¢ 
634 
The musquitos commit sad havoc-upon 
strangers, for which reason, and the 
usual effects attendant on a change of 
climate, an officer is seldom put on duty 
for a fortnight after his ‘arrival. The 
society is here altogether gloomy, for 
want of more females.. The theatre is 
execrable, One of the few amusements 
is, Spearing of fish by torch-light. The 
aohiket is well supplied with vegetables, 
now from Spain, as well as Barbary. 
At niglit, a passenger is sadly annoyed by 
the challenges of the numerous centinels 
who are stationed in and near the town. 
Every one not in uniform, must carry a 
lanthorn. To the eye of the stranger, 
* the’ town presents ‘a natural masquerade 
of people, from various countries, in 
their different costumes, of whom the 
chief are Moors. The Spanish character 
farms a striking feature. Spaniards 
from all parts are to be found here. 
Gibraltar is indeed well worthy of a 
voyage to be seen; and, when its nu- 
merous and astonishing fortifications, its 
town, barracks, docks, arsenals, country- 
houses, and population, sometimes 
amounting to sixteen thousand souls, 
distributed on one side of a rock whose 
circumference does not exceed seven 
miles, are all brought within the eye’s 
and mind’s view, it may justly be ranked 
amongst the greatest of natural and ar- 
‘tificial wonders. 
THE SECOND SIEGE OF SARAGOSSA- 
On the 21st of December, 1808, the 
French returned again to lay siege to 
Zaragoza. They were in great force, and 
presented themselves in different direc- 
tions. - The military and inhabitants of 
the city, though far from having recovered 
from the effects of the carnage, fatigue, 
and sickness, by which they had been re- 
duced m the prcveding siege, which had 
been raised about four months, pre- 
pared once more, under their beloved 
“and heroic Palafox, to resist their cruel 
and ruthless enemy. 
Mortier, with about fourteen thousand 
chosen troops, mostly grenadiers of the 
imperial guards, approached the Arrabal, 
which includes three short streets, at the 
end of each of which, a weak battery of 
earth and fascines was constructed, 
having a small ditch three yards broad 
and two and a half deep, without any 
other protection or covered way, but 
what the housesiafforded. ‘The marshal 
commenced the attack with his sharp- 
shooters, supported by hisartillery, which 
discharged thirty-six pounders, at half. 
pistol shot. Although three columns of 
r x 
. 6 
Sir John Carr's Travels in Spaine 
the enemy, which advanced with great 
valour, were cut to pieces, the marshal 
continued the contest, but at length was 
overpowered, and in the evening com- 
pelled to retire, leaving a general and 
about one thousand six hundred dead 
upon the field of battle, and about two 
thousand muskets., The loss of the ap- 
triotic troops was also very considerable. 
On the 26th of January, 1809, the 
batteries were unmasked, and a heavy 
cannonade from twenty-four and thirty- 
six pounders commenced, accompanied 
by a shower of shells. After some time, 
the enemy succeeded in destroying some 
slight batteries which had been raised of ° 
wood and fascines, near the convent of 
St. Joseph, and the bridge of Huerba, 
and took possession of both, In the con- 
vent fell the heroine Manuella Sancho. 
This noble female used to bring ‘provi- 
sions to the soldiers, after which she 
served at the guns, or carried a musket, 
and was always to be seen wherever the 
firing was the hottest; whilst she was 
thus serving her country, a shot entered 
her head. 
After repeated attacks, the French 
gained the Plaza, where they raised fresh 
works, whence they kept up a dreadful 
discharge of shot and shells, which re- 
duced to ruin the principal part of the’ 
town, The only places of defence left 
were a convent of St. Augustine’s, of 
las Monicas, an oil-mill, the botanical 
garden, and a small redoubt, During 
this desperate crisis, al} descriptions of 
persons, with fearless animation, assisted 
in making fascines, digging ditches, and 
heaping up earth, in the streets, not yet 
destroyed by the enemy. Whilst the 
most distinguished acts of heroism were 
exhibiting above, a subterranean war was 
carrying on below, by a large body of 
minegs and sappers of the enemy, who 
succeeded in blowing houses from their 
very foundations into the air. The si- 
tuation of the besieged now, indeed, he- 
gan to wear the aspect of. desperation. 
Exhausted with almost incredible fatigue 
and anguish, the mind ef their general, 
Palafox, began to shew occasional symp= 
toms of delirium. 4a 
But still the work of death went on, 
with redoubled fury. The smoke of 
gunpowder kept the city in twilight dark= 
ness, frequently reddened and horribly 
illumined by the fire, that issued from the 
destroying mouths of the cannon and 
mortars of the enemy. In the intervals 
which succeeded these discharges, wo~ 
meno and children were belield in the 
’ streets 
