MALTA AND SICILY. 
107 
Most of the houses in the village are built 
on the top of the hill facing the sea, for the 
benefit of the refreshing breeze, for the 
summers are generally intolerably hot and 
oppressive, and the heat is increased by the 
reflection of the sun from the light-coloured 
walls and roads. Our house is pleasantly 
situated close to the harbour, and is sheltered 
from the cold northerly winds by a rising 
ground at the back, on which account it 
appears more suited for a winter than for 
a summer residence. I have marked its 
position on the map by a small cross. 
It consists of five or six rooms, finished 
and furnished in a very plain manner, 
with whitewashed walls and stone floors, 
even in the bedrooms; but these homely 
accommodations do not diminish our com¬ 
fort in the least degree, for the house and 
everything in it is exceedingly neat and 
