Evening star., 1898-06-04
ODD TYPES IN GIBRALTAR
A Curious Lot of People From All Over the
World.
Britafn's Stern Fortress ON the Thres.
hold of Spain-Where Many
Ships Pass.
From the London Mail,

On the western slope of the rock of Glib
raltar Is the town. In the pictures it looks
ike a little scattering of houses, because
lts size Is dwarfed by the Titanic pile rising
behind 1t. When seen from the harbor It
looks as IL 1t had been tumbled down the
SIDE OF the mountain and had settled like a
snowdrlft at the base, with little patches
oil White scattered and caught in the rocks
h1gh on the slope. As matter of fact it
is city of 25,00O Inhabitants not counting
the military force, which numbers nearly
G,oOO, and the hundreds of people from all
Parts of the earth who linger there day
or two in passing. There is no place in the
world where so many ships pass as go daily
through the Strait of Gibraltar, and as a
consequence the people seen on the narrow
streets of the town comprise nearly all
known varieties of the human species
me town, which formerly was almost
entirely Spanish in it's population. stilI has
the distinct marks of Spanish occupancy
IN the character of its architecture and a
large part OF the present city directory is
mace up or names in the cgarbox Ian
glage. The Spaniards who have their
MONIES within the walls are naturalized
Britons now, for there is an ironciad mill
Iary regulation that makes it impossible
Tor Spaniard to live on the rock unless
ne has signified his allegiance to the queen
and the British flag There are thousands
OF tnem, however, who work in the town
durlns the day, but who live across the
narrow strip of neutral ground in the Span
ish town of Linea. Every morning thew
troop across from Spanish territory when
the gates of the fortified city are unlocked
ana every evening at sunset the firing of
gun teiis them that they must get out and
the thousands of senors and senoras hurry
out or the portals and stream In a motley
procession back to sunny Spain and the
alrty streets of Linea They are the real
y rd0 and It'll
the social tone of Gibraltar they certainly
I'LL the streets with comc-opera costumes
ana add an interesting ingredient to the
mixture of natIonaities.
Then there is the large population of En-
glish, and nothing is more picturesque than
the costumes of an Englshman. The uni
forms, full of color and smart trappings
OF the different military regiments that
swarm over the rock are bright spots in
every street crowd. and it would seem the
one object of those who control Gibraltar
is not to let any one forget that the place
IS military post. and the English are the
stars of the piece. There is a constant
display of military splendor in the streets
and squads of soldiers are marched back
and forth as If a siege was to be declared
that afternoon Officers on horseback ride
up and down through the town, returning
with monotonous regularity the salutes of
the soldiers who stride briSkly along the
walks. Young English officers in riding
suits. others in pink hunting coats and
give social tone to the conglomerate
throng of the street, and young English
girls on slender and spirited-looking horses
or in dogcarts, add a really festive air to
the spectacle.
You can tell one of the English, with
the inevitable mass of hair called the
bun jutting far out under the lee of
l.ttle straw hat, and with the fresh glow
of health in their faces that comes from
lots of outdoor exercise. They walk with
a swinging stride, and their shoes
heavy as a mans. They all seemed to be
wearing a bluish-gray sort of dress, which
must be the proper thing now with young
English ladies' little straw hat and, as a
general thing, they We're accompanied,
when walking, by fox terriers. One girl
who looked like the kind of young lady Du
Maurier used to draw carried stick, and
nobody seemed to show any alarming
amount of wonder at it. Old officers. gor-
geous in lace, in white helmets, else in
simple tUnic with farping ribbons across
their breasts, and piIlbox caps, ride briskly
through the town. jostling the little don
keys and rubbing against the yellow
horse hacks that rattle over the clean
cobblestones. Moors in flowing and volum-
nous garb and in various conditions of
cleanliness and respectability straggle
along in barelegged dignity, causing Won
der among the tourists fresh from the
west
Sailors from the different men-of- war in
the harbor. having days liberty shore
lurch along with the approved swing of
sad sea dog, in their best blue clothes and
with the names of strange ships worked
in their caps. Pretty Spanish girls look
down from under the green shutters that
swing out from the windows, and these
damselS generally are so attractive that
one is in great danger of running into
somebody or else being run over by a dom
key cart or a yellow hack. Tourists with
Norfolk jackets and guide books and field
glasses hung over their shoulders huddle
around the tourist agency reading letters
from home or waiting for other members
of their party who at that moment
buying photographs at a bazaar up the
street or watching soldiers drilling down
on the parade grounds.
1t is said that Alden and Singapore have
the most varied assortment of people in
the world, but Gibraltar ought to be adj
ded to the list, for hour on waterproof
street on a sunny afternoon will show you
almost as many kinds of people as one saw
on the Midway Plaisance during the Chica-
go fair.