Gibraltar. 
Spanish 
lines and 
forts de- 
stroyed. 
14th Feb. 
1810. 
Remarkable 
buildings. 
Mineralogi- 
eal struc- 
ture of the 
mountain. 
Caves, 
Fossil bones, 
274 
is also in the ‘course of being erected there, extending 
nearly three hundred yards into the sea ; which; when 
completed, will afford perfect shelter to four sail of the 
line, besides double that number of transports. The 
Spanish lines and forts, erected on the neutral ground, 
about a mile from the garrison, and which afforded 
great 8 ta a besieging army, were blown up 
and completely destroyed by the British, on the 14th 
of February 1810, on the approach of a French force 
towards that quarter. The guns and stores were pre- 
viously brought into Gibraltar. It is to be hoped that 
the British government will never consent to the resto- 
ration of these works, 
Among the most remarkable buildings at Gibraltar, 
the remains of the old Moorish castle are the most con- 
spicuous. It was erected by the Moors on their first 
invasion of Spain, and still retains the traces of its 
former magnificence. This antique structure is situa- 
ted on the north-west side of the hill, and originally con- 
sisted of a triple wall, the outer inclosure descending 
to the water’s edge ; but the lower parts have been long 
since removed, and the grand battery and Waterport 
erected on their ruins. The walls, at present standing, 
form an oblong square, at the upper angle of which is 
the principal tower, where the governor or alcaide re- 
sided. »A Moorish mosque still exists within the walls, 
ina state of entire preservation, having been used as 
one of the grand powder-magazines during the siege ; 
and there is also a neat Morisque court, and a reser- 
voir for water. ‘The other principal buildings are the 
Convent, or governor's quarters ; the lieutenant-gover- 
nor’s house, a modern structure; * the admiralty house, 
or naval provision store-house, + formerly a monastery 
of white friars; the soldiers’ barracks, victualling- 
office, store-house, south barracks, and the navy hos- 
pital. 
The principal mass of the mountain of Gibraltar, 
consists of a grey, dense, calcareous rock, by minera~- 
logists called primary marble; the different beds or 
strata of which may be examined, with great accuracy, 
in the north front, where there is a complete vertical 
section, of upwards of 1300 feet of the rock. The 
strata are from 20 to 50 feet in thickness, running near- 
ly from east to west, and having a dip in that direc- 
tion at an angle of about 35 degrees. This species of 
rock, when it occupies large districts, is always found 
to be cavernous. At Gibraltar, the caves are many, 
and some of great extent. The most remarkable is St 
Michael's cave, situated upon the southern part of the 
mountain, about 1000 feet above the level of the sea. 
The mouth is only five feet wide; but on descending 
a slope of earth, it widens considerably, leading to a 
spacious hall, incrusted with spar, and apparently sup- 
emer in the centre by a large massy stalactitical pil- 
ar. To this succeeds a long series of caves of diffi- 
cult access. The fossil bones which are found, of va- 
rious sizes, in the rock of Gibraltar, have frequently 
attracted the attention of naturalists. It was formerly 
supposed that these bones existed in a petrified state, 
and were enclosed in the solid calcareous rock; but 
Colonel Imrie, who examined them with great atten- 
tion, is of opinion that they have been swept, by heavy 
rains, at different periods, into the situations where 
they are now found, and having remained, for a long 
series of years, exposed to the permeating action of 
water, have become enveloped in, and cemented by, 
the calcareous matter which it deposits. And in con- 
* This buildi 
GIBRALTAR. 
_Musquitoes are exceedingly troublesome towards the 
ing was destroyed during the siege, and is still in ruins, having never been rebuilt. 
‘¥ It has been since sold, and the provisions removed to the new stones at Rosia, 
firmation of this opinion, he observes, that the appear- 
ance of these bones indicates calcination rather than 
petrifaction. protias ! 
The climate of Gibraltar is temperate and salubrious, | 
during the greater part of the year. From the circum. 
stance of its being surrounded on three sides by the 
sea, the summers are generally cooler, and the winters 
milder, than on either of the neighbouring continents. 
Snow falls seldom, and ice is a rarity. Vio showers 
of hail, however, are not uncommon during the win- 
ter. Heavy rains, high winds, and most tremendous 
thunder, with dreadfully vivid lightning, are the usual 
attendants on December and January. The summer 
months are extremely warm ; but the heat is frequent. 
ly alleviated by a constant refreshing westerly breeze 
rom the sea, which, from its invigorating and agree~ 
able coolness, is emphatically called the Doctor. Du- 
ring an easterly wind, or a Levanter as it is called, 
the top of the rock is commonly covered with a heavy 
dense vapour, through which the sun is seldom visible. 
At such periods, the effects of the climate are peculiar- 
Jy severe upon persons of delicate constitutions, parti« 
cularly such as are subject to pulmonary or rheumatic 
— ints. Consumptions generally prove fatal. 
The summit of the mountain is inhabited by a large Aniz 
species of ape ; an animal not to be found in any other 
part of Spain, and which is therefore thought to have 
been originally imported from Barbary by the Moors, 
Red-legged partridges are often found in coveys; wood- 
cocks and teal are sometimes, th rarely, seen; and 
wild rabbits are caught about Europa and Windmill hill. 
close of summer; and locusts are sometimes found. The 
scorpion, centipede, and other venomous reptiles, abound 
amongst the rocks and old buildings ; and the harmless 
green lizard and snake are frequently caught by the 
soldiers, who draw their teeth, and treat them with 
fondness. The mountain of Gibraltar presents an in- Botan 
teresting field to the botanist ; as it connects, in some prod 
measure, the Flora of Africa with that of Europe. Co. 
lonel James, in his elaborate history of Gibraltar, 
enumerates no less than 300 different herbs, which are 
to be found on various parts of the rock 
The trade of Gibraltar is very considerable ; that port 
being the great depot from which the neighbouring 
countries are supplied with British manufactures.. Du- 
ring the last war, between four and five thousand square 
rigged vessels arrived there upon an average yearly. 
Theimports from Great Britain, in some years, exi 
ed three millions sterling, being more than the whole 
of the exports to the West Indies. The expences of 
Sicily and Malta, and the money for the pay and main- 
tenance of the British army in Spain and Portugal, 
were chiefly defrayed by bills drawn on the British 
government, and discounted by the merchants at Gib- 
raltar ; to the amount, it is believed, in some years, of 
11 millions of dollars annually. The public revenues 
arise from the ground-rent of houses, the duties on wine 
and spirits sold:in taverns, the licence-duties on wines 
houses and taverns, and the auction duties; amounting, 
altogether, to about £35,000 sterling per annum. 4 
See Colonel James's History of the Herculean Straits; Aw 
Colonel Drinkwater’s History of the Siege of Gibraltar ; 
Annual Register, vol. xxv. for, 1782 ; Colonel Imrie’s 
Mineralogical. Description of Gibraltar, in the 4th vo- 
lume of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edin- 
burgh.—For the information relative to the present 
