MALTA AND SICILY. 
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beautiful and extensive botanic-garden, open 
to the public, I believe, at all hours. The 
long shaded walks and pretty fountains 
would make it a delightful retreat in sum¬ 
mer, but when we visited it there were very 
few flowers in blossom, most of the trees 
were leafless, and the rain was falling 
heavily. 
We hired a coach one fine morning, and 
rode to the foot of Monte Pellegrino. There 
was a zigzag path to the top, but after 
ascending a few hundred yards, I found 
myself so weak and tired, that I turned back 
and waited for my companions at the bot¬ 
tom of the hill. In a stony uncultivated 
piece of grbund, by the side of the path, I 
found a large yellow asphodelus, the convol¬ 
vulus major, (the pink variety,) two or three 
kinds of veronica, and several other new 
plants. I saw many swallow-tailed butter- 
