The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-05-04
LETTER FROM ITALY.
oor.e,pondencss Sc the aichmondDi,patch.

| u LIZ IL LIE u ltOln 1lNA
Cor.espondencesf the HichmondD dispatch.
/ A NAPLES, April o, 1869.
/ Since nv last communication have per-
formed pretty extensive stretch OF travel,
and seen as much as might be made to oc-
cupy dozen letters, but all Of which am
compelled 10 condense into one. at last
accounts we had reached Gibraltar, into
which stronghold We entered, as It were. by
| the skin of our teeth; for, martial law
rulipp here, they are strict constructionists
as to the time during which ingress is per
| mittsd through their gates--a time on the
very point Of expiring when we arrived.
Soon after taking up my abode in their
midst / was 80 fortunate as to elicit the
notice of one Of the local police. He was 8
functionary who reminded me irresistibly
Of Mr.. Byrd Page, whilom q policeman OF
| my native town, whose name was IN my
earlier years portent and terror to me.
This functionary perambulated the place
with stick having crooked handle, which.
| In similitude Of Mr.. Page, he waved ss rod
az iron over the heads Of the little boys OF Glib
| raItar. made HIS acquaintance while he was
| adjusting DISPUTE between two old ladies
over certain piece Of chamber furniture
which both claimed to have purchased in
the public market. He seemed to take
fancy to me, from the smiles Of appreciation
which I bestowed upon his summary mode
of adjudicating the affair, and kindly illumi--,
| mated me concerning all things % note
Gibraltar, the synonyme all the world
over for impregnability, is an enormous
rock, three miles lorg and | ,430 feet high.
IT has been compared in shape to lion,
and the comparison is certainly not unjust.
| This rock is tunnelled from near its base
| to it's top into series Of passages, and at
| intervals is excsvated into spacious cham
bers. in the walls. Of which numerous en-
brasures are made-all done at an enor-
NOUS expenditure of money and labor. All
around and over the rock ere Notifications
OF different kinds, many Of them at points
| pslpably unassailable ; and despite the fact
| that the place is already absolutely proof
against any assault, they are still erecting
additional works of the most elaborate and
costly character. Not only would no ma
ton be SO foolhardy as to attempt it's cap
ture, but it would prove Of very little value
Z y
found to be not unprevalent opinion, it
by no means commands the straits. No
vessel need come in gun-shot Of it, and al
most its only use is as a depot for supplies,
or a place Of refuge for feet worsted in
storm or battle. r5.-r
To the lofty summit Of this rock I as
cended-a job which involved considera-
bic wear and tear Of the muscular system,
and entailed death and destruction upon
shoe-leather. Here is signal station, and
from it the view is one Of the grandest, en-
bracing in its range large portions Of
Africa and Spain, the Mediterranean sea,
and the Atlantic ocean. Below lies the
town of Gibraltar, nesting at the base and
clinging to the sides of the rock. The town
| is inhabited by 9 mixture Of English,
| spaniards, and Moors, and it is enlivened
| by the constant passage Of bodies Of the
military, making it perfect paradise for
| the boys, who can follow the warriors
around from morning till night. 1t is
pleasing to the eye to see these ine-looking
red-coated soldiers. some of them clad in
pantaloons of black cloth, and others in
pantaloons made apparently of rag. carpet
ing (Which, I suppose, is q kind of Scotch
plaid) while the ear is no less interested
in hearing the clatter of kettle drums, the
shrin whistle of flies, and the mortal
grooming of the bag-pipes. At evening
gun-fre grand combination Of all these
musical appliances is wont to 60 over the
town, with On effect which is electrical to
one not unused to it. One of their favorite
evening hymns, if not the "Rogue's
March, is something of appalling likeness
to it; and another is the great Yankee
melody of Tramp! Tramp" which, by
the way, hear in almost every town l
enter. But, after all, Gibraltar is g. spot
which possesses no abiding interest for any
but those who relish the pomp and circum-
stance of glorious WARRIOR which, after the
showing up to the front which l not long ego
had from my southern brethren, and the
chasing back to the rear which got from
the fierce men of the North, for one am
free to confess have no great stomach.
| While at Gibraltar we took occasion to
make an excursion over to Africa ccun-
try of absorbing interest to me from the
vast influence it has had in shaping the des-
TIMES of my own people; and I rejoice tina:
I have been permitted to visit this the
fatherland Of the Hon. Lewis Lindsey and
the rest of the new order Of Statesmen ap-
pointed to regenerate the South. We went
to Tangier, in Morocco, about thirty miles
from Gibraltar. There were several pas
sengers on the steamer, between two of
whom most instructive discussion arose
concerning faith, works, and being born
again, which to our great loss was most IN
happily concluded by one of the disputants
getting irremediably sea-sick just as he was
on the point of convincing US that his views
were correct-a conclusion still more infe-
licitous in that it afforded his opponent
plausible ground for claiming q great vic
tory. When we reached Tangier multi
tude of boats came off loaded with Arabs
eager to take us ashore, in one Of which
we embarked under the guidance Of q
fat yellow Moor, whose face looked for all
the world as if it had been peppered with
peas during a raid on q watermelon patch.
After an enormous delay, occasioned by
swearing and bawling at, and attempting to
throw overheard, a surreptitious boatman
who had interpolated himself amongst the
crew, we started, and soon got as far as the
boats could go; at which point it was ne
cessary to ride ashore on the backs of men,
who offered themselves freely in this capa-
city. Almost before Iknew it little Arab
pulled my legs around his neck and bolted
off with me. Being equipped with an over
coat, q carpet-bsg, a cane, and my COM
| l1oo1, hoyfla ~ oIi m ont