The union Democrat., 1870-07-23
NUMBER 4.
The R.ck ef ssi6raisaf.

| Admiral Semmes, of Alahsma memory, IN
his Memoirs of Service Afoat. describes his
visit TO the Rock Of Gibraltar a. follows
| The famous underground ssgalleriesa Af
| the Rock of Gibraltar, are huge tunnels,
blasted and bored, foot BY foot, in Che living
rock, sufficiently wide and deep to admit at
the placing and working af heavy artillery.
Tney are from one third Of mile to halfa
mile ia length, and there are threc tiers OF
them rising one above the other: tha emhras-
| ures or portfolios of which resemble, when
viewed from q distance. those Of an old-time
two decker. Resides these galleries for the
artillery, there have also been excavased in
the solid rock ample magazines, and store
and provision rooms, and tanks for the reeer-
tion Of water. These receptiacies are kent
constantly well supplied with munitions, both
de guerre aud de houche. that If the garrison
should be driven from the fortfcations below
it could retreat to this citadel. close the mas
sive doors behind them, and Withstand q
siege.
We passed through all the galleries. as
cending from one to the other, through lnng
rough-hewn stairway-the Colonel frequent
ly stopping, and explaining 10 me tho history
of some particular nook or battlement-untn
we finally emerged into the open air through
port hole or doorway at the very tor of ths
rock. and stood upon narrow footwav or
platform, looking sheer rrecipice Of fifteen
hundred feet, upon the sea breaking in min.
iature waves of the base of the rock. There
was no rail to guard one from the precipice
below, and could but wonder at the nom
chaience with which the Colonel stenped out
upon the narrow ledge, and walked some
yards to get view of tae distant coast of
Spain, expecting me to follow him. did
follow him. but planted my feet very firmly
and carefully, feeling all the while some such
emptiness in the region Of the s'bread bas-
ket,' as Maryatt describes Peter Simple 20
have experienced when the first shot whistled
past hatyoung man in his frst naval engage
ment. The object of his flank movement was
to show me famous height some distance in-
land called "Queen Of Spain's Chair," ard
to relate to me the legend in connection with
it. The rock of Gibraltar has always been
the darling of Spain. 1t has been twice
wrested from her, once by the Moors, and
once by the English. She regained it from
the Moors when she drove them out of her
southern provinces, after an occupation of
eight hundred years Some of the Moorish
castles are still visible. Afterward, an Eng
lish naval captain, returning from some ex-
pedition u2 the Mediterranean in which be
had been unsuccessful, stormed and captured
the Rock with a handful of sailors. Spain,
mortified beyond measure at the result, made
strenuous efforts to recover it. In 1852 she
bent all her energies in this direction, and
fitted out large expeditions, by land and sea,
for the purpose. The Queen came down from
Madrid to witness the seige, and causing her
tent to be pitched near the "Chair,h vowed
she would never leave it until she saw the
! flag of Spain floating once more from the Gov
cred battlements. But General Elliot, with
a small garrison, beat the immense arma.
ments, and the Spaniards, for they were then
compelled to raise the siege. Bot the poor
Queen of Spain what was to become Of her
and her vow. English gallantry came to her
relief. The Spanish flag was raised for
single day from the Rock. to enable the Queen
to descend from her chair The reader will
judge whether this legend was worth the
emptiness in the "bread-basket" which had
experienced, in order to get at it.