Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-07-12
The Rock Of Gibraltar.

The following interesting description oe
mat important osItion known under this
caption is from recent letter written to
the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, by
Hon, James o. Putnam, of Buffalo:
The British Lion when It took Gibrai-
lar TO itself and threw Tarifa to Spain, ad-
mlrably initiated mat royal beast of Esop,
who made a ike division of spoils among
the contestant beasts, taking the chief
share 20 himself. Standing as i, does az
The straits, and commanding their entrance,
Il IS an important adjunct to the power of
England It's doubtful whether she would
long retain her india possessions If she had
not control OF this gateway TO the East
Long may she hold It against her foes,
and may she Continue 10 govern an empire
whose masses are incapable of self gov
ernment, and who have no government by
heir chiefs fl 10 be called legitimate au-
thorlty. Probably the creates, piece os
hlIbusterIng perpetrated In the modern
age, was Engian 5 conquest of the Indies,
and although Give aud Hastings left
bloody records behind them, and although
The co2querer has fallen Tar short of her
high duty TO India, 1t cannot be questioned
for the forcible possession bv the descen-
dants OF the great Norman fillIbusler who
lad In race the foundations OF the best
civilization the world ever knew. THIS
general proposition, | maintain, as " firm
as The Rock or Gibraltar" and this brings
me 10 show well fortified il is, Cor many
man has rounded his rhetoric with this
flourish, without the slightes, idea of the
strength he claimed for his position.
Imagine, then, rock about three miles
IA length and a mile In width at The wide.
est point, and is seventeen hundred feer
IN height al lis highest eIec aiion, tower
Ing up between the Spanish aud African
c0as.s, apparently for no other purpose
than to give some power the control of
his passage winch gives the west com
munlcauon with The east. Then imagine
i almost precIpitous on the side towards
The Mediterranean, towering, at the low
est point, at least thousand feet above
The sea, against which the combined ma
vies OF the world would be as important
as the waves which break al It's base
Then picture 10 yourself the side which
forms the harbor-thfs being little lake
which makes around The western side OF
The rock, InterpoSlng between 1t and The
Spanish cOast-from point 50 feet above
the waters edge, fortified by all the de-
fences which masonry and engineering
can devise, and these tortlacatIons mount
ed by guns al least every ten yards. and
repeated ba -leries along the side cf the
rock tor a. least half lis height then su-
perald - these immense galleries exca-
valed for more than mile into the rock
itself, through which an army of mounted
cavalry can rIde. out Of which open fre-
quent port holes. at each of which IS
mounted a ,wen,y-four FOUNDER, these gall
lerIes leading TO immense magazines,
(the latter not exhibited to the public y
then fancy force of nearly four thou
sand troops for general defence, having
in charge these eight hundred mouuted
guns, and the garrison provlsioned for
four or five years siege, and you VIII have
sofDe idea OF the strength Of this fcrtlfica-
tlon. and conclude with me that upon no
principle yet known 10 the world II tlio
science Of gunne.y, can Gibraltar ever
be taken By force. AS the terms Of peace,
GreaI Britain may be compelled by some
treaty TO yield it 10 Spain al the dIc,ation
Of France, but by mere attack of siege,
never. Ia one other way 1t may be lost
to England. Connected by an isthmus OF
abou, a quarter of uiEe ID width with
the Spanish main land, il could be gained
10 Spain by lreachery. The seduction
from fidelity of few sentinels might,
possibly, give an invading army posses
SION of Gibraltar.
Tie scenery about the rock IS pictu-
rescue in the extreme. The town itself
is i huddIe OF brown houses at the foot OF
the rock and on lis westerly side,,h home
OF about twenty thousand people, repre-
seutatives OF. you would suppose. all the
nations Of the earth. The tarbaued Moor
IS the most noticeable, who, IN the full
costume of his nation you meet every
where. The Moor OF the better class Is
observable 10 less for his handsome and
mapl, features. his lofty bearing and
stately carriage. There IS majesty in all
his movements. All, If be were siil IN
Granada ,
Gibraltar IS strictly garrison town,
and everything IS under military rute.-
Those :. .fnartial airs with which En-
gland .scircIes the earth daily" will greet
YOU a. morn, at noon, and " dewy eve"
Alternating with God save the KING"
and Rule Britannia by flii brass band,
YOU viii hear the national airs Of Scotland
sroaned out by her pipes, the favorite
music os the bills and valleys OF Scotia.