Travels in Brazil, by J B Von Spix and C F P Von Martius

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. GIBRALTAR AND ITS ENVIR0NS. The first part of our voyage was thus concluded, and we had reached the Pillars of Hercules, which have been usually considered as the limit of the boldest enterprises of the ancients. Many of the passengers went on shore the same day, desirous of viewing a country...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. GIBRALTAR AND ITS ENVIR0NS. The first part of our voyage was thus concluded, and we had reached the Pillars of Hercules, which have been usually considered as the limit of the boldest enterprises of the ancients. Many of the passengers went on shore the same day, desirous of viewing a country possessing so many claims to our attention. The rock of Gibraltar, Mons Calpe, forms the nucleus of a small tongue of land, which extends into the sea from north to south, and is connected with the continent only by a low sandy slip. On the southern point, called Europa Point, and upon the west side, it rises in the form of a terrace, but towards the north and east its steep walls make it absolutely inaccessible. Its highest point, the Sugar Loaf, is 1439 English feet above the level of the sea, the Rock Battery 1350, the Signal House 1276, Windmill-hill 330, and the lowest spot, Europa Point, 105 feet. The town lies upon the western part, which is the most habitable and level. It is protected by the sea- batteries, and the formidable rows of cannon projecting from the casemates hewn in the upper partof the rock. Besides these, batteries occupy the whole circle of the rock, and are discontinued only where the sides are so steep that every attack of an enemy is impossible. The works, which are equally excellent in every point, secure to the place the reputation of being invincible, which it acquired since General Elliot's heroic defence against the combined fleets of France and Spain, in the years 1779 to 1782. The operations of centuries have given its present strength to the northern pillar of Hercules. The town itself, the greater part of which has been rebuilt since the last three years' siege, consists of low houses, crowded together in one principal street, and seve...