GIBRALTAR.--_Continued._
The road by which Gibraltar is approached from Spain is, for a
considerable distance, completely level. The connecting isthmus is
flanked by the bay and the Mediterranean, and the latter has been
admitted, in the English territory, into extensive and deep excavations,
which confine the means of access to a very narrow breadth. The face of
the fortress on this side displays a stupendous and precipitous
formation, in which galleries have been constructed, from the embrasures
of which a fire of heavy artillery can be directed, sufficient, as I was
informed by an officer of engineers, not only to annihilate a hostile
force, but to destroy the avenue itself, whilst the occupants of those
batteries would be almost completely exempt from retaliatory casualties.
On entering the gate on the north front, a battery of about forty guns
is passed, and it is known by the unpalatable designation of "The
Devil's Tongue." Close to it, and forming part of the city, are two
districts, of which one is named Portuguese town and the other, Irish
town. I endeavoured to ascertain the origin of the Hibernian term for
the latter locality, but my inquiries failed to elicit any information,
beyond the fact of the name having existed for the place previous to the
capture of the fortress by the British in 1704. The residence of the
Governor was in former times occupied by a religious community, and it
retains the appellation of "The Convent." A stranger is occasionally
surprised by hearing that the Governor's lady has given a splendid ball,
or that his Excellency has entertained a number of distinguished persons
_at the Convent_. The gardens command a delightful view of the bay, and
are remarkable for large bushes of myrtles and roses, beautiful
fuchsias, and geraniums, whilst the finest grapes, figs, pomegranates,
peaches, apricots, and melons are profusely produced without requiring
artificial heat or the protection of glass. The climate is too hot for
the growth of apples, pears, gooseberries, currants, or raspberries.
Oranges are very abundant, but are not palatable when gathered from the
tree, as they are all of the Seville or bitter kind, and are used for
making marmalade, which is highly valued in the sultry months when
butter is unattainable.
Although this interesting and impregnable possession is so generally
termed the _Rock_ of Gibraltar, there is a considerable portion of its
surface highly capable of cultivation. The most prevalent weeds are the
nasturtium, snapdragon, and convolvulus; and there is an indigenous pea,
the blossom of which is exquisitely beautiful in appearance, but
completely scentless. At the termination of the rainy season, a plant
springs up in great profusion in the ravines and watercourses. It is
about a foot in height, and the blossoms are very pretty, some of the
plants bearing white flowers, some red, and others blue. The Spaniards
call it "Don Pedro," and the English have named it "Four o'clock." The
petals open about that hour in the afternoon, and the blossoms continue
expanded, and diffusing a delightful fragrance until daybreak, when they
invariably close up. The Spanish name is derived from a fable, which
describes Don Pedro to have been a confirmed rake, who slept all the day
and spent the night in revelling, until an indignant fairy transformed
him into a plant, which retains his habit.
The east side of Gibraltar is washed by the Mediterranean, and there are
very few guns mounted along that line, of which four-fifths are totally
inaccessible. The signal station is at the summit of the mountain, and
from the parapet wall, beside the flagstaff, a pebble can be dropped
into the water with a direct fall of fourteen hundred and ninety-four
feet. The rock formation on the entire territory is exclusively
limestone, and I broke off some of it at the station, and found it a
complete mass of concrete shells, whereby it is manifestly proved that
the mountain must have been originally in a submarine position. The
strait between it and Barbary is more than fourteen miles in breadth,
and I was informed that the depth of water midway was three thousand six
hundred feet.
Snakes and lizards are frequently seen in the Alameda, in private
enclosures, and in the cemeteries. I was assured, however, that none of
the former were of a venomous character, and I caught several with the
utmost impunity. The lizards are almost all of a bright green color, and
do not exceed a foot in length. The shape is precisely the same as that
of an alligator. Monkeys were formerly rather numerous, but they have
become almost extinct. Some of the oldest residents told me that they
had never seen one. During my sojourn, the place was twice visited by
flights of quail from Africa, suddenly coming in myriads, and as
suddenly departing.
There is a cemetery just outside the city at a place called the "Ragged
Staff." I could not ascertain how that name originated, but the cemetery
is remarkable for a considerable number of tombstones placed over the
remains of persons who died at Gibraltar from the effects of wounds
received at Trafalgar. Each inscription commences with "Sacred to the
memory of ----," and it proceeds to enumerate the virtues, personal
merits, and intrepid deeds of the deceased. I remarked one stone placed
upon the grave of James Dudley, by the direction and at the expense of
his shipmates, who valued him highly for his kind and generous
disposition, and for his undaunted courage in the closest and fiercest
conflicts, as he always evinced great skill and _deep penetration_. It
then states that he died of wounds received in the battle off Cape
Trafalgar, where he acted as master gunner of His Majesty's ship,
Colossus. I thought on reading this inscription, that "deep penetration"
was a very natural attribute for the gunner of a line-of-battle ship.
In the beginning of July, 1861, a brig from America, bound for
Gibraltar, and laden with ice, got ashore in a fog near Cape Spartell,
on the Barbary coast, and just at the entrance of the straits. A Moorish
boat brought speedy news of this disaster, and the Redpole steamer was
ordered to proceed to the assistance of the stranded vessel. I requested
the naval superintendent, the late Admiral Warden, to allow me to go
over to the place in the "Redpole," to enjoy the novelty of the trip,
and see the intended operations. He most kindly complied, and the
officer in command provided me with a comfortable berth, and treated me
with great hospitality. We found the brig aground, but uninjured; and
when a few tons of her cargo were removed she floated, and was towed by
the steamer to her destination. Several Moors came on board, and
assisted in lightening the vessel for a trifling remuneration; and they
afforded very great amusement by their gestures and exclamations, their
expressions being interpreted by a Tangierine lad, who was employed in
the steamer. They had never seen ice previously, and were inclined to
believe it a supernatural or magical production. They were astonished at
the coldness and hardness of the glassy blocks, and at their rapid
dissolution when exposed to the rays of a Mauritanian sun; but they were
very soon reconciled to the magical material, and seemed to appreciate
highly the introduction of it to some sherbet and lemonade with which
they were regaled, steadfastly declining any stronger potations.
During my visit to Gibraltar, I went to see bull-fights at Algesiras,
San Roque, and Malaga. They are certainly national institutions, which I
firmly believe could not be abolished or avowedly discouraged in Spain
by any government, although their tendency is most undeniably debasing
and brutalising. At the time to which my narrative refers, the bulls
throughout nearly the whole province of Andalusia were procured from the
domains of a very wealthy widow, whose name has escaped my memory. She
generally attended the exhibitions in which the wild ferocity of her
animals was considered a most desirable quality, and always received an
enthusiastic welcome, even the most exalted and fairest of her own sex
joining in the exclamation of "Viva la Viuda." (Long live the widow.)
At Algesiras I saw a bull in the _Circo_ that evinced no fierceness or
combative inclination. The poor brute tried to avoid his assailants, and
to push back the door through which he had entered. His quietude excited
the utmost indignation, and even the females joined in the cry of
"Fuego!" (Fire.) Accordingly, darts were thrown at the animal, in each
of which, close to the barbed point, there was a charge of gunpowder,
connected in the interior of the weapon with a lighted fuse. When some
of these charges exploded in his flesh, he became completely maddened,
to the great gratification of the spectators, by whom, I have no doubt,
the death of even a human victim occasionally, would be regarded as an
exciting and interesting addition to their amusement.
The attire of the mounted combatants at the bull-fights appeared to me
to be far more gaudy than graceful. Their limbs, below the hips, were so
thickly padded as to look as large as the upper portions of their
persons; and in their encounters they did not ride rapidly forward, but
merely opposed the lance to the onset of the bull. In each of eighteen
collisions which I witnessed, the horse was frightfully gored and
destroyed, his rider being saved by the matadores throwing their scarlet
cloaks over the eyes of the bull, and plunging their swords to the hilt
in his neck, so as to reach the spine. I am now tempted to quote a few
lines from the first canto of "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage," to which I
shall subjoin an observation, from which it will appear that what I saw
differed vastly in one respect from the glowing description extracted
from Byron's romantic production--
"Hush'd is the din of tongues--_on gallant steeds_,
With milk-white crest, gold spurs, and light-poised lance,
Four cavaliers prepare for venturous deeds,
And lowly bending, to the lists advance;
Rich are their scarfs, _their chargers featly prance_;
If in the dangerous game they shine to-day,
The crowd's loud shout and ladies' lovely glance,
Best prize of better acts, they bear away,
And all that kings or chiefs e'er gain their toils repay."
Of the eighteen "gallant steeds" which I saw at the bull-fights, there
was not one to which I would attach the value of five pounds. None of
them essayed to "prance," and unquestionably if a horse equal to the
best of them appeared on the streets of Dublin between the shafts of a
hackney vehicle, his owner would incur the suspension of his license for
plying a horse totally unfit for public accommodation.
The most picturesque assemblage that I ever beheld was the public market
at Gibraltar on Sunday morning. Persons of the lower class in the parts
of Spain which I visited, are, during the week-days, as poorly attired
as any that can be found in a corresponding position in the towns of
Ireland, but they are invariably provided with a suit specially reserved
for Sundays and two or three festivals. The men have conical hats, round
which rows of showy ribbons are twined; and their coats, waistcoats, and
small clothes, of whatever colors they fancy, are profusely furnished
with globular little buttons of bright metal. Sandals, shoes, or buskins
display gilt or silvered fastenings. Gay neckties, and a brooch or
chain, complete the holiday costume. I am not competent to describe the
female attire, but it comprises a head-dress of lace, fastened with
glittering clasps or buckles; boots or shoes gaily ornamented; and a
gown of rich material, almost invariably encircled at the waist by a
girdle of metallic tissue. Ornaments of gold and jewels, or their
semblance, appear in abundance. From a thousand to fifteen hundred such
persons may be seen at the market on Sundays, between five and six
o'clock in the morning. Females of various ranks, wives or daughters of
persons in the garrison, appear arrayed in their best attire. Boats from
Tangier and Oran land their produce, to be disposed of by dealers
wearing Moorish or Arabic costumes. Sailors from the ships of war and
artillerymen mingle their blue uniforms amongst the scarlet-clad
regimental soldiers. A similar scene cannot be exhibited in any part of
the United Kingdom; and the diversity of attire is fully equalled by the
diversity of language which is there to be heard.
Towards the end of May, 1861, the assizes for the city and territory of
Gibraltar were held, and at their conclusion, the judge, Sir James
Cochrane, asked leave of absence for two months, and I was appointed as
his _locum tenens_ for that time. I received several official documents
incident to the position, and amongst them was the commission of a
Justice of the Peace, which was not a temporary authority, and it is
still in my possession. I am, perhaps, the only person in Ireland whose
designation of J.P. is unconnected with any locality in the United
Kingdom. My judicial duties consisted in hearing a few petitions from
insolvents seeking discharges from imprisonment, and granting two or
three fiats under an Admiralty jurisdiction, in reference to alleged
collisions between vessels in the bay. Although my authority was of very
brief duration, it imparted, during its continuance, rank next to that
of the Governor. It devolved on me, accompanied by his Excellency's
principal aide-de-camp, to wait on the present Empress of Austria, who
arrived at Gibraltar in the royal yacht, "Victoria and Albert," on her
way home from Madeira, where she had been staying for some time to
renovate her health. I never beheld a woman of more prepossessing
appearance, and I considered her deportment perfectly dignified, but
also extremely courteous. She accepted the Governor's invitation to a
dejeuner at the convent, but premised, that as she was returning to her
family, happily free from any indisposition, she was desirous of first
visiting the Catholic cathedral, to return thanks to the Almighty for
the merciful manifestation which she had experienced. Accordingly, the
streets were lined by the troops, and royal salutes from the principal
batteries greeted her landing, and attended her return to the steamer,
after the coaling and other preparations for continuing the voyage to
Trieste had been accomplished.
On one of many occasions that I had the honor and pleasure of enjoying
the hospitality of the Governor, Sir William Coddrington, I sat next to
the officer who commanded a Portuguese frigate, "The Braganza," that
anchored for a few days at the New Mole. He was one of the Royal family
of Portugal, and bore the title of Duke of Oporto. His Royal Highness
spoke English tolerably well; and having heard me mention Dublin as my
native place, asked me numerous questions respecting Ireland and the
Irish. I suggested to him that he might induce his Government to let him
have a cruise to our shores, that some of our bays were very beautiful,
and that a run from Cork to Killarney would not require much time to
accomplish, whilst it would assuredly afford him great gratification. At
the close of our conversation, he said, "Sir, if you should at any time
visit Lisbon, if I shall be there, I hope that you will call on me: I
shall be happy to see you, and to endeavour to make the place agreeable
to you." I expressed my warm thanks for his courteous expression, but I
have not availed myself of his kindness, nor have I any intention to do
so. He is now King of Portugal; but at the time when I had the honor of
sitting beside him, there were, I believe, three members of his family
whose respective claims to the throne were prior to his.
On a Saturday afternoon, in the beginning of July, 1861, I was passing
through the hall at the Governor's residence, on my way to the garden,
to which I was allowed the fullest access. The windows were all open;
and groups of persons, including the Governor and some members of his
family, were sitting beneath the trees, but within hearing of any
expressions uttered in an ordinary tone in the hall. A naval captain, in
full uniform, hastily entered from the street, and said to the servants
in attendance, "Let the Governor be immediately informed that _Captain
Jones has brought The Scourge for him_." On hearing this announcement, I
exclaimed, "Good heavens! What has he done to deserve that?" This
occasioned some laughter, in which, I believe, his Excellency
participated. The Scourge was not unexpected, and its arrival was very
satisfactory. On the 25th of the previous month, the late Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire had commenced his reign; and Sir William Coddrington,
having been the Commander-in-chief of our army at the conclusion of the
Crimean war, was very judiciously selected to proceed in "The Scourge"
steamer to Constantinople, for the purpose of presenting Queen
Victoria's letter of congratulation on his accession, to the Turkish
monarch. His Excellency left Gibraltar on his mission in two or three
hours after Captain Jones' arrival, and a Lieutenant-Governor, Colonel
Stehelin, of the Engineers, was sworn into office by me on the following
Wednesday; but in the interim, my position, as acting judge, gave me
precedence of all other functionaries, civil or military, in the
territory. If I had been told, before leaving home, that such an
elevation, even for a few hours, would occur, I should have deemed it
incredible.
About the beginning of August, 1861, two vessels of the Russian Imperial
navy, a frigate and a corvette, both steamers, came into Gibraltar, and
anchored for the purpose of coaling. A considerable portion of their
crews were indulged by their commanding officers with leave to come
ashore; and certainly they could not have landed at any place more
likely to excite surprise and gratify curiosity during a ramble of a few
hours through it. However, they did not evince any anxiety for a close
inspection of the fortress, or how its natural formation and elaborate
constructions imparted unrivalled strength. Potency of a far different
description engrossed their attention. They proceeded to some taverns or
public-houses near to the boat-wharf, and only a few entered the
premises, whilst the others remained in groups under trees or shaded by
the walls. In less than an hour they were all drunk, and many of them
were lying on the thoroughfare in the most helpless state of complete
intoxication. The scene of their unrestrained indulgence was about one
hundred yards from the residence of my friend, and the windows of his
drawing-room, from which I had a full view of them, were all open. If I
had been only half as far from them, without having them in sight, I
should never have noticed their total lapse from sobriety, for there was
no shouting, or singing, or quarrelling; in fact, their intoxication was
a silent enjoyment, and formed a most thorough contrast to that of every
liquor-loving group that ever came under my observation on any other
occasion. They were taken down to their boats by parties of their
shipmates who were on duty, and consequently constrained to keep sober.
I believe that the population of Gibraltar, in 1861, was about 16,000
persons, exclusive of the officials and military. The Christian portion
consisted of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Presbyterians. There was
a considerable number of Jews, amongst whom several were reputed to be
extremely wealthy, and there were some resident Mahometans. It might be
supposed that in such a mixed community, religious bickering and
polemical acerbity would be sometimes manifested, but my own
observation, and the deliberate statements of all those with whom I
associated or communicated, enable me to express my decided conviction
that the place was as free from religious animosity or controversial
skirmishing as Ireland is from toads or snakes. I have seen the funerals
of persons belonging respectively to the various religious
denominations; and although the covering of the hearse or bier, the
presence of priestly functionaries in sacerdotal costume, or the
direction in which the procession was moving, indicated the religion
which the deceased had professed, all those who met it on the way to the
cemetery, stood with uncovered heads as the corpse passed them, and
offered to those engaged in the mournful ceremony a courteous but tacit
mark of sympathy and respect.
Although Gibraltar has been deliberately recognised and acknowledged to
be British territory by the Spanish Government, prominent members of
political parties have repeatedly advocated a demand for its restoration
to Spain, and there have been some Englishmen who expressed opinions of
a similar tendency. Alfonso, who has recently been elevated to regal
dignity in Madrid, introduced the subject in his address on assuming the
sovereignty; and we may expect, if his realm becomes completely subject
to his rule, and ceases to be the theatre of sanguinary intestine
encounters, that a claim will be addressed to the British government for
the cession of a fortress which was tremendously strong when it was
captured, and has been, by consummate skill, and a profuse expenditure,
rendered completely impregnable. A prompt and direct refusal will, I
have no doubt, be the reply to all demands or requests for the transfer
of this important possession; but I feel perfectly convinced that a
British minister might safely refer the application to the decision of
the inhabitants, the great majority of whom have been born in the place,
and are, to all intents and purposes, British subjects. I do not think
it possible for a population to be more attached to any government than
they are to our rule; and if Spanish agents were permitted to canvass
them, and proceeded to solicit their adhesion, they would find their
mission replete with danger. In 1861, being one day in the shop of a
bootmaker, named Finochio, I amused myself by pretending to argue with
my friend, Dr. Williams, in the presence of some native residents, that
the territory was really Spanish, and that it should be relinquished by
England. I was greatly surprised, and in some degree alarmed, at the
effect produced by my observations on the hearers. Finochio rushed
impetuously to the door of his shop, which commanded a view of the
signal-station, on which the British flag was displayed, and pointing to
it he exclaimed, "I would rather endure to be bombarded or famished--I
would rather see the whole town burned to ashes, than have that flag
changed for any other. Let me tell you, sir, that if you talk to the
people here about England giving them up to Spain, some of them will
lose temper and insult you." The others approved fully of Finochio's
observations. However, it is not difficult to ascertain the grounds and
reasons for such attachment on the part of the native population. Their
tenements are almost entirely held directly from the Crown; and although
the leases are not in general granted for a longer period than
twenty-one years, the rents are very seldom raised, or a renewal refused
at the expiration of the term, if the tenant has been punctual and
improving. Taverns and hotels are subjected to considerable licence
duties, and there is some charge incident to the importation of spirits.
These are the only taxes which, I believe, are levied in the territory.
Wine, tea, sugar, coffee, tobacco, wearing apparel, and furniture, or
materials for the two latter are freely admitted. The streets and roads
are constructed by the military, and cleansed by convict labor. The
places of worship are exempt from rents to the Crown, and the legal
institutions are highly appreciated by the people, who regard the
administration of justice, and especially the trial by jury, according
to the laws of England, as forming a most favorable contrast to the
proceedings before the Spanish tribunals in the cities and towns of
Andalusia. I may add, that in 1861 there was a very extensive trade in
English manufactures and many other productions, especially tobacco,
carried on by smuggling vessels conveying contraband cargoes to Spain,
Portugal, Italy, and the Balearic Islands. I believe, that in no part of
the world are there more devoted, although not disinterested, supporters
of English authority than were to be found navigating their picturesque
latteen craft, laden with articles derived from the factories of
Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, or Sheffield.
I have already mentioned several Spanish towns which I visited for the
purpose of seeing bull-fights. I was also at some fairs; and although
there are some points in the Spanish character and habitudes which I am
far from admiring, I must, in justice to the people who came under my
observations, state that I never saw one of them intoxicated, although
wine and spirits are, in their country, to be had for less than half
what they cost here. Some gentlemen at Gibraltar, who had travelled
through Spain, told me that they believed there was more drunkenness in
our small possession than in the entire kingdom. I never saw a Spanish
person of respectable appearance, drink a glass of undiluted sherry. The
addition of cold water in equal quantity seemed indispensable. I have
seen muleteers setting out on a journey requiring an entire day for its
completion, and they carried no animal food. Each man had a bottle
containing a little more than a pint of red wine called Priorato, a
couple of onions, and a large roll of bread made of two-thirds of maize,
ground fine, and one-third of wheaten flour. They consider onions and
bread, sliced and eaten together, as very nutritive diet, and their
strong and healthful appearance justifies their opinion. The Priorato
wine has a taste somewhat resembling Port, but I was forbidden by
medical authority to take it at all, and I was told that the berries of
the elder tree were plentifully added to the grapes in its manufacture.
Spaniards of the humbler class and of either sex, who bring edible
commodities for sale in Gibraltar, demand a much higher price from any
person whom they believe to have just arrived, and not to have acquired
a knowledge of the marketable value of the articles, than they ask of
those whose faces are familiar, or with whom they have had previous
dealings. Nevertheless, they do not manifest any surprise or indignation
at being offered, or any laxity in accepting, a mere fractional portion
of the sum first mentioned. A milkman demanded two shillings and two
pence for about three pints of goat's milk, which he left with me on
being offered sixpence. A woman sold me muscatel grapes for a shilling,
after having named eight shillings and eight pence for them. I had an
opportunity of sending home to Dublin some Murcian melons, and proposed
to purchase six which had been brought to market in a limber kind of
basket or net-work neatly made of rushes. The vendor did not speak
English, and I reciprocated his ignorance of my language by being
equally unacquainted with his vernacular. He managed, mostly by signs,
to apprise me that he required six dollars for his fruit. I regarded
this demand, amounting to twenty-six shillings, as utterly unreasonable,
and relinquished all expectation of acquiring a gratifying treat for my
people, when Dr. Williams happened to approach, and on being informed of
my disappointment, became an interpreter and negotiator between the
Spaniard and me. His interference eventuated in rendering me the owner
of the fruit and the basket, in which the melons could be very
conveniently transmitted, at the very reasonable price of seven
shillings. He told me that he had expostulated with the seller on his
attempt to obtain from a purchaser more than three-fold the fair value
of the articles; but the Spaniard considered himself fully justified in
the course he had adopted previous to my friend's arrival, inasmuch as
he believed me to be a complete stranger, ignorant of the language, and
of the usual prices demanded for fruits, but that in any future dealings
with me I should not be overcharged, although he was quite convinced
that, like all other English gentlemen, I was very rich and well able to
pay.
The mention of my friend's name reminds me that in Gibraltar there is no
scarcity of surgeons and physicians possessing high professional
qualifications. The more respectable classes of society avail
themselves, in their ailments, of the aid which skill and experience can
fully impart. The lower classes seem insensible or indifferent to the
character or capability of those to whom they have recourse, and there
are in the territory some practitioners who profess to repair human
hurts or maladies, and also the injuries of certain inanimate articles.
There is an inscription on the front of a small shop, that I venture to
transcribe, even at the risk of mistaking the exact spelling of the
Spanish words, and I subjoin an English translation:--
"BARBERO, SANGUEDOR Y SACAMUELAS,
SE REPAREN ABANICOS PARAGUAS Y PARASOLES."
"BARBER, BLEEDER, AND TOOTH-DRAWER,
FANS, UMBRELLAS, AND PARASOLS REPAIRED."