Eliott became Governor they were pushed forward under Green with increased vigour.

In 1777, having received a warning from the British Government to exercise the utmost vigilance, Eliott determined to send his Chief Engineer in person to England to confer with Lord Townshend on the subject of the defences. Green took with him the following letter from the Governor :

'My Lord.

Gibraltar Oct 5th 1777. "Colonel Green will have the honour to deliver this letter to your Lordship, the only officer who is, or indeed ought to be, in a condition to lay before you the exact state of our works, and the most minute peculiarities of this singular fortress circumstanced in so many respects different, I believe, from any other in the known world. Col. Green, from close and repeated examination, is perfect master of the advantages to be taken from any recess or protuberance of this mountain, either horizontal or vertical, which grow daily more obvious, having become accessible to us by the communications made and making towards such points of the rock as may contribute to strengthen our defence. Your Lordship will find, by Col. Green's report, that the King's Bastion is now in such a state that should a sudden and unforeseen emergency require it, with a few days' notice we might be able to place our artillery on temporary platforms, the Chief Engineer thinking the rampart not yet sufficiently settled to receive those of stone which are to remain. This noble work being now so far advanced, I think it now the most favourable opportunity for Col. Green to take your further orders in the prosecution of such plans as have been or may be adopted to complete our fortifications. This will be a tedious, expensive, but necessary work for maintaining the fortress, and added to it must be many internal accommodations in barracks, bombproofs, storehouses, hospitals, magazines, with all of which this place I do assure your Lordship is so very indifferently provided that the wants in most of these articles are by no means supplied proportionately to our present garrison. I submit it therefore what must be our situation in case of service when our force must be at least tripled.

(Sayers, "Gib.," 1862, pp. 275-277.)

"I have, &c.,

"G. A. ELIOTT.

Before entering on an account of the celebrated siege, which forms one of the most striking events of the eighteenth century, it may be well to give a brief description of the works which enabled Eliott and Green to baffle all the efforts of France and Spain for a period of nearly four years.

The promontory of Gibraltar, which in parts attains an elevation of 1,300 feet, is connected with the mainland by a low neck of sand. The breadth of this isthmus, at the point where it joins the rock, does not exceed 900 yards, but it increases rapidly in width as it recedes. The rock runs nearly due north and south,

the northern part facing the isthmus, and is divided longitudinally by a central ridge or backbone. The eastern side facing the Mediterranean is precipitous, as also is the north front; but the western side falls gradually to the water. At the foot of this slope which faces the bay the town is built, the communication to it from the isthmus being by a causeway which served as a dam to an inundation. This road was well flanked by works named respectively the King's, Queen's, and Prince's Lines. These had been cut in the rock with immense labour, and scarped so as to be quite secure from assault. The causeway was further directly defended by a front of two bastions and curtain, forming the Grand Battery, which had a ditch and covert way, the glacis being well mined. Above the lines were a series of batteries at different levels, collectively called Willis's.

The defences on the side of the bay commenced near the Old Mole. In this line there were one large and three small bastions, which, taken in their order, starting from the Grand Battery, were called Montague, Prince of Orange, King's, and South Bastions. The most important of these is King's, which commands the whole bay, and flanks the line from Old to New Mole Head. At this time it mounted twelve thirty-two-pounders and four ten-inch howitzers in the faces, and ten guns and howitzers of smaller calibre in the flanks; it had casemate accommodation for 800 men. Montague, which had also casemates for 200 men, was in connection with the Old Mole. From South Bastion a line ran at right angles up the face of the hill, enclosing the town and terminating at the foot of a precipice.

The remainder of the promontory from South Bastion to Europa Point was protected by works in all places which had not been rendered inaccessible by nature. In the rear of Europa Point the dominant elevation of Windmill Hill was enclosed in lines, which, having great command and being within musket shot of the water, were very formidable. Many of these works, including the bastions on the west front, were designed and executed under the superintendence of Colonel Green, who had been the Chief Engineer since 1760. The foundation-stone of King's Bastion was laid in 1773 by Major-General Boyd, then acting as Governor in the absence of General Cornwallis. In this ceremony he was attended by Colonel Green and all the principal officers of the garrison. After declaring the stone duly laid, "This," he said, "is the first stone of a work which I name the King's Bastion. May it be as gallantly defended as I know it will be ably executed, and may I live to see it resist the united efforts of France and Spain," a prophecy and an aspiration which were fulfilled within a very few years.

The garrison at the commencement of the siege consisted of six companies of Artillery, the Soldier Artificer Company officered by Engineers, the 12th, 39th, 56th, 58th, and 72nd Regiments of the line, and three regiments of Hanoverian troops, making a total of 268 officers and 5,114 men. The naval force under Admiral Duff consisted of the Panther flagship of sixty guns, three frigates, and a sloop of war.

In the early days of the British occupation the Spaniards had constructed a line of works across the isthmus, at the distance of about a mile from the north front. This line, which was about 1,700 yards in length, reached from shore to shore. At either extremity was a masonry fort, each mounting upwards of twenty guns; the one overlooking the bay was called St. Philip's, and the other St. Barbara. These forts furnished a powerful cross-fire over the Neutral Ground, which lay between the line and the north front of the fortress.

At the time of the construction of these works much acrimonious discussion took place on the subject in England. By many it was thought that the surrender of Gibraltar would have precluded the Spaniards from erecting any works within two cannon shot distance of the fortress. It was, however, pointed out that the clause in the Treaty of Utrecht yielding the fortress specially restricted the grant to the town and castle of Gibraltar with its port and fortifications. As a matter of fact our Ministers had demanded an extent of ground of two cannon shot from the north front, but the French King, who acted as intermediary in the matter, said that "he could not prevail with the King of Spain to part with one inch of land more than the town itself," and the clause in the Treaty was worded accordingly.

G

CHAPTER V.

THE SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR, 1779-1783.

Commencement of the Siege of Gibraltar-Mrs. Green's Journal-Holloway's Diary - Drinkwater's Narrative-Engineers Present-Green's LodgeConstruction of Besiegers' Batteries-Admiral Duff-Experiments with Shell Guns and Light-Balls-The First Relief under Rodney-Small-PoxFire-Ships--Advanced Batteries constructed by the Spaniards-Lieutenant Booth-His Plans-His Subsequent Illness-Second Relief under Admiral Darby-Bombardment of the Town-Execution of two R.M. Artificers for Plundering-The Sortie-Great Damage to the Besiegers' Works-The Ten Great Floating Batteries-Galleries formed in the Rock-Second Bombardment-Attack by the Floating Batteries-Their DestructionConclusion of the Siege-Rewards to the Principal Officers-Cost of the Defence.

THE year 1779 opened with much uneasiness at Gibraltar, from the uncertainty of our relations with Spain. France had been for some time carrying on war against Great Britain, having joined the Americans in their struggle for independence, and it was felt to be a mere question of time when Spain would throw in her lot with the other belligerents, in the hope of regaining possession of Gibraltar. This anticipation was soon realized. The Spanish Ambassador declared war in London on June 16th, and immediately afterwards the great siege commenced. The standard narrative of this, justly considered one of the most eventful struggles in history, is that written by Colonel Drinkwater, from a journal kept with the utmost detail, in which every phase is pictured with a fidelity not to be exceeded. Fortunately we have, in addition to this most interesting work, two private journals, one kept by Mrs. Green, the wife of the Chief Engineer, and the other by Lieutenant Holloway, his Brigade Major. As may be expected, Mrs. Green does not enter much into the military branch of the subject, but in her writings we obtain the most graphic pictures of the social side of the question, as also of the privations and sufferings of the garrison. There are many allusions to the Engineers, as was to be anticipated in a journal written by the wife of their Chief. The following extracts show the position before the blockade was actually enforced :

:

"June 1st, 1779. I learn that our Gov has been out himself to invite the Spanish Gov' of St Roque Don Joa" Mendoza and his