480 THE GREAT SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR. 
are now all taking away. ‘heir Magazines and Guard Houses are well 
constructed being slopes of Timber against the Fascine work, well 
covered with thick Plank or rather Timbers, the former, of which they 
had many, were well ramed with clay and sandbags and held only about 
8 Barrels of Powder each, made up in Cartridges which they brought 
every night. The Communication betwixt the Batteries had a Banquet 
about half way from the Top to the Bottom and 4 or 5 Fascines broad 
for the men to be drawn up on and very easy to be got down or assaulted, 
their ditches in their Front were all lined with Fascines, but were soon 
filled with sand as we could see long ago. The Empetrardo Battery 
had six guns, fixed on a kind of wooden Mortar Bed sunk very deep in 
the ground. The floor of their works or batteries was all ramed Clay, 
very hard, and easily kept free from sand. The sleepers of the Mortar 
Platforms were about 7 inches thick of which they were 8 deep well put 
together and ramed with Clay, their splinter proofs were chiefly in the 
Mortar Batteries which were well Traversed and very high, the other 
splinter proofs in the branches were very slender but covered over with 
daubed canvas apparently to keep out the Rain, and if one may judge 
from circumstances their People though in the T'renches were not nearl 
so exposed as ours either to the weather oreventhe enemy. They allow 
having had 1200 killed and 400 disabled, but the chief of their loss 
must have been at the times their works were on fire (for the working 
parties always shifted from the place they saw us, when we did fire, fire 
at) which is surprizing did not happen oftener from their being so 
crowded with Fascines, but the red hot shot were much wanted, our 
shells chiefly 13 Inch being too heavy and sunk too deep into the sand, 
want of 10 Inch for that service, and our very small ones could only 
annoy the Patroles and Straglers. Their Mortar Beds are much 
smaller than ours, or one cut horizontally through the center.” 
Other interesting Artillery items are— 
“11th May.—Ince’s gallery has 10 Embrasures and an air hole broke 
out, and is about 600 and odd feet long, the 9th Chamber or Cave is 
large enough for a Guard Room, has 2 doors and is tolerably dry.” 
‘3rd June.—Ince’s gallery got to within a few yards of the notch, 
anda gallery is now making to it on the outside from the furthest 
Hmbrasure.” 
“18th July.—Most of the Junkship guns are expected to be got up. 
An Algerine dives and slings them.” 
Such is the contemporary chronicle of the Great Siege—one of the 
greatest in history, as written by one who took an active part in the 
defence. From certain signs I think that the actual diary before me 
was probably not written up day by day during the siege, but was 
written out afterwards from notes taken no doubt on the spot and 
afterwards brought into the form of ajournal. 
Whether this is the case or not I think that everyone must agree that 
this diary is of very great interest both for historians and for military 
men, and especially I think for gunners, whose arm of necessity played 
so conspicuous a part in the defence. 
The many references to Artillery matters made by Captain Spilsbury 
