THE GREAT SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. 471 
18th April.—The Dons have made a great number of Traverses, and 
a work about half way across the Istmus for small Arms.” 
“ 16th May.—About 6 a.m. the Charles, Hlianora and Charlotte Store 
Ships standing for the Bay were spoke to by the Spanish Gun Boats, 
and hoisted French Colours and appeared to stand for Algazeras, but 
when left to themselves they hoisted English Colours, and came safe in. 
The Dons saw their mistake and did what they could to intercept them 
but were too late. They brought about 2,000 Barrels of Powder and 
shells for 832 pounder guns.” 
29th May.—Lieut. Whetham 58th to do duty with the Artillery 
when he chuses and to command next to an officer.” 
A very interesting period of the siege is that now about to com- 
mence. It had been evident for some time that a determined effort 
was about to be made to reduce the place, and great preparations were 
going on in the Spanish Lines and along the shore. A certain 
Chevalier d’Arcon had devised a scheme early in the year by which he 
thought Gibraltar might be taken. It consisted in attacking it from 
the sea by bombproof boats. 
“ Tncombustibles et insubmersibles” as their French inventor claimed 
them to be. In appearance they seem to have resembled Noah’s Ark, 
or the popular idea of that ancient ship—and their wooden roofs were 
permeated with water by an ingenious arrangement of pipes. It 
was claimed that no shot—not even a red-hot one—could set them on 
fire, and as the wood work was very thick they could not be penetrated. 
I have read a very interesting pamphlet written by the Chevalier in his 
defence and published in Cadiz in 1783. <A copy of it is now in the 
Gibraltar library. 
Spilsbury gives several carefully drawn pictures of these curious 
vessels. Besides the Chevalier several other distinguished persons 
joined the besieger’s camp about this period eager to witness the 
closing scene in that long-protracted drama ‘The Siege of Gibraltar.” 
On our side we had not been idle. lieut.-General Boyd—the 
Lieutenant Governor of the place—had conceived the idea that red- 
hot shot would be most efficacious against the enemy’s gunboats— 
whether modelled on d’Arcon’s plan or not, and furnaces were con- 
structed in large numbers, some of which may yet be seen on the 
Rock. Another great addition to the strength of the fortress was 
commenced about this time in the shape of the rock cut galleries first 
suggested by Sergt. Ince. Curiously enough Spilsbury first mentions 
both these developments of the defence in the same entry—that for 
June 7th 1782, it runs thus— 
“Tn practising red hot shot from the King’s Bastion, one man was 
blown to pieces and 3 wounded. 2 Briggs from the eastward alarmed 
the whole Tribe of the Dons. A Gallery is Blasting in the North Face 
of the Rock above Willis’s to get to the Hook or a prominent piece of 
Rock, to make a Batty. there, one man is killed and 2 wounded.” 
This undoubtedly refers to the Upper Galleries, and the “‘ Hook ” ig 
probably what we now know as St. George’s Hall. 
“ 71th June.—About 10 a.m. an expense magazine Princess Ann’s 
Battery, Willis’s blew up by a shell from the Dons, about 100 Barrels 
