The endemic diseases are few; small pox has been unknown for some years; varicella and scarlatina, occasionally appear, and measles are not unusual. The most important endemic is the plague, which was first noticed in the Maltese annals in 1549, A. D.; in 1593 it again appeared :—in 1623, 40 persons died of it, and in 1663 it reappeared, when only 20 persons fell victims to it: but its advent in 1675 was dreadful, for 11,300 persons died of this terrible malady. For 130 years Malta was free from plague, when it broke out with fearful violence in 1813; for, from its commencement in April, 1813, to its termination in September the same year, 4,486 deaths took place in the island, of which 1,223 occurred in Valetta, the mortality being about 80 in the 100 attacked the monthly progress is shewn by the deaths from April to November, viz.: April, three cases; May, 110; June, 800; July, 1,595; August, 1,042; September, 674; October, 211; November, 53; maximum of the thermometer during those months was, 71° 82° 84° 88° 86° 88° 83° 72° F. strong winds blew during part of the period, particularly in July. How the plague

originated was never clearly ascertained: it was generally attributed to three vessels which arrived in Malta, 29th March, 1813, from Alexandria, where the plague was then raging; some of the crews of these vessels died on the passage, from pestilential diseases.

It is a remarkable fact, that some of the populous villages or casals in Malta totally escaped the disorder, and cases are on record where a woman held her dying husband in her arms, or the husband nursed his dying wife and children with perfect impunity; nay, even children sucked their dying mothers, and lay infolded in their arms without contracting the disease.

VI. When, or by whom Malta was first peopled is unknown; according to fabular tradition, the island was primarily tenanted by a race of giants. When in possession of the Phoenicians and Carthaginians it was probably thickly inhabited, owing to the extensive commerce carried on; but the earliest data I can obtain are those given by Boisgelin, who says, that in 1559, after the raising of the famous siege of Malta by the Turks, the island contained only 10,000 inhabi tants: in 1632, without reckoning the knights, &c. of

the Order, and ecclesiastics and officers of the Holy Brotherhood, the number of inhabitants amounted to 51,750 men, women, and children.

According to the records the population of the two islands of Malta and Gozo was in 1590, mouths, 28,864; 1617, 43,798; 1670, 60,000; 1780, 100,000. In 1775 there were computed to be in Malta and Gozo, native Catholic inhabitants, 121,507; the regular militia, 16,000 (effective men). The loss during the siege of the French, in Valetta, from 1798 to 1800, amounted to 20,000, including women and children; independent of the troops Buonaparte forcibly took with him to Egypt.

The next document I can find gives the population of Malta and Gozo, as extracted from L'Almanacco delle Isole di Malta e Gozo for the year 1807 :

Catholic Natives of Malta.-The Capital Notabile (Citta Vecchia, or Medina), and its suburbs, 3,731; Valetta, and its suburb Floriana (city) 24,546; Cospicua (city), 9,224; Vittoriosa (city), 3,300; Senglea (city), 4,152; Birchircara (1st casal, or Burgh), 3,810; Naxaro (2nd do.) 3,020; Curmi (3rd do.) 3,186; Zurrico (4th do.) 3,016; Zeitun, (5th do.) 4,024; Gudia (6th do.) 890; Siggeri (7th do.) 2,715; Zebug (8th do.) 4,026; Attard (9th do.) 731; Musta, (10th do.) 3,003; Micabiba (11th do.) 703; Crendi (12th do.) 924; Hasciack (13th do.) 1,003; Zabbar (14th d.) 2,542; Dingli (15th do.) 180; Tarxien 16th do.) 910; Gargur (17th do.) 949; Safi (18th do.) 178; Chercop 19th do.) 300; Luca (20th do.) 836; Balzan (21st do.) 444; Lia (22nd do.) 882; total in Malta, 80,225.

From the registers of the parochial priests:Catholic Natives of Gozo. Castello e Rabato, 5,100; Caccia (casal) 1,469; Garba (ditto) 1,459; Nadur (ditto) 1,800; Zendia (ditto) 1,364; Saimat (ditto) 869; Zebug (ditto) 768; total in Gozo, 12,829.

From the registers of the parochial priests:

In Malta, 80,225; in Gozo, 12,829; total native Catholics, 93,054. Other inhabitants and domesticated strangers, estimated, 22,100; absent, estimated by register, 7,650. Grand total, 122,804:

The number of foreigners residing in Malta during the six or seven years preceding the plague of 1813, was estimated at from 30,000 to 40,000. Many houses were fitted up like ships, with tiers of berths, and several large vessels were converted into floating

hotels.

In 1824, the population of Malta alone was estimated by the deputy inspector of police as follows:

Population of Malta, March, 1824.- La Valetta and Floriana, 25,546; the three cities on the other side of the harbour, 18,649; Notabile and Dingli, 5,166; Zebug, 4,776; Siggieni, 3,373; Crendi, 1,052; Micabiba, 814; Zurrico, 3,618; Safi, 227; Chircop, 315; Asciach, 1,136; Gudia, 1,040; Zeitun, 5,410; Zabbar, 3,537; Tarxien, 1,011; Luca, 1,268; Curm, 4,130; Birchircara, 5,253; Balzan, 633; Lia, 1,039; Attard, 907; Musta, 3,369; Nasciaro, 2,965; Gargur, 1,139; total, 96,404.

The estimate of the population of Valetta, Floriana, and the three cities on the other side of the harbour, is only to the end of the year 1823. The villages are to the month of March, 1824.

The following return of Malta alone, from 1824 to 1828, has been furnished me by Sir Frederick Ponsonby, together with the census of 1834 :

During this period of five years, there died each year of apoplexy, about 120; of dropsy, 200; of marasmus, 200; of dentition, 550; of dysentery, 130; of diarrhoea, 280; of miscarriage, 120; still born, 30; of debility (infants who died soon after birth), 150; of phthisis pulmonalis, 100; of nervous and bilious fevers, 170. During this period, of those who died, no one had reached the age of 100; the oldest did not exceed 98 years; of this age about four or five in each year; about 30 individuals died annually of 90 and upwards.

The population of Valetta and Floriana, up to the 31st December, 1826, was 26,100