One cannot help being grateful to the civil authorities for the improvements that have been made in Valletta in recent years. It is important, however, to keep in mind that there is more to the city than Republic Street and Merchants Street, to say nothing of most other streets and pavements, such as St Christopher Street and a good part of Archbishop Street, where urgent attention is required. Those in authority would do well sometimes to try and walk on them instead of driving.

I wish to draw attention to the sad state of the Jesuits' church in Merchants Street, which was erected in 1592 and has been government property since the time of Grand Master Pinto.

It is often referred to as the University Church, having been planned as one complex and is used to this day for graduations and other important occasions.

While its beautiful interior has been restored and seen to several times, its very structure, as one can see from the outside, has now reached such a state of dereliction, that urgent steps need to be taken to prevent further harm to the building and even the danger of total collapse.

The accompanying pictures should give an idea of the real state of things. The progressive dilapidation of both the dome and the bell tower, which unfortunately cannot be seen from the streets below, will invariably lead to more serious harm to the whole structure, not excluding the possibility of a total collapse of both. This has already happened to the lantern on top of the dome, which is no longer there.