GIBRALTAR, a famous promontory, or rather peninsula, of Spain, situated in north latitude 36. 6., and west longitude 5. 17. To the ancients it was known by the name of Calpe, and was also called one of the Pillars of Hercules ; by the Arabians it is called Gebel Tarek, that is, the Mount of Tarek, from the name of the Saracen general who conquered Spain in the beginning of the eighth century. The whole is one immense rock. “It’s form,” says Major Imrie, “is oblong; its summit a sharp craggy ridge; its direction is nearly from north to south; and its greatest length, in that direction, falls very little short of three miles. Its breadth varies with the indentations of the shore, but it nowhere exceeds three quarters of a mile. The line of its ridge is undulated, and the two extremes are somewhat higher than its centre. The summit of the Sugar Loaf, which is the point of its greatest elevation towards the south, is 1439 feet; the Rock Mortar, which is the highest point to the north, is 1350; and the Signal House, which is nearly the central point between these two, is 1276 feet above the level of the sea. The western side of the mountain is a series of rugged slopes, interspersed with abrupt precipices. Its northern extremity is perfectly perpendicular, except towards the north-west, where what are called the Lines intervene, and a narrow passage of flat ground that leads to the isthmus, and is entirely covered with fortification. The eastern side of the mountain mostly consists of a range of precipices; but a bank of sand, rising from the Mediterranean in a rapid acclivity, covers a third of its perpendicular height. Its southern extremity falls, in a rapid slope, from the summit of the Sugar Loaf, into a rocky flat of considerable extent, called Windmill Hill.

“The principal mass of the mountain rock consists of a gray dense (or what is generally called primary) marble; the different beds of which are to be examined in a face of 1350 feet of perpendicular height, which it presents to Spain in a conical form. These beds, or strata, are of various thickness, from twenty to upwards of forty feet, dipping in a direction from east to west, nearly at an angle of thirty-five degrees. In some parts of the solid mass of this rock are found testaceous bodies entirely transmuted into the constituent matter of the rock, and their interior hollows filled up with calcareous spar; but these do not often occur in its composition, and its beds are not separated by any intermediate strata.” ( Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. iv.)

The town lies along the bay upon the west side of the mountain, on a declivity; by which, generally speaking, the rains pass through it, and keep it clean. The old town was considerably larger than the new. Many of the streets are narrow and irregular, and the buildings are of different materials; some of natural stone, extracted from the quarries, others of a factitious or artificial stone, and a few of brick. The people are supplied with fresh provisions, chiefly from the coast of Barbary, as well as fruit, roots, and vegetables of all sorts. Besides what is properly called the town, there are several spacious and commodious public edifices erected, such as barracks for the soldiers, with apartments for their officers, magazines of different kinds, storehouses for provisions, &c. The population of the town, exclusive of the garrison, is above 12,000, being partly British, and partly Spaniards, Italians, Jews, and even Moors, who are all attracted by mercantile enterprise. This town may be said to have 6wo ports; the first lying to the north, which is proper only for small vessels; the other very commodious for large vessels, which has a fine stone quay. The bay is very beautiful and capacious, being in breadth about five miles, and in length eight or nine, with several small rivers running into it. It is very advantageous to the place. There is no ground to be found in the middle of it at one hundred fathoms depth, so that a squadron may lie there in great safety; the breezes from it are very refreshing; and it contributes likewise to the subsistence of the inhabitants by supplying them with abundance of fish.

This important fortress seems to have been first particularly noticed as a place of consequence in the year 712. At that time the general of the Caliph Alwalid landed with an army of 12,000 men on the isthmus between Mount Calpe and the continent; and, that he might secure an intercourse with Africa, he ordered a casĭle to be built upon the face of the hill. Part of this building still remains; and, from an inscription discovered above the principal gate, it appears to have been finished in 725. It continued in the possession of the Saracens till the beginning of the fourteenth century, when it was recovered by Ferdinand king of Castille. In 1333, however, it was obliged to surrender to the son of the Emperor of Fez, who came to the [7:10:516]assistance of the Moorish king of Granada. An attempt was made upon it in 1349, by Alonzo king of Castille; but when the fortress had been reduced to the last extremity, a pestilential fever broke out in the Spanish camp, which carried off the king himself, with great part of his army; after which the enterprise was abandoned.

The fortress continued in the possession of the Saracen descendants of the prince of Fez until the year 1410, when it was taken possession of by Joseph III. king of Granada. A design of attacking it was formed by Henry de Guzman in 1435; but the enterprise having miscarried through his imprudence, he was defeated and slain. However, it was at length taken after a gallant defence, by his son John de Guzman, in 1462; and since that time it has remained in the hands of the Christians. In 1540 it was surprised and pillaged by Piali Harnet, one of Barbarossa’s corsairs; but the pirates having fallen in with some Sicilian galleys, were by them defeated, and all either killed or taken.

In the reign of Charles V. the fortifications of Gibraltar were modernized and greatly strengthened. It yielded, however, to a British force sent against it under Sir George Rooke in 1704, and has ever since remained subject to Britain. Since the English became masters of it, its fortifications have been so much improved as to render it impregnable. The memorable siege commenced by the Spaniards in the course of the American war was signalized by the glorious defence of General Elliot, and by the total destruction, in 1782, of an apparatus of floating batteries, mounting above 200 pieces of cannon, from which both France and Spain had anticipated the most splendid success.

The possession of Gibraltar is esteemed of great consequence to Britain. It not only gives us the command of the Straits, and their navigation, but affords refreshment and accommodation to our fleets in time of war, and to our merchantmen at all times; which, to a maritime power, is a great advantage. It is otherwise highly favourable to our trade in the Mediterranean and Levant. It saves us the expense of squadrons or convoys, upon any disputes or disturbances that may happen among the neighbouring powers, and which would otherwise be necessary for the protection of our navigation.