The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-01

friend In London who suggested Ills
method OF reaching this latitude. OF
course We had some rough seas, for,
like tho crew OF tho Nancy Bell, VIC
sailed the Bay Of BiScRy," but then 1t
was pleasant down tho chores OF Portu-
gal and Spain and along tho coast OF
Africa, and We passed the historic carcs
Mt ST. Vincent and Trafalgar, where
Nelson made England mistress OF the
seas and did for Napoleon on water
what Wellington completed OIL land.
Then, too, | had somewhat the game dc.
sire 10 sec Gibratar--thc greatest iorti.
1cation in the world-thnt had TO sec
Waterloo, for long ago had read tho
story Of tho five years oil seigc by the
combined navics OF France and Spain
and OF their final and terrible repulso
by the English garrison ut tho time
their grand iloti.la OF assault was set
on fire and burned blythe red hot shot
that bclched from tho port holes in the
great rock. Then II was that Gibraltar
rained such "a fire OF hell'' on It's would.
be captors that no power has since that
time sccn fit to contest its possession,
and for hundred yearG England has
quietly held tho fort that sweeps tho
strait thRt connects tho two seas.
A BURIAL AT SEA.
Just az wo camc into that strait early
on tho lust day OF tho old year, and just
as we had met tho sun and tho balmy
breezes OF tho African coast, the only
melancholy incident Of tho voyage oc-
curred-thc burial OF little child ct
sea. The stalwart and grizzly British
captain read tho solemn service for tho
dead, and ending with the words that
commit tho remains to the waters OF
the deep, ho tonderly tipped the board
on which laid the heavily loaded sack
aud launched amid tho sobs OF n heart
broken mother the inanimate body OF
her child into the wild waste below.
This British captain was q iavoritc
with everyone on the ship, and with no
one more than myself, us well he might
be, for there was no end to the patience
with which he answered my many
questions and supplied INC with in
formation from his charts, his library
and his wcll-stored mind. He had
sailed these seas from his youth, and
since 1854 had been in the service OF the
2. & o. company, and he knew the
routcto India rs well as Captain McIurc
used to know the Ohio between Wheel
ing and Gncinnati-thia long route OF
5000 miles between London and. Cal.
eutta. Despite its foss and its climate,
England breeds model clNss OF sea-
meI. Itseems rs II the whercwithal,
whatever it is, that produces them
comes into the British Isles to spawn.
When in London ! went down the
river one Sunday to Greenwich and
saw the youngsters from the training
ships going to chapel-boys oil ten TO
fifteen years OF age-and finer lot OF
brawny youngsters l never saw under
one roof than this assortment OF the
Queens nayvies." I presume the
British navy, officers and men, was
mover more effectively manned than it
is today.
At GIBRALTAR.
We landed at Gibraltar early in the
day OF December 81, and every body,
not disabled by sea sickness, went
ashore. Our steamer anchored in the
bay about quarter OF Il mile from the
shelving ledge OF the great rock, which,
longitudinaliy, reminded me not little
OF Wheeling hill. We had Capt. Miller,
OF tho training ship Conway, at Liver
pool, with our special party, and he was
well up on all the things nautical, and
after getting O permit at the conf
mandant's office We had the service OF
non.commissioned officer OF the army
one OF the 5000 soldiers stationed
thereto show lis through section or
two OF the great cavernous rock; made
cayernous not by nature but by. the
pick and drill and chiscl OF man,
which, like "the continual dripping that
wears the stonc," had YIELDED inch by
inch, cubic loot by cubic foot, until at
last, after two hundred years OF occupa-
ton by Great Britain lacking l2 years.
there was labyrinthian confederation
of cells and chambers and passage ways
rs bewldcring to US as over the famous
Cretan labyrinth could have been to
visitors in its day.
We clambercd up through covered
ways to 4 height where we could lool;
out through the great portnolcs upon
the mainland oil Spain, upon the blue
Mediterranean Unto which We had not
yet entercd) and across the strait into
Tangiers in Africa. twas an imposing
sight, especially when We were told that
the whole front next the bay was un.
derminod for dynamite, ready to be
blown up by electric touch in case an
enemy should effect landing. 1t is
well enough Tor the powers to know
this alarming fact through tho INTELLI-
GEScIR il they are not already aware Of
it.
There is an isthmus that connects Glib,
raltar with the Spanish main,and. The
Alcalde Tor whatever he is) OF that part
OF Spain always signs himself as govern.
or OF Gibraltar temporarily in posses.
sion OF England" Ten years OF pcacea.
Bile possession gives title to real estate
in West Virginia, I believe, but it seems
to require something more than that in
Spain. However 4 writ OF cjcctment
that could not be made effective in five
years bombardmcnt is not likely to be
reissued by the governor very SOON
The English apparently hold 4 pretty
firm grip on all the levant with Gibral
tar, Malta, Cyprus and Egypt in thcil
possession.
INTERVIEW WITH A MAHoMEDAN.
Our passenger list included n number
OF people in the first and second cabins
who were returning to India, such as
officers OF the army and traders OF Va
rious occupations. We had also some
Indian natives who had been on visit
to England, and among them sort o
Parseo judge who spoke exceedingly
good English and was quite intelligent
lie had acquired his education entirely