NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GIBRALTAR. 191 



A small gratuity to the fat old lady in charge of this 

 antiquated mansion, will procure the tourist admission 

 to the turret, which commands a very extensive view 

 of the sierras of Spain. Notwithstanding the pre- 

 sent dilapidated condition of this castle, a handful of 

 troops and a few cannons would be quite sufficient to 

 defend it against almost any besieging army, the 

 ascent to it is so difficult, and the height nearly 2,000 

 feet. Tired and exhausted, the writer, in company 

 with a few friends, arrived within the castle walls, 

 where nothing else was to be obtained in the shape of 

 refreshment than vino-bianco and a crust of bread, 

 which to the hungry was as acceptable as any dish 

 prepared by a Spanish cook. It was a hot summer's 

 day, and the plants we gathered were unfit for drying ; 

 but a hasty survey of the vegetation of this neigh- 

 bourhood gave a very favourable idea of its richness. 

 In the ravines below, the crimson flowers of the Ne- 

 rium oleander enliven the masses of green formed by 

 a hundred other plants, among which are found 

 Arbutus Unedo, Viburnum Tinus, Laurus nobilis, and 

 occasionally Rhododendron ponticum, a plant more 

 frequently met with nearer Algesiras, and supposed 

 to have been introduced by the Moors. On the 

 heights above these interesting species of plants, 

 Phylleria media, P. augustifolia, Olea europea, 

 Rhamnus oleoides, R. lycioides, Myrtus communis, 

 and Chamaerops humilis occur in great abundance; 

 among these are scattered a number of orchideous 

 plants, the most common forms being Ophrys lutea, 

 O. apifera, Peristylus cordatus, and Serapias lingua. 



