CHAPTER I.

Geographical Position of Malta.--A Pivotal Location.--Warden of the Great Inland Sea.--First Sight of the Group.--How to reach the Island.--Early Inhabitants.--Language of the People.--Phoenician Colonists.--Arabian Dynasty.--A Piratical Rendezvous.--Suez Canal.--Two Sorts of Travelers.--Gibraltar. --Harbor of Valletta.--A Place of Arms.--Various Bays of the Group.--Dimensions.--Extensive Commerce of the Port. 1