THE GREAT SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. 473 
continued from the Tank to the 8 Gun Battery. 6 of the Junk ships 
are hauled out, and the Deserter says about the 15th of next month, 
the Dons will be ready.” 
The deserter was quite right. The long threatened attack from 
which so much was expected was at last about to take place, and on 
the 13th of September 1782 exactly a hundred years before the battle 
of Tel-el-Kebir (18th September 1882), the bomb ships, ten in 
number, were anchored off the King’s Bastion, and the action com- 
menced. Spilsbury gives particulars of the preliminary actions as 
follows : 
“8th September.—At 7 a.m. by the Lt. Governor’s desire our 
Battys. began their utmost fire of Red hot Shot &c. on their advanced 
works, kept it up till 4 p.m., and destroyed the Mahon Battery.” 
The list of Guards and Picquets given by the diarist agrees in most 
particulars with that given by Drinkwater, and added to it are pictures 
of the enemy’s Junk Ships, and our own Gunboats and Prames. Very 
carefully drawn are these ships, notably the representation of the 
“ Pastora Junk Ship—Don Buena Ventura Morena—Admiral.” 
Pastora Junk Ship—Don Buena Ventura Morena—Admiral. 
On the 9th September the besiegers made a signal and commenced 
a heavy fire from all their works, while their “ Admiral with five ships 
of the line stood within gun and fired at the vessels and garrison, one 
or two shot came on shore, but they made themselves very ridiculous.” 
“About 6 P.M. about 15 Gun Boats came and attacked the King’s 
Bastion, but being within Grape Shot they stayed only half an hour.” 
This attack was continued the next day, and Spilsbury says—“ It 
was ridiculous enough to see one of the ships put about whilst firing, 
and the men at some of the guns not being informed of it kept firing 
the same guns, being then the contrary way.” 
He adds: “ According to our calculation they fired in the first 24 
hours about 6,000 shot and shells.” 
On the 11th of September the heavy firing continued and Spilsbury 
calculates that the enemy fired 120 to 200 rounds per hour during the 
64 
