--- matrix.c.orig	2009-02-09 12:36:20.744245658 +0100
+++ matrix.c	2009-02-09 12:48:38.091936991 +0100
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@
    /* Determine the maximum row title width */
    for (x = 1; x <= rows; x++)
    {
-      if (!emptyString(rowtitles[x]))
+      if (rowtitles && !emptyString(rowtitles[x]))/*VR*/
 	 have_rowtitles = TRUE;
-      matrix->rowtitle[x] = char2Chtype (rowtitles[x],
+      matrix->rowtitle[x] = char2Chtype (rowtitles?rowtitles[x]:0,/*VR*/
 					 &matrix->rowtitleLen[x],
 					 &matrix->rowtitlePos[x]);
       maxRowTitleWidth = MAXIMUM (maxRowTitleWidth, matrix->rowtitleLen[x]);
@@ -217,9 +217,9 @@
    /* Copy the titles into the structure. */
    for (x = 1; x <= cols; x++)
    {
-      if (!emptyString(coltitles[x]))
+      if (coltitles && !emptyString(coltitles[x]))/*VR*/
 	 have_coltitles = TRUE;
-      matrix->coltitle[x] = char2Chtype (coltitles[x],
+      matrix->coltitle[x] = char2Chtype (coltitles?coltitles[x]:0,/*VR*/
 					 &matrix->coltitleLen[x],
 					 &matrix->coltitlePos[x]);
       matrix->coltitlePos[x] = (BorderOf (matrix) +
@@ -1237,6 +1237,7 @@
    for (x = 1; x <= matrix->vcols; x++)
    {
       if (MATRIX_CELL (matrix, 0, x)) {
+	 werase (MATRIX_CELL (matrix, 0, x));/*VR*/
 	 writeChtype (MATRIX_CELL (matrix, 0, x),
 		      matrix->coltitlePos[matrix->lcol + x - 1], 0,
 		      matrix->coltitle[matrix->lcol + x - 1],