£26 M A L 
with necklaces of precious (tones; their arms are loaded 
with bracelets, and their ear-rings are in general more ex- 
penfive tlnn elegant. Their fhoe-buckles are extremely 
large, and always either of folid gold or filver.” As a 
proof of the happinel's of the Maltefe, and of their being 
fatisfied with the government of the grand mailer, M. 
Boifgelin adds, that, “before the unfortunate events in 
3798, tliefe people were never known to murmur in the 
fmallelt degree. The fovereign was continually bellow¬ 
ing new favours on his fubjects, who, in their turn, never 
ceafed to lavifli on him praifes and blefiings. By the in¬ 
trigues, however, of the French, the power of the go¬ 
vernor and the comfort of the governed were undermined 
and dellroyed.” 
The climate of Malta is not infalubrious; the exceffive 
heat being mitigated by the wefterly and north-wefterly 
winds. Although there are no rivers in the illand, there 
are interfperfed fome excellent fprings of frefli water ; but, 
where thefe fail, the people are forced to dig wells in the 
rock. Their towns are commonly fupplied by rain-wa¬ 
ter, which they preferve in cilterns. Fuel is very fcarce, 
as there is little wood upon the illand ; fo that the com¬ 
mon people are under a neceflity of ufing dried cow-dung 
or wiid thiftles to drefs their meat, heat their ovens, and 
warm their apartments in cold weather. Although paf- 
turage is fcarce, they breed here a great number of fheep 
and goats, whole flefli is exquifite, as they chiefly feed 
on aromatic plants that grow on the rocks. Here are 
hogs in abundance; and good afles, mules, and fome horfes, 
that are fed with barley and chaff. The poultry are large ; 
thofe of the wild kind, particularly partridges, come from 
other countries in large flights, efpecially in the months 
of March and October. 
The laft particular we have to mention is a fevere Ihock 
of an earthquake which took place on the night of the 16th 
of February, 1810, having been preceded by extraordinary 
and terrific fymptoms. The Ihock continued for two mi¬ 
nutes, with the refpite of a few feconds. The conflerna- 
tion of the town of Valetta was beyond conception ; all 
the bells ringing, monks praying, women fereaming, the 
rabble running defperately through the ftreets ; and the 
horfes and cattle, as ufual, joining in the terror and noife. 
The folid rock (hook like a cradle; and the (hips in the 
harbour tolled up and down as if in a fwing. Two more 
fhocks enfued the next day, though not fo fevere. The 
only a£tual damage done to the buildings was the fall of 
one hofpital, and one of the gates of the town. By the 
ivth article of the Treaty of Paris, (May 30, 1814,) the 
illand of Malta is to remain the property of Great Bri¬ 
tain. Lat. 35. 52. N. Ion. 14. 10. E. Crutwell's Gaz. Bry- 
done's Tour, vol. i. Letter 15, 16. Boifgelin's Ancient and 
Modern Malta. Galt's Voyages and Travel, 1809-1 x. 
MA'LTA, a town of America, in Saratoga county. 
New York, taken from the weftern part of Stillwater : four 
miles eaft of Balltown fprings, and twenty-five north of 
Albany. 
MAL'TALENT,/. [French.] Spleen: 
So forth he went 
With heavy looke and lumpifh pace, that plaine 
In him bewrai’d great grudge and maltalent. Sperfer. 
MAL'TEPEC, a town of Mexico, in the province of 
Mechoacan : fixty miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Mechoacan. 
MALTE'SE, adj. Belonging to Malta. 
MALTE'SE, f. A native of Malta. 
MAL'THACE, wife of Herod the Great, and mother 
of Archelaus king of Judsea. She died while her foil was 
at Rome, endeavouring to get his father’s will confirmed 
by the emperor Augultus. Jofeph. Antiq. lib. xvii. c. 12. 
MA'LTING,yi The a£l or procels of making malt. 
MA'LTON, or New Malton, a town of England, in 
the north riding of the county of York, fituate on the 
weft fide of the river Derwent. Malton was of fome note * 
in the Saxon times. Immediately before the Norman 
conqueft, it was poflefled by a nobleman named Cole- 
M A L 
brand, from whom it was taken by the Conqueror, who 
gave it to Gilbert Tyfon, one of his followers. In the 
reign of Henry I. Euftace St. John pofTefiTed this lordfhip 
by inheritance from his mother, who was grand-daughter 
and heiiefs of Gilbert Tyton. In the contell between the 
emprels Maud and king Stephen, the town was reduced 
to a(hes. It was rebuilt by Euftace, and then acquired 
the name of New Malton. In the reign of James I. Ralph 
lord Eure, who was then in pofleflion of the manor, built 
a magnificent houfe here ; but, leaving no iflue, his eftates 
came to his uncle William lord Eure, who left two daugh¬ 
ters, co-heirefles. Thefe aifagreeing about this noble man- 
fion, it was, after a tedious and expenfive litigation, de¬ 
termined that it fliould be pulled down, and its materials 
divided ; and fo fcrupuloufly was the divifion made, that 
the “ ftones were even fliared one by one.” But it feems 
that fome compromife took place before the dilapidation, 
was completed, as the lodge in the front, with three arched 
gateways, are yet (landing. The manor was afterwards 
conveyed to fir Thomas Wentworth, and from him de- 
feended to Thomas marquis of Rockingham, who was 
fucceeded in titles and eftates by his fon Charles, the late 
marquis; after whofe death, the eftates devolved on his 
nephew, earl Fitzwilliam. 
Malton is about half a mile in length from eaft to weft. 
The entrance at the eaft end is by a lpacious Hone-bridge- 
over the Derwent, whence the principal llreet rifes with, 
a continued, but gentle, afeent through the town. The 
houfes are moftly built of ftone; and the town comprifes 
two parifties, St. Michael’s and St. Leonard’s ; each hav¬ 
ing its refpeCtive church: the fpire of the latter has a An¬ 
gular appearance. Malton is a borough by prefeription, 
and has lent two members to parliament ever fince the 
23d year of Edward I. the right of election being veiled 
in the holders of about 100 burgage-tenures. The town 
is governed by a bailiff. Markets are held on Tuefdays 
and Saturdays ; and a brifk trade is carried on in corn, 
of which a great quantity is fent into the weftern parts 
of York (hire, and to feveral other places. Here are three 
annual fairs, which exhibit a great fliow of horfes and 
cattle, and are much frequented by farmers, graziers, and 
horfe-dealers : thefe fairs are holden on Saturday before 
Palm-Sunday, Saturday before Whit-Sunday, and Off. 10 
and 11. The Derwent was made navigable to this town, 
and from hence to the Oufe, by an aft of parliament in 
the fir ft year of queen Anne. On the 12th of Jan. 1785, 
during the fitting of the general quarter-feftions of the 
peace, the centre beam of the building gave w»ay, and 
about 300 perfons fell into the area beneath, upwards of 
twelve feet; but no lives were loft. Malton is eighteen 
miles north-cad of York, and 215 north of London. Lat. 
54. 10.N. Ion. 0.35. W. 
Hoveningham or Hovingham, on the weft fide of Mal¬ 
ton, now a village, had formerly a market on Saturday. 
Beauties of England and Wales. Wilkes's Britijk Diredory , 
Appendix. 
MAL'TOY, a town of Hindooftan, in Goondwana r 
150 miles eaft of Burhanpour, and fixty north-weft of 
Nagpour. Lat. 21.45. N. Ion. 78. 58. E. 
MAL'TRA, a town of Sweden, in Angermanland t 
forty-two miles north-north-weft of Hernofand. 
MA'LTSTER, f. One who makes malt.—Tom came 
home in the chariot by his lady’s fide; but he unfortu¬ 
nately taught her to drink brandy, of which ftie died5 
and Tom is now a journeyman maltjler. Smith. 
MAL'VA, in ancient geography, a large and deep river 
of Africa, in Mauritania Ctefarienfis, which runs into the 
Mediterranean. 
MAL'VA, in modern geography. See Malwa. 
MAL'VA, f. [q. Molva, quod alvum molliat. In Greek 
/j.ahzxn, for the lame reafon.J Mallow; in botany, a 
genus of the clafs monadelphia, order polyandria, natural 
order of columniferae, (malvaceas, JuJf.) The generic 
characters are—Calyx: perianthium double; outer three¬ 
leaved, narrower j leaflets cordate, acute, permanent; in- 
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