VOYAGE TO ALGERIA 161 



longing to the Gibraltar party we went on shore. Winter 

 was in England when we left, but here we had the warmth 

 of summer. The vegetation was luxuriant palm-trees, 

 cactuses, and aloes, all ablaze with scarlet flowers. A 

 visit to the Governor was proposed, as an act of neces- 

 sary courtesy, and I accompanied Admiral Ommaney and 

 Mr. Huggins to "the Convent," or Government House. 

 We sent in our cards, waited for a time, and were then 

 conducted by an orderly to his Excellency. He is a fine 

 old man, over six feet high, and of frank military bearing. 

 He received us and conversed with us in a very genial 

 manner. He took us to see his garden, his palms, his 

 shaded promenades, and his orange-trees loaded with fruit, 

 in all of which he took manifest delight. Evidently "the 

 hero of Kars" had fallen upon quarters after his own 

 heart. He appeared full of good nature, and engaged 

 us on the spot to dine with him that day. 



We sought the town-major for a pass to visit the lines. 

 While awaiting his arrival I purchased a stock of white 

 glass bottles, with a view to experiments on the color of 

 the sea. Mr. Huggins and myself, who wished to see the 

 rock, were taken by Captain Salmond to the library, where 

 a model of Gibraltar is kept, and where we had a useful 

 preliminary lesson. At the library we met Colonel Ma- 

 berly, a courteous and kindly man, who gave us good 

 advice regarding our excursion. He sent an orderly with 

 us to the entrance of the lines. The orderly handed us 

 over to an intelligent Irishman, who was directed to show 

 us everything that we desired to see, and to hide nothing 

 from us. We took the "upper line," traversed the gal- 

 leries hewn through the limestone; looked through the 

 embrasures, which opened like doors in the precipice, to- 



