O F COURSE, when St. Paul landed on Malta he was

not seeking its tourist attractions; but he was mighty glad to be there, all the same. Is there any other corner of the earth which can so justly be termed "romantic"? It looks such a small island when approached from the air, but what an island, and what a story it has to tell.
Since the last war Malta has come to be regarded as a winter sunshine island, where one flees to escape the fogs and snows of Britain. This last year or two Malta has come into the picture as a summer holiday island too, where you can escape the rigours of an English summer.
What an island, and what a setting it is—the almost flat top of a mountain emerging from a warm, blue sea. The Mediterranean has become Europe's holiday lake, its shores one long line of holiday resorts. Almost at the centre of this lake is Malta, in an ideal position for an idyllic holiday.
Malta has, of course, a unique and wonderful history, but the English prefer their history in small doses. The Maltese are justly proud of their history, but just now they prefer to point out that their island has beaches comparable to any others maid Europe's holiday lake; rocky coves and sandy shores, and Malta is adding to their attractions with modern hotels and pleasant restaurants.
Round the south-east shore are a number of rocky baysMarsaskala Bay, St. Thomas Bay and St. Peter's Pool, ideal for swimming. You simply must take a snorkel and enjoy the fascinating delights of that exotic world under the water. For good measure, the aptly named Pretty Bay as a lovely sandy beach ideal for children.
The northern part of the island lug a number of sandy coves. Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, Golden Bay and Gnejna Bay are perhaps the most popular, but there are quite a number of others. Here are beaches of golden sand where you can swim or laze and sunbathe Here too is St. Paul's Bay, for the Maltese have not forgotten that the Apostle of the Gentiles landed here after his shipwreck and himself brought the Faith to their island. On one of the highest points stands the city of Mdina, where Publius lived. It was on the site of his house, where St. Paul stayed, that in later times the great cathedral of Malta was erected.
Mdina is well worth a visit for it remains intact from ancient times. When the Knights took possession of the isle they built a great new city at Valletta for strategic reasons. They left Mdina alone, and so it remains today, a city preserved in its mediaeval state.
Malta has much else to interest the visitor—its orangeries, its catacombs, its megalithic remains, a cave which is a storehouse of fossil remains of long-extinct animals and birds, as well as the magnificent churches and palaces of the Knights.
It is enormously intriguing to walk through the streets of Valletta, capital of the Grand Masters. This fortified city which withstood the Great Siege by the Turks in 1565, in more recent times endured a three-year siege by the Germans and Italians. St. John's Cathedral is stupendous in the quantity and the splendour of the art and craftsmanship which covers every inch of it.
Outside the great bastions of Grand Master Valette stands Sliema, a residential suburb on the shore, no* becoming a popular tourist resort and yachting centre.
The island is now an independent State, and is planning for the future. Although it has little agriculture and industry the cost of living is lower than in Britain. There is even a scheme to abolish income-tax altogether.
L. P. Seglias