20 
LETTERS FROM 
The part of the hill opposite us has a deso¬ 
late and barren aspect, the vegetation con¬ 
sisting chiefly of low, stunted bushes, but 
towards the bottom are some pretty houses 
and gardens, surrounded with hedges of ge¬ 
raniums. We can also distinguish with a 
telescope many aloes and prickly-pear 
bushes growing apparently wild among the 
rocks. On nearly the highest point is a small 
signal-tower, from which a gun is fired at 
sunset and again at eight o’clock, imme¬ 
diately after which we hear the drums of the 
different regiments beating to quarters. At 
present there are said to be about five 
thousand men in the garrison, and upwards 
of four hundred guns on the batteries. 
I had hoped to have seen, by the help of 
a telescope, some of the monkeys which still 
inhabit the upper part of the rock, but 1 
have since been told that the few which 
