46 TOPOGRAPHY 



The South-district is cooler by one or two degrees 

 than the town. There are very commodious houses in 

 this locality, many of these well-situated, and com- 

 manding a full view of the heautiful hay and the 

 coasts of Spain and Africa ; to some of these houses 

 small gardens are attached. The habitations of the 

 poorer classes, even in this district, are too crowded, 

 and the generality of them in very bad repair. 



Catalan bay is on the east side of the rock, facing 

 the Mediterranean. The small village attached to it 

 is picturesquely situated near the shore, bounded on 

 three sides by the rock ; on the southern aspect is 

 also the immense mound of blown sand, which attracts 

 the attention of even the casual visitor. The ap- 

 proach to Catalan bay is, after leaving the garrison, 

 by a road on the left of the bay-side guard ; this road 

 runs round the base of the northern side of the rock, 

 having the neutral ground before it, and it terminates 

 in a bridle-path, about a quarter of a mile from Cata- 

 lan bay ; this pathway is rather dangerous, from the 

 nature of the sandy soil, and a deep precipice over- 

 hanging the sea on the left side of the road ; danger 

 is always to be apprehended from the rolling down of 

 loose fragments of the rock, a casualty to which the 

 little village is also liable. There have been instances 

 of large blocks of the rock rolling over into the 

 interior of the houses through the roof. The late 

 commanding officer's quarter was thus visited on 

 one occasion by a heavy boulder, but the family for- 

 tunately escaped being hurt. During tempestuous 

 weather, the sea approaches some of the houses, and 



