Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1869-12-31
NOTES OF FOREIGN TRAVEL.
BY A CITIZEN OF INDEPENDENCE,

darkness shut out from our sight the whit,
walls and lofty spires of the beautiful city
now, as in Lord Byron's time, the home 0
the most beautiful women in Europe. Th'
wind was light and ahead, and we were
compelled to run off our course, SO tha
morning found us westward of the Straits o
Gibraltar, nearly as far from port as wher
we left Cadiz. We had light wind from
the west all the following day, and worked
slowly eastward, SO that at daylight on the
30th. we had passed Cape Spartel and the
Bay of Tangiers, and were off the light
house and town Of Tarifa on the Spanish
side, When it was fairly light the captain
sent down to have US come up and see the
Straits and approaches to the Rock Of
Gibraltar. 1t had rainel heavily all night
and as came on deck the clouds were
hanging dull and misty about the hills
which rise up on either side of the Straits.
The sun came up as out OF the waters OF
the Mediterranean, Lut his golden disk socn
passed beneath the bank of clouds that
hung above the eastern horizon. Bn,
gradually these passed away, and we had the
uninterrupted force of the warm rays flood
ing the atmosphere, and saw the Rock OIL
Gibraltar clearly outlined against the sky,
while on the coast opposite, Mt. Bellones,
or Apes Hill, lifted its cone-shaped SUNNI,
above the clouds which hung about its sides
Gibraltar Rock on the Spanish, formerly
C ,led Mt. Calpe, aud Nj. Bellones on the
African side, formerly called Mt Abyla,
constituted the celebrated pillars of Her.
cules of the ancienis, and were for long pc
riods, the limit Of western navigation, as il
was supposed that the waters passed out OF
the Straits and fell down over a precipice
that constituted the limit of the the earth
on the western side.
Gradually we approached the Rock, and
marked the batteries on Europa Point, its
southernmost extremity. Rounding finally
the point of Carnero, the whole western
slope of the Rock, with its batteries and
signal station, and the town Of Gibraltar,
and TIE scores of vessels and coal-hulks in
the Bay, came into full view. Upon the
summit of a hill to the north, was the Span
isb town of San Rogue, and upon the west
ern side of the Bay, the city of Algeciras,
once the scene OF a sangunary naval com
bat between the French aid Engllsh. On
all the elevated points on both sides OF the
Straits and around the Bay, could be seen
the signal towers Of the Spauiards and
Moors, which extend around the whole of
their coasts, and which were used centuries
ago to telegraph h the approach Of an enemy.
Passing up to the northern extremity Of the
Bay we came to anchor, about nine o'c'ock
in the moruing, having beaten the y. s.
Steamer Richmond, which left Cadiz s houl s
in advance Of us. In an hour the y. S.
Steamer Juniata came in from Lisbon, ant,
during the morning, the Richmond also
came in and anchored.
The Rock of Gibraltar forms peninsula
viii !! extends into the Mediterranean two
miles from the main.land. 1t is connected
with the mai-land by n narrow, sandy 18th.
mus, over which the sea has uAdonbtedlv
swept at one time. Part of this isthmus
is occupied by the English aud part by the
Spanish sentries, but considerable space
between the two lines is common to both
nations, and is known as the ''neutral
ground" The northern face Of the Roc k
rises perpendicularly above this sandy plain
to the height of 1900 feet. At intervals
along the face of the rock can be seen en-
brasures cut through the rock, and strong
batteries of guns are mounted in wide gal
leries that are cut through the solid rock,
one above another, to the extent of two o.
three miles. These galleries are wide
enough to admit of the guns being dragged
through them easily, and high enough to en-
able us to ride through them on horseback.
The guns command every point Of the up
per Bay and the sandy isthmus. and the
galleries make covered way for the troops,
who can be moved from place to place en-
tirely out of the reach of hostile fire. The
perpendicular face along nearly its whole
length of two miles, but batteries are
mounted near its southern extremity. Eu-
ropa Point, which extends the fartnest into
the sea, and the whole western front alon.
the By, presents a continuous ARRAY OF
strong forts, bris,lng with cannon and
commanding every approach, making the
Rock one OF the strongest fortified places in
the world. The land on the western side
rises gradually from the water, and it is
here that the town is built, which contains
aboat eight or ten thousand inhabitants, be.
sides the garrison, which numbers between
four and five thousand. The ,own extends
nearly along the whole western face of the
Rock, and the houses are built far up tie
side, the upper ones being reached by zig
zag streets and flights of stone steps. Hall
way up the side can be seen an old Moorish
mosque, and two walls running up to the
summit were erected by the Spaniards and
the Moors, when each held part of the
Rock. The Moors we're the first to recog
nize the stragetic value of the place, and
occupied and fortified it in the eighth cen
tury, when they oyerran and conquered
Spain. A signal tower is placed upon the
top of one OF the points, 1890 feet high
from which every vessel which passes j,
and out of the Straits is reported to the
Governor. The highest point Of the Rock
is 500 feet, and Il view from it takes in
the Mediterranean on the east, the spurs o
the Atlas Mountains in Africa on the south
the tall summi,s Of the Sierra de Ronda, n
Spain on the north aud west, while spread
out below you are the towns and forts, and
bay dotted with vessels, and several Span
ish villages surrounding the Bay. Gibral
tar is a great coaling station for steamers
passing in and out of the Straits, aud ma
ny call here every day Many sailing yes
sells call in going and coming, while men
of.war of several nationalilies have beer
here since our arrival. The place has alst
much trade with the Moslems of the Afri
can coast and with Spain, SO that the street,
are filed with faces and dresses of almos
every nationality. The authorities, howev
er, discourage settlement, and no one is al
lowed to stay within the walls above Ger
tain length of time, without permit, anc
they keep up the old-time habit Of closing
the gates of the city Il little after shutdown
and opening them only two or three time.
up to twelve o'clock, when further ingress
or egress is cut off until morning. 1t is thu
resort Of mary contrabandists and Snug
glers, who snuggle goods into Spain. Thi
seems to be done very openly. As the cap
tain and l were coming off the ship tn,
other afternoon, a Spanish lugger passe,
us filled with men and women, healing 10
the Spanish city Of Algeciras. We wer,
somewhat surprised TO sec the men strip
ping themselves, but soon discovered ,ha
they were busiy engaged in padding them
selves with tobacco and other contraban
goods, over which they drew their clothes
The extent of the padding. however, show
ed very clearly that they had no lynx-eye,
guardians Of the revenue to run the guant
let Of on the other side Doubtless tn