Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-04-12

Dahn OI Il oto"h IeS'Hi'H', called H.,
Camcronian Regiment, play sco,,A
music at he Kings Bastiun. Bm :
haze come down the Rock, and mu,.
return, at least part Of the wa, bacL
to the Signal Station.
Our road, after passing through N.
gate which is near the top of a wall
reaching down the dccliyity Of tLa|
Rock, with one interruption. to barbo,
continues to slam gradually down L.
face of the Rock, and points nearly
south. By and by We begin to ascend
towards the southern peak, where s, |
Georges Tower, commonly called q
Hara.s Folly, remains in the l,,iu,r.
state in which he lightning Lft it,
Imagine long and toilsome walk o,pr
o military path, wide enough for car.
riages, covered rather than paved viii,
long sharp stones, now changing f"
zlg.zag. and at length bringing you I,
the top Of the Rock. This peak. vbe,
seen from the Signal Station, from
which it is divided by a deep notch
looked like a wedge standing on it,
base, or a very acute pyramid.-TM
Hal surface on the top is not more than
five rods across, and the descent on TIN
sides is perpendicular for nearly hsN
the distance from the ground. Gen.
O'Hara built the little round tower herr
to communicate by telegraphs with Ca. |
diz; but tie intervening mountains
were too high to be overlooked in tina,
manner-indeed they seemed to grow
taller as fast as he built and when b.
had done, Cadiz and Csdiz bay wer
still invisible. He placed sentinel
there, however, as he did not like to
acknowledge that he was wiser than
before he began to build, and he kept
the show of having not labored in vain,
until the lightning threw down one sid
of his tower, and killed the sentry
the view is admirable. The Spanisl
mountains are visible on the N. and n.
E.-the Mediterranean stretches away
to the horizon like the Atlantic, aud
the little ships far below, give one a
diminutive idea of the dangers of the
seas. An inscription Oh stone de.
cIares the height of the peak to be l47o|
feet. This, / believe, is the highest
part of the Rock.
st. Michael's Care is the only rel
naming object of curiosity. The en-
trance to it is about one quarter The
distance down the Rock, and is a5Ou
as large as three common doors. For
merly the entrance was double being
di, ided by a natural column of stalae.
tite, but that has been entirely carried
away. as l am told in the pockets d
visitors, each being DESTROYS Of a pies
from 80 wonderful a place. An artif.
cial drain pours great quantities Of W.
ter into this entrance in rainy weathGi
which fluids some passage out farther
than any human being has ever pene
trated. Fortunately it was at this TIM
dry. The bottom OF the cavern sIope
rapidly from the entrance to the dl'
lance of about 100 feet, and then begins
to rise. The room in which We found
when we had reached little
hilIock near the farther side of it, is
probably 20 feet wide and 60 feet high,
As the whole is lighted by the door al
most every thing is indistinctly seen
This, however, serves but to heighten
the effect. Several irregular columns
reach from the floor to the roof. and
misshapen masses lie about the aoor
and depend from above, on all sides
yet are not so frequent as to shut oH
much of the feeble light, nor to d.
tract the eye. The roof is very rough
with stalactical icicles Of various sizes
either single or collected into bundles J
and the whole being Of a uniform DARK
color, | could hardly convince myself
that was not IN some ancient halt ra'
nous G., THO hall or cathedral. l caugl!
myself tracing the old carved work.
the pointed arches, the intricate P'a1
Of the ornaments. But this is not ALL
Still farther on, we could just dlsIla.
guish columns, and passages, and roofs
more and more dim!y retiring to"ard'
utter darkness; w!riIe high on 'n0
right, a new burst of light showed o.
other communication with the air.
wished to proceed farther: but we were
informed it would be very dangerous
without torches. Large halls were 70
be seen beyond, and branching PasSa.
ges; but it is necessary to keep clos
l.