_ The remainder of this celébrated siege presents few 
incidents of moment. About the middle of October, 
far the garrison was relieved by Lord Howe, in the face 
,, of the greatly superior combined fleets of France and 
in. In the beginning of the month of February 
.,, 1783, intelligence arrived of the: signature of the preli- 
Jon ‘™inaries of a general 
yeace ; and oem eager 
ing anon eri which the-résources of France and Spain 
of were lavishly but. fruitlessly expended ; an enterprise 
ign’- towards which the eyes of all Europe had long been di- 
m Pr rected in anxious idm; ahd which, in its glorious 
‘“e, result; threw. additional lustre on the military character 
1783. of Great Britain. S. fee retest ny ed tnt 
_ Since the period of this memorable:siege, no serious 
attempt has beem made upon Gibraltar ; nor is it likely, 
considering the ge ae cette state of the defensive 
works, that any future attack will be attended with the 
ig _ probability of success. ey ; 
In an account:of Gibraltar, a brief description of ‘the 
town and fortifications will bethought n . The 
town is situated-at the foot of the north-west face of the 
hill, and is irregularly fortified. It communicates with 
the isthmusby a narrow causeway, (serving as a 
dam to an inundation,) which is defended by a curtain, 
with two bastions, mounting 26 pieces of cannon, a dry 
ditch, covered way, and glacis, well mined, “These are 
strongly flanked by the King’s, Queen’s, and Prince’s 
lines ; works cutin the rock with immense labour, and 
to bealmost inaccessible. Above the lines are 
the batteries at Willis’s, and others at different heights, 
until they crown the summit of the rock. ‘These ele- 
vated batteries mount between 50 and 60 pieces of hea- 
vy ordnance, and entirely command the isthmus below. 
‘The Old mole; to the west of the Grand battery, forms 
also a very formidable flank, and with the lines, a’ cross 
fire on the causeway and neutral ground. This battery 
has been found so great an annoyance to they besiegers, 
that, by way of distinction, it has long been known by 
the appellation of the Devil’s tongue. From the Grand 
battery, en the sea line, looking towards the bay, 
the town is defended by the North, Montague’s, Prince 
of Orange’s, King’s, and South bastions, King’s bastion 
is a very complete piece of fortification, commanding the 
bay from New'to Old mole heads. It mounts twelve 
82 pounders, and four ten-inch howitzers in front, ten 
guns and howitzers on its flanks, and has casemates for 
800 men, with kitchens and ovens for cooking. Mon+ 
tague’s ismuch smaller, mounting only 12 pieces of 
camon, with a casemate for 200 men, communicating 
with the Old mole. « In 1782; a cavalier, for two guns, 
‘was erected upon this bastion; and another work of a 
similar nature, for five guns, on the north bastion of the 
Grand battery. From the south bastion a curtain ex- 
tends oer of the hill, and terminates, at an in- 
accessible precipice, the works of the ‘town: In this 
‘burtain is the south-port gate, before which ‘and the 
south bastion is a dry ditch, with a covered-way and 
glacis:, At the east end, above the gate, is a large flat 
bastion,*connected with the curtain, and mounting 13 
guns, bearing on the bay, &c. ‘This work is covered 
___ by a demi-bastion, that joins the precipice. Above the 
~. precipice, an old Moorish wall is continued to the ridge 
of the rock ;-im the front of which ‘a curtain with loop- 
holes and redans, built im the ‘reign’ of Charles V. and 
called after his name, extends'to'the top, effectually cut- 
ting off all communication in that quarter. From the 
south bastion, .a line-wallis continued*along the beach 
to the New mole, where there is an irregular fort, 
mounting 26 guns. This line-wall is divided by a small 
VOL. X. PART 1. 
, * 
‘ GIBRALTAR. 
vand 
273 
bastion of eight guns, with a retired work in the rear, Gibraltar. 
called the Prince of Wales's lines. Near the south bastion. 
is a quay or wharf, called Ragged Staff, where the supplies 
for the garrison are usually landed. The communication 
to it is by spiral wooden stairs, anda draw-bridge open- 
ing into the covert-way; in front of which'is a small 
work of masonry, mounting two guns. At the New 
mole head is a circular battery for heavy metal, joined 
tothe mole fort by a strong ‘wall, fraised; having a 
banquet for musketry, with two vembrasures! opening 
towards the bay. From the Néw mole fort to the north 
end of Rosia bay, a parapet is continued, and batteries 
erected, as situations dictate. The works at Rosia ‘are 
strong, and act as Hanks to each other; they are close 
along the beach, :which is low, and have a retired | bat+ 
tery of eight guns in the'rear. From the south point 
of nos ene rock continues to ascend, by Parson’s 
Lodge, to p-guard, and Buena Vista. In this di- 
rection, a line-wall is raised, with cannon at different 
distances. At Buena: Vista*there are several guns ‘en 
barbet, which have great command; and the hill to- 
wards Europa, is slistitly fortified. . The rock then de- 
scends, ‘by the Devil's Bowling-green, to Little Bay. 
At this post, which is entirely surrounded with preci- 
pices, there‘is a barbet battery, flanking the works ‘to 
the New mole ; from thence the rock continues. steep 
for a considerable distance, when the line-wall and bat- 
teries recommence, and extend ‘irregularly to’ Europa 
Point, the southern extremity of the garrison. A few 
batteries at Europa advance, and a post-at the Cave- 
guard, terminate the works. But this vof the: gar* 
rison is greatly strengthened, by the retired and inacces- 
sible lines of Windmill-hill, which are situated within 
musket-shot of the sea, and have ' great command in 
that quarter. | sl Haotg ; 
Considerable alterations have taken place in the-town Alterations 
and fortifications, since:the celebrated siege. The town, #4 i»- 
indeed, was entirely destroyed vat that period: by the Provenen's 
enemy’s fire ; but it has been since completely rebuilt, giece, 
greatly enlarged. The actual number‘of inhabi= 
tants, exclusive of’ the military, amounts to about 12,000. 
The British settlers constitute but a small proportion of 
this population, which is principally com of Jews, 
Genoese, Spaniards, and Moors: ‘The strength ‘of ‘the 
garrison generally consists‘of five regiments of infantry, 
six companies of artillery, and two companies of :mili- 
tary artificers; in all) about 4500 men. The fortifica- 
tions have recently undergone great improvements: 
The Waterport front has»been entirely rebuilt, and 
greatly strengthened, and carried farther out into the 
bay. The mundation at Land has beencarried 
close:into the. ‘body of ‘the rock by’ two deep) ditches; 
so as to render the approach to the «garrison. from the 
land ‘side completely imaccessible, except’ by the narrow 
causeway between the*bay-and the inundation. The 
upper batteries at Willis’s have been entirely rebuilt and 
greatly improved, anda néw magazine erected there, 
Extensive subtéerrancous' galleries have’ been ‘cut in the 
rock, with numerous embrasures in them, bearing on 
the isthmus-and the causeway leading to ‘the garrison, 
These batteries present a most formidable:flanking fire; 
which it would never be inithe power of a besieging 
army to’silence, ‘A new line of defence has also.been 
erected at Europa Point, at the’ southern ‘part. of the 
rock; to against any/attempts’ of an enemy to 
land in 'that?direction.. At Rosia Bay, immense.naval 
storehouses have been built ;:and a tank has been sunk 
there, which is capable of containing water suflicient 
for twenty sail of the line for sixmonths. A new pier 
2M 
, 
