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 to think of returning by India rather than adventure himself again in Turkey; but the state of his health, and the war between Persia and the Portuguese at Ormuz, created difficulties. In October 1621 he started from Isfahan, and, visiting Persepolis and Shiraz, made his way to the coast; but it was not till January 1623 that he found passage for Surat on the English ship “Whale.” In India he remained till November 1624, his headquarters being Surat and Goa. He was at Muscat in January 1625, and at Basra in March. In May he started by the desert route for Aleppo, and took ship at Alexandretta on a French vessel. Touching at Cyprus he reached Rome on the 28th of March 1626, and was received with much honour, not only by literary circles, but by Pope Urban VIII., who appointed him a gentleman of his bedchamber. The rest of his life was uneventful; he married as second wife a Georgian orphan of noble family, Mariuccia (Tinatin de Ziba), whom his first wife had adopted as a child, and who had accompanied him in all his journeys. By her he had fourteen sons. He died at Rome on the 21st of April 1652.

In Pietro della Valle's lifetime there were printed—(1) a Funeral Oration on his Wife Maani, whose remains he brought with him to Rome and buried there (1627); (2) an Account of Shah Abbas, printed at Venice in 1628, but not published; (3) the first part of the letter describing his Travels (Turkey, 1650). The Travels in Persia (2 parts) were published by his sons in 1658, and the third part (India) in 1663. An English translation appeared in 1665 (fol.). Of the Italian text the editon of Brighton, 1843 (2 vols. 8vo), is more esteemed than the other reprints. It contains a sketch of the author's life by Gio. P. Bellori (1622). Della Valle's story is often prolix, with a tendency to the rhetorical; but he is clear and exact, well informed and very instructive, so that his work still possesses high value.

VALLEJO, a city of Solano county, California, U.S.A., on the San Pablo Bay, at the mouth of the Napa river, about 24 m. N.E. of San Francisco. Pop. (1890) 6343; (1900) 7965 (2033 foreign-born); (1910) 11,340. It is served by a branch of the Southern Pacific railway, by steamboats to San Francisco, and by an interurban electric line. The city is situated at the mouth of the great interior valley of the state, and has a good harbour, the channel of which, since the removal of a shoal by the Federal government in 1902–1906, has a maximum depth at low tide of 24 ft. Directly opposite the city, half a mile distant and connected by ferry, is Mare Island, the headquarters of the Pacific Naval Squadron of the United States, with a large United States Navy Yard, a naval arsenal, two stone dry docks (one 750 ft. long) and a lighthouse. The Navy Yard was established in 1854, and its first commandant was D. G. Farragut. In the city are a Carnegie library, St Vincent's Academy and a Good Templars' Home (1869) for orphans. Vallejo is the outlet of the beautiful Napa Valley, one of the finest fruit-growing regions of the state, and, besides fruit, ships large quantities of wheat. Among its manufactures are flour, leather, dairy products and lumber. The municipality owns and operates its waterworks, the water-supply being obtained from the mountains 25 m. distant. The city takes its name from General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a prominent Mexican leader in the years immediately preceding the annexation of California to the United States. It was a dull and out-of-the-way settlement in 1851, when, through General Vallejo's efforts, it became the state capital. The state legislature met here in 1851, 1852 and 1853. In 1871 Vallejo ranked third in population among the cities of the state, and its position and the excellence of its harbour made it a rival of Oakland in the struggle (1869–72) for the terminus of the Central Pacific railway; but Vallejo was unsuccessful, and after 1872 began to decline in relative importance.

 VALLÈS, JULES (1832–1883), French journalist and author, was born at Puys, France, on the 10th of June 1832. Coming to Paris, he joined the staff of the Figaro, and became a constant contributor to the other leading journals. In 1866 he republished much of his newspaper work in Refractaires, the volume forming a romance of the seamy side of Paris life. He was in Paris during the siege of 1870, and after the capitulation was a member of the Commune and founded Le Cri du Peuple. He took a conspicuous part in the fighting in the Paris streets, but finally made his escape to London, whence he contributed anonymously to the French press. In 1878 he began in the Siècle the serial publication of his principal work, Jacques Vingtras, a long autobiographical romance. He died in Paris on the 14th of February 1885.

 VALLETTA, or, the capital of Malta (since 1570). Pop. (1901) 24,685; or 40,406, including suburbs. The nucleus of the city is built on a ridge of rock (Mount Sceberras) Wliich runs like a tongue into the middle of a bay, which it thus divides into two harbours, the Grand Harbour to the east and the Marsamuschetto to the west, which are subdivided again by three other peninsulas into creeks. On two of these peninsulas on the east side of the Grand Harbour, and at their base, are built the aggregate of towns called the Three Cities—Vittoriosa, Conspicua and Senglea (see ). On the main promontory, with Valletta, stands the suburb Floriana; Fort St Elmo, with a lighthouse, stands on the extremity of the promontory; the suburb Sliema lies on the point which encloses the Marsamuschetto harbour; Fort Ricasoli on the opposite point enclosing the east, Grand, or Great Harbour. The streets of Valletta, paved with stone, run along and across the ridge, and end on each side towards the water in steep flights of steps. Many of the houses, which are of stone throughout, with flat roofs, are large and luxuriously built; wooden-covered balconies project from the windows and give a peculiar aspect to the streets. There are several fine public buildings, as the governor's palace, the new opera-house, the public library and museum of Maltese antiquities, and the auberges or lodges of the Knights of Malta (especially the Auberge de Castile) which are now used for military offices, club-rooms, and other purposes. Roman Catholic churches in Valletta are very numerous; the cathedral of S. Giovanni, dating from 1576, is famous for its rich inlaid marbles, its Brussels tapestries, its roof painted by Matteo Preti (1661–1699), the picture by Michael Angelo da Caravaggio of the beheading of John the Baptist, numerous memorials of the knights and other relics.

The governor's palace was formerly that of the grand master of the Maltese Order, and it also contains relics of the knights, tapestries, armour, &c. Extensive bagnios under the rock, formerly occupied by the slaves of the knights, are now used for stores. The knights strengthened Valletta and its harbour by bastions, curtain-walls, lines and forts, towards the sea, towards the land and on every available point, taking advantage in every particular of the natural rock and of the marvellous advantages of situation, rendering it then almost impregnable. The work of fortifying the place has been carried on by the British government, which possesses here a naval hospital, military prison and other necessary institutions. Since the British occupation Valletta has been a naval and military station of the first importance. The dock and victualling yards occupy together an area of some 100 acres spread over the shores on both sides of those arms of the great harbour known as “Dockyard” and “French” creeks, the dockyard being partly on the former, but principally on the latter creek. In 1880 the graving dock accommodation consisted of one double dock at the extremity of Dockyard creek, known as Nos. 1 and 2 Docks, with a total length of about 525 ft. and with 25 ft. over the sill at average water-level, the tidal range at Malta being but slight; and opening into French creek a dry dock of more modern construction, known as No. 3, or the Somerset Dock, 427 ft. long on floor, and with 34 ft. over the sill. Subsequently to this period the fine range of buildings known as the iron ship repairing shop was erected close to the Somerset Dock, and added greatly to the repairing resources of the yard. Dock No. 4, or the Hamilton Dock, was completed in 1891, having a length on floor of 520 ft., a width of entrance of 94 ft. and with 35 ft. 5 in. depth over the sill at average water-level. Associated with this dock was the construction of adjacent deep-water wharf walls, together with the great 160-ton crane. Among later additions were gun-mounting stores, boiler shop, boat sheds, canteen, coal stores, &c., together with a double dock 750 ft. long over all, and a single dock 550 ft. long. The large transit trade and the local