| Inter efling Defeription of Gibraltar. 
fome miffionaries to convert them to our 
faith, to the holy profeflion of Magotilm, 
without which no man can be faved. 
Their bodies are undoubtedly ours, by 
every law human and divine: and we 
fhall fend them to the fhambles by thou- 
fands, according to the ttatutes of Tihi, 
concerning peace and war. 
forbid that we fhould not previoufly en- 
deavour to fave their fouls, for we cannot 
fell that aerial part. If a few myriads 
be roafted by a flow fire, and remarkably 
well bafted, I could almoft anfwer for 
the converfion of the remainder, Adieu! 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HE inclofed letter was written by a 
young artift on his way to Rome, 
with a view of prefecuting his ftudies in 
the line of his profeflion. As it contains 
a fuller and more curious defcription of 
the rock of Gibraltar than I have ever 
feen, I cannot but hope that it will prove 
acceptable to your readers. 
roth April, 1798. I.S. 
DEAR SIR, Sept. 22. 
You will, no doubt, be furprifed when 
you find by this letter, thet weare ftill at 
Gaibraltario° #4 Phe) finelt part ot 
the year is pafling rapidly away, and 
the time, which might be ufefully em- 
ployed, is diflipated in langor and chagrin. 
How different are the emotions with which 
I now contemplate this celebrated fortrefs, 
to thofe I experienced when we firft caft 
anchor before it. Then my foul was 
tran{ported with enthufiafm, and fo eager 
was I to vilit it, that I had nearly been pre- 
cipitated into the fea through my impa- 
tience to get on fhore. At prefent it appears 
likea melancholy memento of timeunprofi- 
tably wafted, and only excites fenlations of 
unavailing anxiety and regret. Notwith- 
ftanding, as it muft always be confidered, 
inevery point of view, as a moft intereft- 
ing object, I fhall make it the principal 
fubjeét of this letter. We arrived in the 
bay of Gibraltar on the night of Friday 
the 28th of Auguit, and came to an anchor 
about twelve o'clock. The following 
morning we changed our ftation, and got 
clofer to the town. ‘At+nine an officer 
came on board for our certificate of health; 
previoufiy to the delivery of which, no one 
is permitted to land. ‘The rock of Gi- 
braltar has the appearance of an immenfe 
ma{§ of calcined ttone; the upper part of 
it, as feen from the bay, looks as it com- 
poled of a brownifh pumice ftone; {ome 
part of it has the texture of that half vitri- 
tiem: * | 
But heaven . 
243 
fied fubftance found in our culinary fires, 
commonly called clinkers, and a confider- - 
able portion of it exhibits a furface very 
‘fimilar to the drofs of iron. When there 
is an eaft wind, a denfe cloud is {een to reft _ 
on its fummit; this cloud is called by 
failors itscap. One fhould be led to fup- 
pofe, from the variety of drefles, manners, 
forms, and phyfiognomies, that throng the. 
landing place and principal ftreet of the. 
town, that there was a grand convention 
eftablifhed here, in whichevery nation had 
its reprefentative. ‘The habits of fome of 
the Moors throw you back to the age of 
the apoftles, and their countenances are 
marked with all that energy, fo much ad- 
mired in the fublime compoiitions of Ra- 
phael. I faw fandals on the feet of a 
Greek exactly fimilar to thofe of the an- 
cients. ‘The only articles that are cheap 
here, are, Malaga and Catalonia wines, 
fruit, Barbary fowls, fifh, and atew Eait 
India commodities. Mackarel are a penny 
each; a fine bream, fufficient for the din- 
ner of three perfons, a quarter of a dol- 
lar; a water melon, fixpence; the fineft 
grapes three halfpence a pound; large 
onions a penny a pound ; the wines about 
ten-pence abottle. Their butter is exe- 
crable; their meat very indifferent, and 
both very dear, as is indeed every thing: - 
elfe: I omitted the fowls; they are gene- 
rally about three dollars the dozen. The 
charge at public places of entertainment, 
fora very moderate dinner, is never lefs 
than a dollar perhead. No perfon is fuf- 
fered to vifit the upper parts of the, rock, 
or thecurious works, which are conftruct- 
ed in them, without a permit from the go- 
vernor. It requires a day to go over it, 
and you muft provide yourlelves with a 
number of neceflaries to enable you to 
perform the journey with pleafure. As I 
was one of a party who gota permit, I will 
conclude this account of Gibraltar with 
an extraét from my journal which relates - 
to our expedition. ‘The day being arrived 
that had been appointed for our excurfien, 
I ict off earlyinthe morning, and met the 
company on board the ** * * brig,  Se- 
veral articles were provided, both to ena- 
ble us to fatisfy our curiofity with conve- 
niency, and to refrefh us when fatigued ; 
befides refrefhments, we had coarfe jackets 
and trowfers; candles, fiambeaux, flint - 
and fteel, and a tinder box: we had alfo 
four failors to carry our rattle traps. When 
we had reached the rock, bya tolerable 
eafy defcent, we arrived at the lower range 
of the fubterrancous galleries. The idea 
of forming thefe galleries was originally 
cenceived by the late covernef’ Elliot, and 
by 
