STATE OF POLITICS. 111 CHAPTER VII. The Mediterranean fleet-On board the "Powerful"Historical notices of Gibraltar- "The Rock," as seen from the sea- -Influx of waters from the Atlantic-Algiers-Bona-The Skirki Rocks-Island of Gozo-Arrival at Malta-A curious cargo-The Knights of St. John -Historical notices of Malta -Costume-Public edifices-Barracks-St. Paul's Bay Citta Vecchia-Figs-Catacombs-A nun nery. THE spring of 1839 saw our political horizon obscurely clouded, and storms seemed to threaten us from every quarter. The still unsettled state of Canada, the question with America about the province of Maine, the Caffre war at the Cape, the threatening aspect of Nepaul and Burmah, our military operations in the north-west of India-to say 112 FOREIGN AFFAIRS. nothing of the Chartists at home-bade fair to give us abundance of employment in every quarter of the globe. In this state of things, the critical aspect of affairs in the Levant called our attention to that quarter, where the grasping ambition of Mehemet Ali, so ably seconded by his enterprising son, Ibrahim Pasha, but too clearly threatened the total subversion of our old but decayed ally, the "Sublime Porte"-whilst, apparently quietly sucking the paw of contemplation and passiveness, the great Northern Bear, from his frozen pine-clad wilderness, was complacently viewing the convulsed state of those fair regions, where, by the gentle means of mediation, he no doubt flattered himself soon to establish his dominion, and come in for the Lion's share of the spoil. Under these circumstances it behoved both England and France to watch narrowly the events in the East, and, about the month of June, the former deemed it advisable to strengthen her Mediterranean fleet by the addition of three liners 66 OLD CHARLEY NAPIER." 113 -the "Ganges," Captain Reynolds; "Implacable," Captain Harvey; and "Powerful," Captain Napier. On the 9th July, the two former were seen going through the gut of Gibraltar; whilst the "Powerful," being delayed at Cork from not being able to get her full complement of men, did not make her appearance till the morning of the 12th, when she ran in and anchored in the bay. I went on board, and received a hearty welcome from "Old Charley Napier," who kindly offered me a passage to the Levant, which offer I gladly accepted. The Mediterranean had, in former days, been an old cruising-ground of his; and as, after the lapse of so many years, he wished to have a peep at the Rock, we forthwith went ashore in his gig-I to make arrangements for the voyage, and he to reconnoitre his old haunts. Having accomplished our respective objects, we returned on board, and I was forthwith installed in my new quarters, which consisted of two cabins, with every convenience to be had afloat; and I began to think that there |