18

HISTORY OF MALTA.

which surrounded it. The unfortunate people of Messina hadconstructed, at certain distances, different hovels, which weretoo hastily put together to admit of any choice either of situa-tion or materials. A tolerable tent was sometimes pitchednear a wooden barrack : but much more frequently a merepiece of cloth, spread on the ground, served to cover a wholefamily, who had crept under it for shelter, and there dug them-selves a retreat, which but too often, serving a double purpose,furnished them a grave. The partitions which separated thesedeplorable dwellings, were much too thin to shut out the dismalshrieks of the wounded and dying from the compassionate earsof the knights, who were not insensible to their misfortunes,and who vainly endeavoured to find out a minister who, likethe worthy prelate at Reggio, would properly distribute themeans of relief. I will not attempt to describe all the affect-ing scenes which presented themselves to the knights whovisited these dismal habitations. The surgeons were permittedto dress the w r ounds of some miserable beings who were at adistance from the rest; and the commandant could not pre-vent alms being privately bestowed on several of these unfortu-nate objects. My post on board the galleys frequently obligedme to accompany the surgeons, in order to inspect the appli-cation of different remedies, and the distribution of the neces-saries sent for their relief. This gave me an opportunity ofwitnessing scenes which I scarcely dare present to the reader.

Here, lay extended a miserable mother covered with