SPAIN. 531 



The River Tonnes runs by this city, and has a bridge over it of 25 

 arches, built by the Romans, and yet entire. The population is about 

 15,000. 



Toledo is one of the most ancient cities in Spain, and during seve- 

 ral centuries it held the rank of its metropolis. But the neighbour- 

 hood of Madrid has by degrees stripped it of its numerous inhabitants, 

 and it would have been almost entirely deserted but for its cathedral, 

 the income of which being in great part spent here, contributes chiefly 

 to the maintenance of the few thousands that are left, and assists, in. 

 some degree, those small manufactures of sword-blades and silk stuffs 

 that are established in this city. It is now exceedingly ill built, poor, 

 and mean. This city is said to have formerly contained 200,000 in- 

 habitants; they now do not exceed 25,000. 



Burgos was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Castile, but is 

 now in obscurity. The cathedral is one of the most magnificent struc- 

 tures, of the Gothic kind, now in Europe. Its form is exactly the 

 same as that of York-minster, and on the east end is an octagon build- 

 ing, exactly like the chapter-house at York. Number of inhabitants 

 10,000. 



Gibraltar, once a celebrated town and fortress of Andalusia, is at 

 present in possession of Great Britain. Till the arrival of the Sara- 

 cens in Spain, which took place in 711, or 712, the rock of Gibraltar 

 went by the name of Mons Cal/ie. On their arrival, a fonress was 

 built upon it, and it obtained the name of Gibel Tariff, or Mount Tariff, 

 from the name of their general, and thence Gibraltar. It was in the 

 possession of the Spaniards and Moors by turns, till it was taken from 

 the former by a combined fleet of English and Dutch ships, under the 

 command of sir George Rooke, in 1704, and this rather through acci- 

 dent than any thing else. The prince of Hesse, with 1800 men, land- 

 ed on the isthmus ; but an attack on that side was found to be imprac- 

 ticable, on account of the steepness of the rock. The fleet fired 15,000 

 shot, without making any impression on the works ; so that the for- 

 tress seems to be equally impregnable both to the British and Spa- 

 niards, except by famine. At last, a party of sailors, having got merry 

 with grog, rowed close under the New Mole in their boats ; and as 

 they saw that the garrison, which consisted only of 100 men, did not 

 mind them, they were encouraged to attempt a landing ; and having 

 mounted the mole, hoisted a red jacket as signal of possession. This 

 being immediately observed from the fleet, more boats and sailors 

 were sent out, who, in like manner, having ascended the works, pot 

 possession of a battery, and soon obliged the town to surrender. After 

 many fruitless attempts to recover it, it was confirmed to the English 

 by the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713. Repeated attempts have since been 

 made to wrest it from England, but without success; the war pre- 

 ceding the last rendered it more famous than ever, when it underwent 

 a long siege against the united forces of Spain and France, by land 

 and sea, and was gallantly defended by general Elliot and his garrison, 

 to the great loss and disgrace of the assailants ; though it must be 

 granted the place is by nature almost impregnable. Near 300 pieces 

 of cannon of different bores, and chiefly brass, which were sunk be- 

 fore the port in the floating batteries, were raised and sold, for the 

 use of the garrison. It is a commodious port, and formed natui ally 

 for commanding the passage of the Straits, or, in other words", the 

 entrance into the Mediterranean and Levant seas. But the road is 

 neither safe against an enemy nor storms : the bay is about twenty 



