night a large party marched down to the Devil's Tower, where they immediately broke ground, and began a communication with their other work. This party were greatly annoyed in marching to their post, but were soon under cover of the rock, where the guns could not be depressed to bear upon them. Numbers of the enemy deserted to the garrison, by whom, on the 17th, the lieutenant-governor was informed that they were constructing a mine, in a cave under Willis's, with an intention, if possible, to blow up that battery. The engineers on this intelligence reconnoitered the cave; which, after some difficulty, they discovered, with a sentry at the entrance; and a party was immediately stationed to annoy the communication with musketry. On the morning of the 22nd, the count opened on the garrison, with seventeen pieces of cannon, besides mortars. The day following Brigadier Kane left the garrison, to detach a reinforcement from Minorca. In the mean time Sir Charles Wager and Admiral Hopson, with the fleet under their command, were constantly distressing the enemy, by intercepting their homeward-bound ships; and the prizes which were brought into the bay greatly benefited the besieged. The 3rd of March, the enemy opened a new battery of 22 guns on the old mole and town; and on the 8th, another of 15 guns, bearing also upon the old mole, which, it seems, proved a troublesome battery to the western flank of their approaches. The lieutenant-governor continued a constant and well-directed fire from all the batteries that bore upon their works: but the ordnance in general being old were bursting daily on the batteries; by which accidents the garrison experienced more casualties than from all the fire of the enemy. The 27th, Col. Middleton's regiment arrived, also six companies and a half of Col. Hay's, with two engineers, a captain of artillery, and several bombardiers, gunners, and matrosses, with 140 recruits for the other regiments. The admirals, the 2nd of April, formed the design of bombarding Alge ziras, whence the enemy were constantly supplied with various articles of ammunition; but the ships, after getting under way, were becalmed, and obliged to come to anchor; after which the navy never gave themselves any further concern about annoying them in that quarter. On the 10th Colonel Cosby arrived in the Solebay, with 500 men, from Minorca; and two days following the admirals sailed to the westward, leaving Commodore Davies behind, with six men-of-war and the sloops. Sir Charles did not return during the siege. The 16th, the lieutenant-governor ordered two serjeants, with ten men each, to advance from the spur-guard, under the rock, and along the causeway, and alarm the enemy in the trenches; giving them directions to retire when they found their guards sufficiently alarmed, when he intended to salute them with grape, &c. from Willis's and the lines. These orders were executed, and the enemy instantly beat to arms; but the bombardier appointed to give the signal to the batteries, firing too soon, the enemy saw through the design, and retired without any considerable loss. Lord Portmore, the governor, arrived on the 21st, with a battalion of guards, and another of the line; also Colonel Watson, of the artillery, with several noblemen as volunteers. The 26th the count opened a new battery against Willis's and the extremity of Prince's lines. Their batteries now mounted sixty cannon, besides mortars, In the beginning of May the garrison had intelligence that the enemy designed an assault: precautions were accordingly taken, and the guns on the lower defences loaded with grape. The Spaniards added still to their approaches, and raised various communications to and from their advanced batteries. Towards the 16th and 20th their firing abated, but their engineers proceeded in advancing their trenches. On the 31st a vessel arrived with 375 barrels of powder from Lisbon. June the 3rd the Solebay came in, with a further supply of 980 barrels of pow der and 500 thirteen-inch shells, from Mahon. The firing continued till the 12th, when about ten at night Colonel Fitzgerald, of the Irish brigade, beat a parley, and being admitted into the garrison, delivered letters to Lord Portmore from the Dutch minister at the court of Madrid, with a copy of the preliminaries of a general peace; whereupon a suspension of arms took place and all hostilities ceased on both sides. The garrison lost in the whole about 300 killed and wounded; and 70 cannon, with 30 mortars, burst during the siege. The enemy's casualties could never be ascertained. In killed, wounded, &c. it was computed they lost near 3000 men. When Lord Portmore and the count agreed to a cessation, the Spaniards of course were compelled to forsake the mine under Willis's: their parties, however, taking possession of it a second time, his lordship considered it as a breach of the articles of cessation, and represented it accordingly. The count afterwards withdrew; the works were dismantled and levelled, and the troops retreated to their different cantonments. The Spaniards during this siege never made the least attempt to cut off the communication by sea; so that the garrison was regularly supplied with provisions and fascines from Barbary, and had a regular correspondence with England. In 1728 the Parliament of Great Britain addressed his Majesty King George II., to take effectual care, in the treaty then pending, to preserve his undoubted right to Gibraltar and the island of Minorca. Overtures had been made by his Majesty George I. to restore the former to Spain, if the parliament would have consented to such restitution; but the minister, finding an opposition, declined proceeding in the business. In 1730 Lieut.-Gen. Sabine was governor of Gibraltar. The Spaniards during his government erected the forts and lines across the isthmus, about a mile from the garrison, which effectually prevent any communication with the country, and, as we have experienced, are of considerable advantage in case of a siege. The western fort, called St. Philip's, entirely commands the best anchorage on the side of the bay next the garrison. Lieut.Gen. Columbine succeeded General Sabine, and he was succeeded by Lieut.Gen. Hargrave. General Bland was appointed governor in 1749, at which time a general relief of troops took place. The establishment at that period was four battalions of infantry and a company of artillery. Lord George Beauclerk and the Hon. General Herbert were severally commandants in the absence of General Bland; and in 1755 Lieut.Gen. Fowkes was deputed governor. Lord Tyrawley succeeded him, in whose absence the Earl of Panmure was commandant. Earl Home was afterwards governor, and died there in 1761. During the government of this nobleman, about the year 1760, an incident occurred, which, as it alarmed the garrison very much at that time, is deserving of notice. Two British regiments had been a very considerable time on that station, and, from the continuance of the war, saw little prospect of being relieved. Amongst these a conspiracy was formed by some disaffected persons to surprise, plunder, and massacre their officers, and in short all whom they judged to be averse to their designs. After securing the money which was intended for the payment of the troops, they meant to purchase for themselves a secure retreat, by surrendering this so much wished-for fortress into the hands of Spain. The numbers who joined the conspirators were not fewer than 730. An accidental quarrel in a wine-house defeated this dangerous project, and produced a discovery. Reed, a private in the seventh regiment, was executed on the grand parade as the ringleader; and ten others were condemned. After the death of Lord Home, Colonel Tovey and Major-General Parslow were each commandants, till the Hon. Lieut.-Gen. Cornwallis was appointed governor. During this general's absence from the garrison, Colonel Irwin was commandant; and on General Cornwallis leaving Gibraltar a second time, Major-Gen. Boyd, In lieutenant-governor, commanded. this general's government the garrison was considerably strengthened with three new bastions on the sea-line, and additional improvements at the southward. In 1776 the Right Hon. General George Augustus Eliott was appointed governor of that important fortress, and joined his command in 1777. In 1787 General Eliott, who had been honoured in 1783 with the Order of the Bath for his glorious defence of Gibraltar, returned to England, and Major-General O'Hara was appointed commandant during his absence. CHAPTER II. Description of the Rock, with the Fortifications and Town of Gibraltar-Remains of Moorish Architecture-Natural Curiosities-Climate-Vegetation-Fish; and whence supplied with Cattle, &c.-Military establishment-Description of the Bay-Algeziras-Some accounts of the ancient City of Carteia-St. Roque-Conclusive Remarks. As the History which is to be the subject of the following pages will be more in detail than the preceding narrative, it may on some accounts be necessary, and cannot on any, I flatter myself, be disagreeable, to present the reader with a short description of this celebrated rock, and the fortifications which have been erected for its defence. The promontory, or rock, at the foot of which stands the town, is upwards of 1300 feet in height; projecting into the sea several miles from the continent, with which it is connected by an isthmus of low sand. This appearance makes it not improbable that Mons Calpe in former ages has been totally surrounded by the sea. The north front of the peninsula, which presents itself to the main land, is of various heights. The breadth of the isthmus, at the foot of the rock, is about 900 yards; but it grows considerably wider towards the country. Across this isthmus (which, with Gibraltar and the opposite coast, forms the bay) the Spaniards have drawn a fortified line at about a mile's distance from the garrison, extending 1700 yards, and embracing both shores: a fort of masonry is erected at each extremity, mounting 23 or 24 guns each; these forts are of different forms, and are called Fort St. Philip and Fort St. Barbara. The former of them commands the best and the usual anchoring place of our shipping and small craft, and, by forming a cross fire with Fort St. Barbara on the neutral ground, prevents all communication between the garrison and the country. The rock, as I have mentioned before, is upwards of 1300 feet perpendicular above the level of the sea; and is separated by a ridge from north to south, dividing it into two unequal parts. The western front or division is a gradual slope, interspersed with precipices; but the opposite side, looking to the Mediterranean, and the north front facing the Spanish lines, are both naturally very steep, and totally inaccessible. It is this peculiar circumstance which forms the chief strength of Gibraltar. The town is built at the foot of the north-west face of the hill, and is fortified in an irregular manner. The communication with it from the isthmus is by a long narrow causeway (serving as a dam to an inundation), which is defended by a curtain, with two bastions, mounting 26 pieces of cannon, a dry ditch, covered way, and glacis well mined. These, with the causeway, are warmly flanked by the King's, Queen's, and Prince's lines; works cut in the rock with immense labour, and scarped to be almost inaccessible. Above the lines are the batteries at Willis's, and others at different heights, until they crown the summit of the rock, where several batteries are erected for cannon and mortars. These batteries, the lowest of which is upwards of 400 feet above the neutral ground, mount between 50 and 60 pieces of heavy ordnance, and entirely command the isthmus below. Exclusive of what are here mentioned, additional works of a singular nature were projected in 1782, which, with others in the lines, on a similar plan, that are (1789) executing under the direction of protected by natural defences than by fortifications. A shoal of sharp rocks extends along the front far into the bay, and prevents ships of large burthen from approaching very near the walls. Major-General O'Hara, will render Gi- | The town on the sea-line is not less braltar almost impregnable in that quarter. The old mole, to the west of the grand battery, forms also a very formidable flank, and, with the lines, a cross-fire on the causeway and neutral ground. This battery has been found so great an annoyance to the besiegers, that, by way of distinction, it has long been known under the appellation of the Devil's Tongue. Indeed, the ordnance in the lines, upon the grand battery, and the old mole, all together, exhibit so formidable an appearance to a spectator on the causeway, that the entrance into the garrison is called by the Spaniards the Mouth of Fire. From the grand battery, along the sea-line, looking towards the bay, the town is defended by the North, Montague's, Prince of Orange's, King's, and South bastions; the line-wall or curtains between which mount many cannon and mortars. Montague's, Prince of Orange's, and King's bastions have been erected lately. The latter is a very complete piece of fortification, commanding the bay from New to Old mole heads, and mounting 12 thirtytwo pounders and four ten-inch howitzers in front, 10 guns and howitzers on its flanks, and has casemates for 800 men, with kitchens and ovens for cooking. Montague's is much smaller, mounts only 12 pieces of cannon, but has a casemate for 200 men, communicating with the Old mole. In 1782 the engineers began a cavalier upon this bastion for 2 guns; but it was not finished till after the grand attack in September. Another work of this nature was likewise erected in the beginning of the blockade, for 5 guns, on the north bastion of the grand battery. *These bastions and the connecting curtains were so much injured in the last siege, that it was thought necessary to take them down, and strengthen this part of the town fortifications by an extensive line of new works projecting to a considerable distance into the sea; the foundations of which were laid in 1788. Many officers, however, doubt whether the substantial defences of Gibraltar are improved by these alterations. Some ad ditions were likewise made in the same place to the Grand battery and at Land Port, where they were more wanted. From the south bastion (which is considerably higher than the rest of the works, in order to protect the town from the eminences on the red sands) a curtain extends up the face of the hill, and concludes, at an inaccessible precipice, the works of the town. In this curtain is the South-port gate, before which, and the south bastion, is a dry ditch, with a covered way and glacis. At the east end, on the declivity of the hill, above the gate, is a large flat bastion connected with the curtain, and mounting 13 guns, bearing on the bay, &c. This work is covered by a demi-bastion that joins the precipice. Above the precipice, an old Moorish wall is continued to the ridge of the rock; in the front of which a curtain with loop-holes and redans (built in the reign of the Emperor Charles V., and called after his name) extends to the top, effectually cutting off all communication in that quarter. Between the Moorish and Charles the Fifth's walls is the signal-house; whence, on a serene and clear day, the guard have an unbounded view of the Mediterranean, and can just observe a part of the Atlantic Ocean over the Spanish mountains. Signals formerly were made at this post on the appearance of topsail vessels from east and west; but soon after the commencement of the late war we discovered that the Spanish cruisers were more frequently informed of the approach of our friends by our signals than by their own. The signals were therefore discontinued during the siege, but were resumed after the general peace of 1783. The above account comprehends a general description of the fortifications of the town, avoiding too minute a detail of each work. I shall therefore proceed in describing, in the same general manner, the works to the south ward. From the south bastion a line-wall |