MINORCA, one of the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea, now belonging to the crown of Spain. Its history is the same as that of the adjacent islands of the same group, till the year 1708, when, in the war of the Spanish succession, it was captured by a force consisting of a fleet of English ships, and a land army composed of English marines and some battalions of Spaniards, Italians, and Portuguese, which Count Starembourg, the imperial general at Barcelona, had furnished to the English general Stanhope. To this force, after some short time, the garrison surrendered, and the inhabitants submitted to the English government. The peace of Utrecht in 1712 fixed the island in the hands of the possessors, with whom it continued till 1758. At the breaking out of that war, a French force landed at Minorca, and invested the citadel of St Philip, in which Blakeney with an insufficient army commanded. Admiral Byng with a fleet was despatched to his relief; but not having acted with the decision that was anticipated, and having withdrawn to refit at Gibraltar, Blakeney, after as gallant a defence as could be made, was compelled to surrender. The French retained their conquest til] the year 1763, when, by the peace of Paris, it was again given up to the English. Soon after that cession, a great number of the natives were induced, by a body of speculators in England, to emigrate to the province of East Florida, which by the same treaty had been delivered up to Great Britain. The colony consisted of more than a thousand individuals, including females and children, who were indented to a Dr Turnbull, the agent of the company, and landed to the south of St Augustine, where they were employed in the cultivation of the land in the manner to which they had been accustomed. But discontents in a few years broke out, and some law proceedings at lengtíi dissolved the engagements, when the settlers removed to St Augustine, abandoning the establishment called New Smyrna, and found occupation in various ways. They have, however, multiplied so much in the sixty years since their emigration, that their descendants formed the mass of the population at the period when East Florida became one of the states of the North zlmerican Union.

Minorca was captured by the Spaniards in 1782, but in 1798 was again taken possession of by the British; and by the peace of Amiens in the year 1802 it was finally ceded to Spain, whose dominion over it has not since been disturbed.

This island is about thirty-eight miles from Majorca, and 120 from the coast of Spain. The exact position of the parade in George Town, near Port Mahon, as ascertained by a mean of several astronomical observations, is 39. 52. 55. north latitude, and 4. 20. east longitude from Greenwich. The whole extent is about 240 square miles. About one quarter of the land is cultivated, and about one half is pasture, the remainder being neglected and sterile. There are no woods, although abundance of myrtle shrubs grow in some parts, and are used for tanning leather, for brooms, and also for fuel. In the interior of the island there are a few small brooks only, and very few wells, many of which are brackish; and hence most of the houses are provided with cisterns for supplying the inhabitants with rain water. Both wheat and barley are grown, but not sufficient to feed the population; so that one third of the consumption is supplied by importation. On the other hand, fruits of all kinds are very abundant, especially melons, grapes, and oranges. The wine is plentiful, and both the red and the white are of excellent flavour and of great strength. The chief rural wealth, however, consists of the live stock. There are excellent breeds of asses of very large size and of great strength, and the mules arising from their crosses with horses are held in the highest estimation. There are said to be between 6000 and 7000 cows, from which cheese is made, that by some is preferred to the produce of Lodi in Italy. The sheep are stated to be 45,000, and the goats 5500; whilst the swine, fattened till they weigh from 450 to 500 pounds, are more than 10,000 in number.

The island is divided into four districts, called terminas, viz. Cittadella, Mercadel, Alayor, and Mahon. The inhabitants all adhere to the Catholic church with great zeal, and with not a little superstition. The number is estimated at 31,800. The fishing on the shores gives occupation to many; whilst some few are employed in obtaining marble, slate, and limestone, from the quarries. The climate is in general very healthy, being cooled in the summer by the breezes from the sea, and not being liable to frost or snow in the winter. The complexion and features of the natives are like those of Spain, but somewhat darker. The females marry at a very early age, so that by the time they reach twenty-five years, they become old women. It is not unusual to see females with children at the breast from eleven to twelve years of age.

The island is of moderate height as approached from the sea, and its surface then appears level, with one remarkable elevation towards the centre, called Mount Toro, having on its summit a convent dedicated to the blessed Virgin.

The most important circumstance relating to Minorca is the value capable of being derived from its excellent harbours of Port Mahon at the east end, Fornella on the north side, and Cittadella on the west, from the small but convenient coves around it, and from the good anchorage [7:15:282]on its shores. The capital is Cittadella, and the other towns are Mahon and Fornella.