LETTERS FROM 
68 
fine-looking men, and they appeared posi¬ 
tively handsome when compared with the 
very ordinary natives of this island. The 
only tolerably handsome Maltese I have yet 
seen, is the child of one of our boatmen, a 
boy about six years old, and he, I think, 
would be considered a pretty little fellow in 
any country, although, strange to say, he 
bears a strong resemblance to his papa, who 
is a very bull-dog in countenance. But you 
must remember, that almost all the Maltese 
I have hitherto seen, have belonged quite to 
the lower orders. As we rowed round the 
harbour on our return home, we wished to 
gather some beautiful yellow flowers growing 
on the bank, a few yards from the water’s 
edge; but this pleasure was denied us, on 
the ground that it was against orders to 
land in that part. To comfort us for this 
disappointment, the guardian assured us that 
