MINORCA AND NELSON.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 260, 2 November 1929, Page 6 (Supplement)

MINORCA AND NELSON.

SPANISH ISLAND WITH BRITISH ' ... ,;■• • CUSTOMS.

Minorca, although ruled actually by Spain and but 27 miles east of Majorca, differs from its neighbour islands. Except in a few spots, its people and its buildings would .fit an English village outside of London. Owing, to early British occupation, Miss • Minorca stays at home, while her Spanish sisters work side by side in the fields with their husbands, and instead of the soft oxhide Spanish sandal, the Minorca maid weari» shoes. And proudly she tells how Lord Nelson, during the war with Prance, came to Mahon, Minorca's capital, seized and lived in a mansion house overlooking Mahon's fine harbour. '•,

In the protected inlets around the island are small fishing villages, whitened by frequent coats of whitewash. Behind villages, the natives raise sufficient wheat for home consumption;, wine, olive oil, potatoes, hemp and .flax are produced in moderate quantities; melons, pomegranates, figs and almonds are abundant; some cattle, sheep and goats are reared; and were it not for the scarcity of fuel, the lead, copper and iron deposits could be profitably worked. Near Mercadal there are fine marble, limestone and slate quarries. Incidentally, Mercadal is the ancestral home of Admiral Farragut. Mahon Looks Spanish, But Isn't.

In the eighteenth century the British built a road from Ciudadela, on the northwest coast, to Mahon, on the south-east coast. Travellers enjoy beautiful panoramas where some energetic Minorcan has taken pride in his estate, but unkempt spots are numerous. Scientists trace the origin of stones and ruin to prehistoric times or'to the time when the Phoenicians, Greeks, Bomans or Arabs occupied the island. More than half of the Minorcans live in Mahon, the capital, the most English spot on the island. From the steamship, the city has a Spanish aspect, with church belfries dominating the panorama. But in the streets, which rise terrace after terrace up the cliff-side, English influence prevails. There is little Spanish colour except green doors. Shining brass fixtures, square-pane windows with white frames, and unshuttered windows during the day time are decidedly un-Spanish.