APPENDIX. 215 



side, visiting it at different periods. I am astonished that 

 such a work has not already been undertaken by some of 

 the officers of the garrison. 



The customs of the place are adhered to with great pre- 

 cision. At first gun-fire, one hour before sunset, the 

 land-port gate is closed, not to be again opened till morn- 

 ing ; soon afterwards, the gate on the road to Europa- 

 point is closed. On going out at night* no one can walk 

 about the streets without being the bearer of a pass and 

 of a lantern, by which the sentinel can read. I was 

 ignorant of this rule, and coming away very late from a 

 ball given by the governor, I was stopped by a sentinel, 

 who would not give credit to my explanations, and I found 

 myself on the point of passing the night in a guard-room, 

 when the words " foreign officer" occurred to me, and, by 

 using this expression, I fortunately got out of the scrape. 



When one reflects on the enormous expense which 

 Gibraltar causes the English, one naturally asks, what 

 are the advantages which compensate for this enormous 

 expenditure ? It is not the contraband commerce, although 

 that is of some importance, and as a shelter for the fleet 

 this point offers still fewer resources ; there is only one 

 safe anchorage, and even in that, vessels of large size are 

 in great danger from the gusts of wind which blow from 

 the straits ; but as a military post Gibraltar is of a very 

 high utility, and will be even more so now that the great 

 political interests seem to be concentrated in the basin of 

 the Mediterranean. It is one of the links of that chain 

 which England tries to fasten between herself and her 

 establishments in India, and by means of which she has 

 already created a vast system of communication. 



* After twelve o'clock. Trans. 



