The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-19

In 1860 Gafibaldi, the italian patriot,
entered Sicily with 1000 volunteers Pal
ermo and Messna were soon taken and
he became dictator of the island. In
his attacks upon Austria he Dame
in collision with his own government
and we find him soon afterward plann-
Ing his we'll known invasion of Rome
His career in the COS, his association
with Victor Emanuel and the subse-
quent change in the Italian government
are of tno recent occurrence to need
special mention. Perhaps it 10 not gen.
orally known that after his banishment
from Sardinia, Garibaldi came to New
York in the summer of 1850 and earned
a living making candles in manufao-
tory on Staten Island until he resumed
his occupation of mariner. Some years
later he returned to New York in SOM
mand of Peruvian bark, and in 1887,
when he was imprisoned during one of
bis raids In Itay, he protested az an Ital-
liam deputy, and it was an American
Citizen who effected bis release. While
he was planning his attack upon Rome
an excited crowd gathered In one OF the
| plazas in Genoa, determined to compass
his death, and saw tho little shop into
which Gariabldi entered. and having ex-
changed his uniform for tho dress of the
shopkeeper, passed out through the mad
dened multitude and made good his es-
cape. 1t II a sourcs of great interest and
narrow, ovsrshadowsl streets of old
Genoa; to look up the long vista of the
lanes and alloys, whore the protruding
bay windows nearly souoh each other;
to eaton the scent Of tho numerous roof
gardens, where the poorest families have
their brilliant flowers and graceful vines
and to drop into an old curio shop here
or studio Of strug Cling, but gifted
artist there, and deal In small gatherings
or still smaller chat. ALI Italians are
willing to sell, but they are anxious TO
talk.
In one of my walks through Genoa
found, in most cirouitous little street,
the house owned for while by the par
ents of Christopher Columbus, and where
brief period Of the great explorers boy
hood was spent. It 10 marked appropri-
translating the italian sentences, from
the neighboring houses number Of we'll
informed persons saluted me, and with
In short time was the receptacle of
fund of information that am sure would
have been startlingly novel to Christie
pher himself. Standing upon the deck
of the magnitlcent German Lloyd steamer
I nd 10
our kind friends of Genoa on beautiful
morning, and passing over the calm
waters Of the gulf, as the crown of the
queenly city was lost to view, we turned
our course toward southern Spain.
/ The Mediterranean was on its best be-
havior, and, in due time, We were N
the swift current Of the straight OF Glib
raltar, which connects the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean ana lies between the
southernmost part of Spain, from Cape
Europa to Cape Trafalgar, and the Afri-
can coast from Centapoint on the east to
Cape 6patrel on the west. The ex treme
length of the strait is about SO miles,
and the narrowest point is only nine
miles,
1t Is estimated that the greatest depth
of the water Is $50 fathoms. and where
the two continents are close together
there is strong central current. from
three to five miles an hour, setting In
constantly from the ocean to the SEQ.
Two smaller currents, one along each
shore, ebb and flow with the tide, pass
ing alternately into the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean n. Both nature and art
have done much to make Gibraltar the
most imprsgnable citadel In the world.
The great rock forms promontory
three miles long from north to south.
| and about seven milss in circumference.
1t Is connected with the mainland Of
| Spain by fiat, sandy isthmus not more
than one and half miles long and three
quarters of mile wide. ACROSS this
strip of land two rows Of sentry boxes
mark the Spanish and English lines,
the neutral ground" being the space
between them.
The material Of the rock Is gray pri-
mary limestone and marble Its high
est point is betwee 1900 and 1900 feet
above the sea. The north, east ana west
sides of the rock are SO steep az to be
nearly inaccessible; and Ii 10 perforated
by large number Of caverns, many of
which can not be easily entered, and
show remarkable formations. The view
of Gibraltar from the sea would lead you
to infer that it was entirely barren. but
upon closer inspection you find that Its
surface is covered by acacia, fg and orange
trees, large variety or odoriferous
plants and numerous wild shrubs. It 10
said that the only Wild monkeys in Eur
ope are found here, and all those seen
were of fawn color and tailless. The
value of Glib altar as q strategic point
caused 1t to be bono of 0 ontention DUR
ing many centuries. Under tn Q Spanish
crown it was so fortified a. to bc.reRarded
as imprsgnable; but in 1904 tt was taken
by combined effort of the English and
Dutch feet, and 1t was confirmed to
| nr;koir hv tho tu ,F TJ&ranh&