464 THE GREAT SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. 
“1st October (Sunday).—A bout 2 a.m. the Dons erected the first of the 
Mill Battery and set fire to the Huts and Canes in the Gardens, and 
hung fire Machines on the Palisadoes of Bayside and Forbes’s, and set 
fire to the latter but the Guard put it out. The Dons advanced under 
cover of heaps of dung, Rubbish, &c. that have long been let to remain 
before these outposts ; the guards fired several shots, but the Dons hid 
themselves immediately—in short those are bad works and were badly 
managed.” 
“9th October.—Queen’s Lines making. The Rubbish &c. leveled 
before Bayside and Forbes’s and the large Stones broke and the Holes 
filled up to prevent the Dons secreting themselves there, and Casks put 
up by way of Breastwork within the Palisadoes, but after alla miserable 
work and poor invention.” 
“26th October.—Last night the advanced work made as big again. 
Much firing on our side.” 
“ 19th November.—Last night the Gun Boats came again and on our 
firing an Iron 32 Pr. on the King’s Bastion it burst and killed one of 
the Artillery and wounded three other men of different Regts :—several 
large pieces flew about the Town.” 
26th November.—They have begun their approaches to the advanced 
work from their Lines, and have fired small arms and drove in our 
gardeners, and the Gun Boats have drove in our men of war to the New 
Mole and most of their Vessels are gone to the Westward.” 
“ 20th December.—Arrived the Speedwell King’s Cutter with Dis- 
patches, but no News, great secretcy at Head Quarters.” 
“Last night the Water run in such Floods at Willis’s that one of the 
Gunners was carried down by it and broke his Thigh.” 
“‘The Marksmen have mounted Guard for some time at the Lines, 
and fire frequently on the Dons at work, but they make game of 
them.” 
The year 1871 opened unfavourably for the besieged Garrison of 
Gibraltar, for the Emperor of Morocco had been induced to let his 
three ports of Tetuan, Tangier and Larache to the Spaniards, with the 
result that the supplies from that country, on which Gibraltar so 
largely depended, were cut off, and the English Consuls and many 
of the English inhabitants of those places were obliged to leave. 
« 25rd January.—A 18 Inch Mortar mounted on the highest part of 
the N. Rock on a Swivel Platform, and answers very well. Yesterday 
a Sergeant of the 56th deserted from Lower Forbesses Guard, and one 
Hardenberg deserted down the back of the Rock, and the Master of 
St. Firming killed himself by drinking.” 
“28th January.—The Governor has given gratuities for having fired 
and kept a good look out, and now they fire pretty often.” 
“ 30th January.—Tried a gun at 2, 4, and 5 Degrees elevation lashed 
so as not to recoil, and again unlashed and free, when the latter went 
the farthest. At 2 degrees it ricocheed 6 times and went farther than 
at 5 degrees when it ricocheed only twice.” 
“26th February.—Several experiments made on Platforms of Guns 
and Mortars. One by laying Junk with a Spindle in the Centre by 
