocco, which blows fre- 

 quently during the summer and autumn, and in the 

 short passage over the sea from the coast of Africa 

 hither, cannot lose the malignant vapours with 



* See Note 3. page 51. 



