132 
LETTERS FROM 
Bay at seven in the morning in a boat, with 
four men and our servant Michele, who ap¬ 
peared delighted to accompany us. As we 
coasted along the shore, we had an oppor¬ 
tunity of seeing that this part of the island 
had all the same desolate appearance as the 
country in the neighbourhood of Yaletta. 
The disfiguring stone walls intersected the 
land in every direction, and the low rocky 
shore made the view very tame and uninte¬ 
resting. On almost every projecting head¬ 
land we observed small square forts, or 
watch-towers, which are garrisoned by a 
few Maltese soldiers, stationed there to give 
the alarm in case of an invasion, and to pre¬ 
vent people from landing from vessels which 
have not performed quarantine. 
When we arrived at the bay we crossed 
over to the little island of Selmone, on 
which we endeavoured to land; but find- 
