English men of letters in Malta in the nineteenth century

Abstract

Since time immemorial, Malta has been visited by various travellers. They were attracted oy the island's position and her unique history. Most of them mentioned her in their writings. They came from all over the world, out a surprisingly large number were Englishmen. The men of Britain are attracted to the sea. They are born travellers, who wander about in search of adventure, and they included Malta among the countries which they visited. It is indeed e. pleasure to see so many of these travellers write with favour on Malta. With the exception of Lord Byron, all the British travellers mentioned in this book speak favourably on the island. Of course, since Valletta is the chief attraction of our island, and has special features of its own it follows that the main attention of visitors centred on the capital. That is why Valletta is mentioned so much but the following English travellers.