21. On Paul’s appeal to Cæsar he was taken on board a vessel sailing from Cæsarea and committed to the care of a centurion, Acts 27:1.
The course of the vessel, as stated Acts 27, was first to Sidon, where a short stay was made. Then “under Cyprus,” that is to the east of the island, as the winds were from the northwest and contrary, they “tacked” to Myra, a city of Lycia. This city stands upon a hill about two miles back from the shore. It is now called by its ancient name by the Greeks. Its port is Andriaca.
22. The course thence was to Cnidus, which is at the western end of a peninsula between the islands Rhodes and Cos; there they changed their course to the southward and passed Cape Salmone, on the extreme east of the island of Crete. The wind now was more ahead, that is, against them. Hence they “hardly,” meaning “with difficulty,” reached Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. It is ninety miles from Cnidus to Cape Salmone and seventy from Salmone to Lasea. The island of Crete is 160 miles long, and they remained under Crete and near the shore, hoping to reach Phœnice, which is about forty miles from Lasea.
23. They had not sailed more than abouttwenty miles before the wind, which had been from the south, changed around and blew so violently from the east that the vessel became unmanageable and they “let her drive.” The course was now west by north seven degrees, and this course was kept from Clauda to Melita, about 500 miles. Clauda is south of Crete twenty miles.
MALTA.
24. Malta is the largest of a group of islands, the one at that time called Melita, now Malta, being the easternmost. The shore is almost entirely precipitous; two or three small bays are found on the northern shore, one of which is supposed to be that into which Paul’s ship was driven. It is fifteen miles from the eastern end of the island, which is twenty miles in length, and this is the only bay on that side with a stream emptying into its waters. The stream is only a very small brook coming down from a source in the southwest. It was running in November when the writer visited the locality.
25. Acts 27:27 to 28:10 should be read in this connection. The island of Malta contains many ancient remains of Phœnician, Greek, and Gothic construction. In the Library at Valetta are three medals and other objects found on the island said to contain Phœnician letters, and Sir W. Drummond has translated a Punic legend found on a square stone in a sepulchral cave which states that it marks the burial-place of Hannibal.
26. After three months’ stay on this island Paul’s company proceeded on their way to Rome, stopping at Syracuse three days. Syracuse at this time seems to have been very populous. It was on the eastern part of Sicily and on the coast, and was the residence, at various times, of some of the most celebrated philosophers and poets, Plato, Simonides, Zeno, and Cicero; and here Archimedes lost his life at the capture of the city by the Romans.
27. Thence the vessel passed to Rhegium, now called Reggio (pronounced red´jo). This place, in Calabria, is the southernmost city and seaport of Italy, and was once a renowned city eight miles southeast of Messina across the strait of the same name. It has a population now of about 20,000.
28. The next day they came to Puteoli, now Pozzuoli (pronounced pot-soo-o´-lee) on a gulf of the same name seven miles southwest of Naples. Its vicinity was celebrated as the residence of wealthy Romans and the port was an important one. But the land has sunken, as the writer found many evidences that parts of the ancient city were covered with the waters of the sea.