THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2947, 26 July 1878, Page 3

THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR.

There is only one hindrance to the Spaniards retaking Gibraltar from England, as they now desire to do, and that is that it is impregnable. Three of its sides are so precipitous as to be wholly inaccessible, and the fourth side, sloping down to the water, is protected by about 1000 pieces of artillery. The Moors were finally expelled from the fortress by the Spaniards in 1462, and the latter then greatly strengthened it, and supposed they had made it impregnable, but it was captured by a few British sailors, under Sir George Book, in 1704, and the most desperate and persevering efforts have been unavailing to retake it. In 1713 it was confirmed to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht. The Spaniards attacked it with a large force io 1727, and in 1779 the assault was renewed by a combined French and Spanish fleet. The latter siege lasted three years. By June all communication between the rock and the mainland was cutoff, and the following month the fortress was completely blockaded. The besiegers brought to bear all the resources of war, by land and sea, and their operations were directed by the ablest French and Spanish engineers; a powerful fleet anchored in the bay, and for three weeks an incessant bombardment was kept up from eight mortars and 200 pieces of battering cannon. The garrison made a sortie on November 27, 1781, and destroyed the enemy's works, but the allies soon reconstructed them and brought 1000 pieces of artillery to play against the fortress, an army of 40,000 men the meanwhile besieging it by land, while forty-seven ships Of the line and a great number of smaller vessels menaced it by sea. "Admiral Rodney having succeeded in throwing relief into the fort by defeating the French fleets the garrison were greatly encouraged, and by discharging red-hot shot, silenced the enemy's enormous floating batteries and burned many of their ships. Wine of the batteries were Bet on fire. About 400 of the crews were saved by the exertions of the British, but the rest all perished in the flames, explosions or drowning; afterward the besieged were reinforced, but they had lost only sixteen men throughout the attack.