All That Glitters Might Be Gold

Never was there a more priest-ridden community than this of Malta; the number of handsome churches seen in all parts of the island is something extraordinary for a population of a hundred thousand souls; the Church possesses a third of the lands, and priests are seen everywhere in swarms, Edward observed. He was right about the churches, there being a magnificent one on every corner. Whether the Church still owns a third of the land I don't know, but the priests are gone. We saw the odd priest or nun, primarily around church premises but not many. On the first Sunday we arrived, church attendance in the ones we passed appeared similar to that in old style churches in Australia; a few old couples, the odd family but lots of empty pews.

We visited St John's Cathederal where the degree to which the Maltese once loved (or feared) their god was clearly apparent. With ceiling frescos that took 6 years to paint and gilding that must be worth a fortune everywhere, it was awesome. I say feared because it seems they had a gruesome god from some of the macabre scenes. A cute little Cupid style angel standing with a foot each on a turban and a skull comes to mind.

St John's Cathederal

After visiting the Cathederal we took a trip across the island to the Blue Grotto, a celebrated natural sea arch which you can take a 30 minute trip through in a traditional style fishing dingy. At 8euro a head and 8 passengers a trip with a steady stream of  boats going at about 10 minute intervals, even in this their low season, it's unlikely that many of the local fishermen still go fishing. Tourists are a much more lucrative catch. We took our turn around and the water is undoubtedly a brilliant shade of blue. Apart from the arch which you putter under, there are several sea caves where your hand turns blue if you submerge it. The Mediterranean waters in general are startlingly clear and surprisingly clean. Edward doesn't specifically mention visiting the Grotto but given he spent nearly 2 months here, learning Italian in readiness for his trip through Italy, it is likely he did. He did say that Rides, and early walks, with picnics and parties...have agreeably filled up the time...and I have left scarcely a corner of the island unexplored. 

Blue Grotto

Edward also observed that considering the length of time that Malta has been a British possession, it appears surprising that the English language should be so little spoken or understood by the people of the island. He noted that only the uneducated spoke Maltese which is a corrupt Arabic, everyone else speaking primarily Italian and sometimes French. He thought it extraordinary that Italian should be adopted instead of English. He'd be pleased to find today that English is spoken everywhere, to the extent that I didn't bother with the customary, polite "do you speak English" because everyone does.

This evening we went to a free lecture at the National Library given by 2 postgrad students from the local university on Social Conditions of 17th Century Malta, as interpreted from a contemporary Notary's  journal and surviving petitions to the Knights, from various members of the public. The lecture was given in English which I guess is worldwide the language of science and academia. In the 17th Century Malta had a very heirarchical system, ruled by the Knights of St John, but they also had what appeared to be benevolent systems of social supports. Amongst the petitions there were several from indigent persons such as widows and orphans who requesed, and recieved, plots of land to live on. Can't imagine Centrelink giving out land to the unemployed. The lecture included a very pleasant supper of hors d'oeuvre and wine so that was dinner taken care of. 

An Urban Myth Dispelled

One of the first things Edward did was to visit Citta Vecchia-the ancient capital of Malta-the pretty public gardens of St Antonio, with their shady orange walks and cool fountains filled with gold and silver fish, the cave of St Paul and the Catacombs so we followed suit. Edward travelled by hired horse and he was impressed with these as they were capital, easy, free and good tempered; they are chiefly barbs exported from Tunis. There are a number of horse carriages giving rides to tourists in Valletta and I must say their horses are still in exceptionally good condition. Edward was charged 3/- a day for his horse and he felt that was wonderfully cheap. By today's standards that was about A$10 which isn't bad. We travelled by bus and while I doubt if the buses are Tunisian, I suspect some of the drivers maybe. The fare was 1.5euro each way and Malta must be one of the few countries in the world where you can travel clear accross the nation for a price like that.

The Gate of Mdina

Citta Vecchia is now known by its original name of Mdina and is a walled city with fantastic views back to Valletta, about 15kms away. We got there early, just after 9am, and had the place to ourselves. Walking the narrow winding streets and looking out from the ramparts really takes you  back in time because the place is much as it was hundred's of years ago. We had a delightful morning tea at a cafe right on the ramparts overlooking the countryside. By 10 the tourists were starting to arrive so we walked accross to the adjoining town of Rabat where the Catacombs are located. They have been much excavated and studied since Edward was there and as Edward described consist of a maze of low, narrow passages cut in the solid rock, a short distance below the surface; they are said to be so extensive that ... a school master with his scholars once entered these mysterious excavations , and that not one of the party ever reappeared. Edward might be disappointed to learn that current interpretative signage quotes that story but claims that it's an urban myth, common to a number of catacomb sites around the world. They are fascinating, however, having been built over a long period of time, as a rather labour intesive method of burying the dead.

After Citta Vecchia, Edward rode down to the Gardens of St Antonio. They were first established by a French knight in the 17th century, who had his palace there. It then became a Grand Masters residence, then the British Governor's residence, which it was when Edward visited, and today it is the President's residence. The garden's have been open to the public, on and off, throughout that time. There are still groves of orange trees and fountains with gold fish, much as Edward described. Trish also spotted a tree planted by the Maltese Soroptomist Club for their 25th anniversary. Being a Soroptomist herself, she determined that she would try and make contact with the local branch for a coffee.

Trish and the Soroptomist tree

A Club Worth Joining.

Edward initially stayed at Durnsford's Hotel in the Strada Reale,the main street of Malta, now known as Triq il Repubikka. I could find no reference to this hotel but after a few days in Valletta through the kind attention of Colonel G, my late fellow passenger in the Orinoko, I became today an honorary member of the Union Club, which is chiefly supported by the officers of the garrison, and, considering the very limited society of the island, the arrangements and style of the clubhouse appear to reflect great credit upon the management. 

The Malta Club still exists as a sporting and social club but the building it occupied in 1855 is now the National Archeology Museum, also in Triq il Republikka. Edward  doesn't state specifically whether the Club provided accommodation and staff at the Museum were unable to say definitively if it did but they said that the old club occupied the entire building that the Museum now shares with shops, offices and appartments so they thought it would be logical to assume it did.

The Museum of Archeology in what was the Union Club

Given that Edward seduced by the bright skies and other attractions of Malta and being desirous to make some progress in the study of Italian  decided to remain in Malta for nearly two months, it is likely that he did take accommodation in the Club as that would have meant the kind of society he  clearly enjoyed.

We visited the Museum of Archaeology and then the Grand Master's Palace where like Edward we saw the armoury of the Palace, where are preserved the armour suits worn by the renowned Lisle d"Adam, La Valette, and others although it is likely that some of the armour was misidentified because today it didn't appear that any of the suits were linked to those particular worthies. Apart from the armoury the rest of the Palace is currently closed for renonvation. However the entry way now contains a carriage which from Edward's description appears to be the state-carriage of the Grand Masters ... originally covered with gilding, but the French, when they took Malta, in 1788, carried their republican antipathy to anything like aristocratic state, so far as to disguise all this with a coating of coarse paint, that he saw at the Garden of St Antonio.

After that we we walked the ramparts which Edward did frequently during his sojourn, and they do have some spectacular views. Edward observed that The temperature is delicious, and  the clearness and regularity everywhere observable in Valetta, are in most agreeable contrast with the filth and disorder of the place I have so lately quitted (Crimea). The streets of Valetta are straight, evenly paved or Macadamized, and most scrupulously cleansed and swept daily, and the whole of the buildings being of fine white stone, the city has altogether a light, clean and cheerful appearance. That description still applies today and Valetta has an appeal that makes me understand Edward's decision to dally a while.

For dinner we went to Valletta's modern food court which has stalls representing all facets of traditional Maltese cuisine and downstairs where there is a supermarket selling bottles of very acceptable Maltese red for 4 euro! So we took a bottle back to our apartment.

How Do You Make a Maltese Cross?

Probably by running that old joke past him. But with that out of the way, our trip to Malta was pleasant and uneventful. Edward travelled on a steamer that he referred to as the Orinoko. I could find no reference to it under that spelling, or the currently more used Orinoco.

For his sailing accross the Mediterranean the weather was mostly soft, calm, delicious until the last few hours of the trip, when a storm came up of such intensity that they narrowly escaped passing the islands altogether, only sighting land as they passed the western extremity of Gozo the second of the two main islands that make up Malta. A quick turnaround saw them entering the quarantine harbour on the north side of the city of Valetta. Numbers of shore boats-queer, short little craft, with high cocked stems and sterns-were soon alongside. These boats still exist in Valletta Harbour but their sole function today seems to be conveying tourists on sightseeing trips around the Harbour.

If you can zoom in on the small boats you'll see they are like little stubby gondolas

We travelled from Perth to Malta on a Qatar airways flight. The trip took about 20 hours in all, including a 3 hour stopover in Doha which looked pretty dry and dusty from the air. As we continued on accross the Mediterranean we could see many of the Greek Islands that Edward sailed through and for us the weather remained soft, calm and delicious. From the air we could clearly see the numerous dry stone walls by which the land is enclosed and divided into, very small fields and plots although today many don't appear to be cultivated. I suspect the land value makes cultivation not worthwhile. On our arrival customs formalities were minimal and we were soon on our way by airport shuttle bus to our accommodation at 63 Triq il Bjar in Valetta.

Triq il Bjar, our doorway to the left.

Our accommodation was a self contained bed sit apartment in a building that probably existed in Edward's time but then would have probably been a storage room at the base of a large building. It was a windowless but otherwise pleasant, arched chamber, complete with kitchen, washing machine and ensuite shower.

After 20 hours of travel all we wanted was a meal and bed. Fortunately just around the corner was a restaurant, Nenu-the Artisan Baker, in a bakery that has existed for over a century, where the charming waiter Issac made our first night a delight with complimentary bruschetta, rabbit spaghetti, Maltese spiced coffee and a complimentary limoncello shot. All of which Issac assurred us was traditional Maltese style, much superior to their Italian equivalents. Issac's style was such that he pretty well guaranteed a return visit.

Adventure Tourism 1855 Style

After a hiatus of about 18 months, I'm about to resume progress on Edward's trip. I had got as far as Sri Lanka (with a quick return to Sydney to cover his time there).
From Sri Lanka Edward resumed his trip on the P&O ship Bengal, stopping in at Aden before continuing on to land at Suez. He was 15 years too early for the Suez Canal and in his day, you landed at Suez before travelling overland via Cairo to Alexandria where you once more boarded ship for further ports.

In Edward's case, he decided to pursue an early version of "adventure tourism" and visit the Crimean War! He initially intended to visit Syria and Palestine but unpleasant accounts of fever and sickness in those countries have served to deter me. While fever may have deterred him, war did not. Accounts from Sebastapol concur in representing that a general assault is likely to be soon attempted, and ... I am most desirous to reach the Crimea in time to witness that event!

To achieve that end Edward took ship for Constantinople from where he sought an audience with an Admiral Boxer and gained a permit to sail on the appropriately named Golden Fleece, to Balaklava, arriving on the last day of 1854. He then spent the next 8 days roaming quite freely around the battlefields of Balaklava and Sebastapol. Edward was clearly of the view that a gentleman citizen of the British Empire, such as he, had every right to go wherever he wished in the world to observe and comment upon what he saw. He was not impressed with much of how the war was being conducted by the British, passing scathing comment on inefficiency and the lack of concern for lower ranks.

A few years ago Trish spotted this print of an 1856 British camp near Sebastapol in a Perth junk shop. It now hangs in our dining room and represents what Edward may have seen.

Fortunately military hardware of that time was not as efficient as today's. For example he describes traversing  one area of conflict where he was told that mounted persons were seldom allowed a pass without the compliment of a shot or a shell, and the snow rendered me very conspicuous. I was almost affronted at being treated with such contempt, as I felt half a wish to see a shot or two strike the ground about me, provided they did not come too near. 

Now all this presents something of a problem for me. Since we were last on Edward's trail, my wife Trish has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a blood disorder which compromises her immune system. Thus travel in countries with hygiene issues and inefficient health systems (like Egypt, sorry Egypt but we've been there before and there are issues) is problematic for Trish. Likewise, 170 years on and the Crimean issues are still unresolved. Crimea is still disputed territory. According to Ukraine and most of the rest of the world, including Australia, the Crimea is part of Ukraine. However, according to most of the population of Crimea, and to Russia, it's part of Russia. My understanding is that the only way to enter Crimea currently is to fly to Moscow and then travel down from there. For an Australian to visit Crimea at the moment could well result in a visit from ASIO on return, asking you to explain exactly what you thought you were doing.

I can't have quite inherited Edward's spirit of adventure (although I can claim that he was a single man without a wife's opinion to consider) because the thought of confronting the issues mentioned above does not appeal. Hopefully in years to come the Crimean issues may become better resolved and at that time I could retrace Edward's path through Egypt and the Crimea.

For now, however, Trish and I have decided to skip those areas and travel to Malta which is where Edward went after visiting the Crimea. We then plan to travel on to Sicily, then mainland Italy from Naples up to Rome. Trish's health situation requires her to have 3 monthly checkups to ensure her condition is under control. We will therefore need to return home rather than continue through Northern Italy and into France. That we can do at a later date.

A Club for Gentlemen, Just Gentlemen

Edward doesn't go into a lot of detail about his time in Sydney, perhaps because it was a location familiar to him and thus in his mind, to others. He does mention that on arrival on the steamboat Coleroy from Newcastle at 10pm The crew, in the spirit of reckless, unthinking insubordination which has prevailed amongst men of this class since the discovery of the gold mines, refused to work, on the plea that it was too late; but the captain eventually persuaded them otherwise. Edward and his horses were soon landed and the animals lodged in the stables of Mr Burt, veterinary surgeon and auctioneer. 

It was fitting then that the day we visited Sydney was the first day of new legislation abandoning Sunday penalty rates for hospitality workers and a variety of other retail occupations. No doubt Edward would've approved this legislation introduced by the government of  fellow Australian Club member Malcolm Turnbull. It would seem that Australia needs the occasional mining boom to keep our wages on an even keel!

What can be said is that in 1854, Sydney was a town with a population of just over 40,000, similar to many medium sized regional centres of today. Now it has a population just over 5 million and would be unrecognisable to Edward. Central Sydney today is a maze of skyscrapers which would undoubtedly impress him.

Just behind the crowd is the door of the Australian  Club in the late 20th century skyscraper I suspect the club owns. The 1891 building was demolished in 1969 and replaced by this tower, completed in 1972. Mounted in front  of the door are two Victorian street lamps which I'm guessing were salvaged from the 1890's building shown below.

Once his horses were secure, Edward now found himself hastening to Bent St, soon found myself enjoying all the agreeable ease and comfort of the Australian Club. Founded in 1838, this club on the corner of Macquarie and Bent Sts is Australia's oldest gentleman's club and while much has changed in Australia since Edward's time, one thing has not. Only gentlemen can be members of the Australia Club. I'm not sure how Edward would've felt about this. He clearly had an eye for the ladies as his journal often contains descriptive passages of women in all the places he visits. He also became father to eight daughters who for the most part appeared to have a reciprocally fond relationship with him but whether he would have enjoyed ladies cluttering up his club. Who knows?

This image describes itself as Australian Club and Creswick Hotel, Bent St, c1870.  The  Club archivist advises that the original Club was down Bent St from todays location so presumably the larger building was the Club.

This photo of the club clearly shows the still existing terraces to the left and is dated mid 1870's. However, the Club archivist advised that the Club moved into what had been the Pultney Hotel in the current location in 1891 so this is probably a later picture. However Edward would've been familiar with this building in the latter years of his life. 

The 1840s terraces that still stand beside the Australian Club and would have been familiar to Edward.

Edward then spent another month or so in Sydney, reuniting with his parents who were also travelling to England with him, but he mentions little of what he did. He was pleased with the prices he got for his horses the best of the day, ranging from 75pounds downward. Given that that was probably a years wages for one of those insubordinate seamen, he had every right to be pleased.

From Sydney it was then off along the south coast of Australia before heading north to Ceylon, which I have covered in previous posts, and then the middle east and Europe beyond.

The Very End of Edward's Journey

While this is not a part of Edward's 1854 trip, as I was visiting Sydney to record his time there after bringing his horses down from the Clarence via Newcastle, I thought I would visit Bowral where Edward died in 1896, forty one years later.

Squatters Castle describes his death as occurring as a result of being thrown from a horse in a railway underpass on the outskirts of Bowral. A train went over head, the horse was spooked and he came off.  He was taken back to the house he was renting for the summer but died there a few days later. Edward was 81 at the time and presumably would have been fit enough to live on for some years more given that riding is not an occupation for the infirm. 

It seems that the railway still pretty well follows the same route as it did in 1854 and I was able to locate the only place where it goes over the road "on the outskirts of Bowral". It is on the Old Bowral Rd about half way between Bowral and Mittagong which are about 5 kilometres apart. 

On the day I visited, another elderly gentleman was experiencing a crisis of his own at this spot. When I pulled up to photograph the underpass an old fellow was leaning on the fence and clearly not feeling the best. He was shaky,  red in the face and having trouble standing, let alone walking. I asked him if he was ok and he replied "not really". 

His name was Patrick and he confessed that he'd decided to walk into Mittagong to visit the shops because they were a bit cheaper but he'd underestimated the degree of hilliness on the road. While it wasn't a particularly hot day, it was sunny and he was wearing a thick oilskin jacket which wasn't helping. He had had the foresight to take a water bottle but had just about emptied that. I asked him if he'd like a lift anywhere. He said a lift to the bus stop would be lovely as he could catch a bus home from there which is what we did. En route we chatted and he told me he was 71. His conversation was sufficiently lucid for me to assess that he was just overcome with the walk and not experiencing anything more serious and that it was safe for me to let him make his way home on the bus. 

Searching the internet I found newspaper references to Edward having taken a house called Fernside for this, and the previous, summer. A bit more internet searching revealed that this house was in Oxley Drive so we went looking for it. Fernside was originally on 15 acres and there was only one house on Oxley Drive in the section indicated that appeared to be old enough to fit the bill. It was just a kilometre or two from the railway bridge.

Fernside, Bowral

No one was home so I left a note with my number and then visited the local historical society. Their files suggested that this was Fernside and a few days later a phone call from the house's current owner Pru, confirmed that it was. Pru believes that the house was only single story in the 1890's the dormer windowed upper section having been added in the early 20th century. 

Pru was keen to chat about her house and coincidentally, her father owns a number of furniture items that were originally at Yulgilbar. He bought them at auction many years ago. I suggested she encourage him to contact the archivist at Yulgilbar as they might be interested in details of these items. 

So as I said, not directly part of Edward's journey but a very significant location in his life, never the less.