THE OVERLAND ROUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5938, 19 February 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE OVERLAND ROUTE.

(Br a Correspondent.)

GIBRALTAR. Slowly with the first streak of dawn

heavy bank of cloud rises from the horizon to the eastward, and as it melts gradually away before the bright rays of the rising sun, the rough outline of the Spanish coast stands out in bold relief against the morning sky. We steatn into the bay of Gibraltar; the far-famed rock—the mons calpe of the ancients—rises in all its majesty on our right; the picturesque town of Algeciraz, backed by a bold range of mountains, is on our left; aud in front the low narrow sandy isthmus, which separates the bay from the Mediterranean and unites the Hock to the Spanish shore, with the town of Gibraltar nestling breath the shadow of the mighty fortress. Behind us is a wide expanse of water, with the outline of the African coast in the distance, backed by the rocky chain of mountains beyond Tangiers. There is something very romantic and beautiful in the scenery which meets the eye at every turn; and with Europe on the one hand, and Africa within Bight on the other, it seems difficult to realise the fact that the narrow straits—less than eight miles from shore to shore—through which we have just past forms as it were the missing link between two vast continents. But by far the most attractive feature in this grand picture is the aspect of the great rook as seen from the bay from the bay, from which point it has the appearance of an immense, oblong, isolated mountain nearly three miles long, from 1,200 feet to 1500 feet ia height, BlopiDg from the sea at an angle of upwards of 45 deg., and terminating in a sharp, craggy, and undulating ridge. The face of this slope is broken and Graggyi and covered with a very scanty vegetation. A strong line of fortifications bristling with cannon extends the whole length from the spot where the rock joins the isthmus to the most southerly point, where it projects into the ocean, and at a glance it looks just like what it is—an impregnable fortress, guarding the entrance to a mighty sea. We now begin to fesl the glowing iafluence of the Southern sun, as it gleams and flashes over the polished mirror of the waveleas bay, whose blue waters are alive with small rakish'looking craft, with snowy sails, glistening and flitting like butterflies along its sparkling tide. These light airy-looking vessels are Gibraltar traders, and they may be seen like crowds of mosquitoes everywhere around the coast of Spain gliding over a calm sea, or riding out a storm perhaps better than any boat afloat. They lie rather low in the water, are very sharp in the bows, and scudding along under a crowd of sail, they look peaoeable enough, but their crews, with their dark rough.bearded countenances scarlet caps, blue j»rsies, and heavy top-boots, have an unmistakable desperado look about them which seems to indicate some employment besideß peaceful navigation. In short, this stamp of coaster, with her smart pearance and clean cut linss, is at most times an irrepressible smuggler, a lawless freetrader, and her daring crew require the guardocosta to be well armed and well manned before he presumes to ask any questions. These vessels are fair traders in tae bay of Gibraltar, but contrebandistas on the Spanish coasts. When detected landing contraband goods.they are of coursa liable to seizare, but as a rule, knowing as they do every inlet and qsiet nook upon the coist, they manage by hook or by crook to " run the blockade " in a way waich, while it reflect* infinite credit upon their own peculiar sagacity, suggests at the same time a very questionable honesty on the part of the hirelings of the Spanish customs.

The bay of Gibraltar, which aiaumes very much tlia form of a horseshoe,' is formed by two headlands—Europa Point on the rock, and by Cape Gabrita in Spain. Its greatest width from east to west is five miles, and its greatest length from north to south about eight miles. The depth in the centre exceeds 100 fathoms. The anchorage is not, however, very good, and the bay is open and much exposed, especially to the S \V. winds, which often sweep with terrific force through the Strai's. Two moles have been constructed at a vast expense for the protection of the shipping. The old mole projects from the northern end of the town 1100 f<j«t into the sea. The new mole.'whioh is a mile and a-half fnrther to the south, extending outward about 700 feet, has an elbow formed by the shore, and ia winter large vessels may ancUor amida In parfcyt Bafety. .

Early rising is quite a Southern virtue, and nowhere more prevalent thaa in G-ib-raltar. It is only an hour after daybreak when I land, yet the whole town seems in a feverish state of gui vive, all the shops are open, and every variety of costume figures in the street. There are soldiers mounting and relieving guard, companies of troops going on parade; there is martial mualc resounding through the air, and heavy gun practice going on from the outer batteries. There are hundreds of sturdy blue jaokets landing from the sulky.looking ironclads in the bay, and crowds of red-coated marines storing away tons of deadly ammunition in rockbound magazines. There are bands of fishermen unloading their rakish looking craft laden with spoils from the deep, and there are gaily clad peasants dressed in the picturesque costumes of Southern Spain, bringing produce into market fresh from the rich plains of Andalusia, and here and there, squatting upon tho ground are stolid-1 joking Moors, surrounded by heaps of dates and golden oranges, from the shores of Barbary. With these are officers, civil servants, lawyers, and merchants, travellers going to and from all parts of the world; invalids flying from consumption and bronchites to the genial climate of the Mediterrean. Coffe planters from Ceylon, missionaries and merchants from the far East with travellers from Australia and New Zealand for Gibraltar, is usually made a place of call by voyagers from the Antipodea to England. In fact, the singular assemblage which the streets of Gibraltar present of various tribes and nations, kindreds and tongues, strikes every stranger the moment he lauds. All the States of the Mediterranean and msny others besides have their representatives here, and the languages oao listens to in the streets reminds one of Babel — British soldiers and civilians, Italians, French, Portuguese, and Spaniards are the most numerous of the Europeans. The boatmen are chiefly Italians, and the- porters are Jews. The Moors and Jews present a most striking contrast. A nobler looking animal than the Moor ia rarely to be seen in any part of the world ; a more abj-.cfc and miserable looking object than the native Jew of Gibraltar is seldom to be mot with. He stoops almost double as he shuffles along, slipshod and dirty; his eyes are cast down, and his sallow, lean countenance is expressive of notlrng but meanness. Another very remarkable contrast is forced upon the attention every time one comes near the Spanish lines ; it Is betwixt the Spanish and British soldier. The smart red coat, the spotless dark trousers, well-polished shoe 3, and burnished arms the erecb figure, measured tread, and disciplined appearance of the latter give him the look of a beautiful and highly polished piece of mechanism ; while the dirty and slovenly dress, untrimmed beard and unwashed face, ru3ty firelock, and languid gait of the former remind one of an escaped lunatic rathtr than of a soldier. In outward physique he will not in any way compare with the British linesman. As a rule he is a short, wiry, thickset man, with a thin, melancholy face, sallow complexion, and thin, dark eyes ; and he may be seen on guard with his haads in his- pockets, his rifle slung negligently over hia shoulder, and a cigarette in his mouth. He will sun himself by the waysido, squatting down in tho dirr, play a game of marbles with a comrade in the middle of the public highway, or gamble for peauuts at tho corner of the street, and he will do all this and more while " on duty," but he will not wash his face nor comb his hair, nor furbish up his musket, nor polish hia boots only on grand parade days, and on tho occasion of the fete of his patron saint. He is a roguish vagabond at best, and, when he gets the opportunity, a conlrabandisla of the purest water, but he possessts at the same time qualities not to be despised. Give him a junk of coarse bread, with a handful of grapes, an applt>, or a few tomatoes, and now and a again a feed of pork and beanß, jast to steady his stomach, and he will live and fatten whero a Britisher would starve for the want of beef. He is badly olothed, and miserably paid, and his whole life appears to be spent in a continued round of dreamy langour—induced, no doubt, in a great, measure by the olouds of tobacco smoke by wliich he 5s usually surrounded. He is however, no druok-.rd, is patient under fatigue, and when put to tho test his power to endure hardship is wonderful. He has proved himself courageous to a degree on a

thousand battle fields, and under a better regime he might be made a splendid fighting machine. ° °

The whole territory of ■ Gibraltar "does not exceed two miles and three-quarters, and its greatest breadth isthree quarters of a mile. : It is therefore the smallest possession under the Crown. The town ia built at the foot of the rook on the north-west side, facing the Spanish coast, and is well fortified with strong walls and bastians and works to cover them. There is only one street deserving of the name, occupying the narrow space of level ground between the line wall and the foot of the rock, and extending from one extremity of the town to the other The other streets, or rather flights of steps excessively steep and mostly inaccessible to carnages, ascend the face of the rock on which the greater part of the town is confusedly huddled together, house towering above house, and for I; above fort, up the steep sides of the precipitous mountain. The houses are for the most part close, confined, and airless and of late years have been built more after the English fashion, so that the town has entirely lost its Spanish and Moorish character. Gibraltar has, in fact, no architectural beauty to.boast of—no noble palaoss or stately public buildings, no magnificent shops, and yet, from the effects of cleanliness, whitewash, a little paint, and a few flowers, it appears an elegant little town, with quite a cachet of its own about It. ' The narrowness of the streets is not felt to be of any inconvenience, especially as the high and massive buildings by which they are flanked cast their dark shadows around and soreen i the passer-by from the scorching rays of the sun, while the vast number of fruit shops and fruit-stalls, teeming with the delicious products of a southern clime, and odoriferous plants in balconies above and patios below, pervade the whole place with the perfume of a_ garden. Add .to'this a soft breeze from the blue waters of the Mediterranean and the transparent canopy of an Andalusian sky.and one must arrive at the conclusion that there are many less attractive places m the world than this little rockbound colony, . , I push my way over a crowded drawbridge and through a deep gateway penetrating the outward wall, and enter the marketplace which occupies an open space between the first and second line of defences, and through which passes the only road from the town Into the Spanish lines. On this bustling spot, from sunrise till, sunset, are "to be seen congregated together the differet characters and costumes whioh confer so cosmopolitan an appearance upon Gibraltar. Here the sole place where such a spectacle is to be witnessad are found those old hereditary i enemies, the Spaniard and the Moor are engaged side by side in the peaceful pusmts of traffic. The appearance of both is sufficiently remarkable to arrest the: attention of . the traveller. The Spanish peasant is sinewy in frame, swarthy of complexion, and somewhat haughty and independent in his mien and bearing. His agile figure is well set off by his picturesque costume. His well-made limbs are encased in velvet breeches and leggings of embroidered leather. His waist is tightly girt round with a broad crimson sash, in the folds of which lurks the dangerous naraja. or knife—the ready and fatal arbiter of every sudden quarrel. His robust Bhoulders are well displayed by a olose-fitting jacket; his brown and sinewy throat is bare and olive-coloured, and a pair of flashing dark eye 3 look out from beneath his wide sombrero. ■, He rides a powerful mule, adorned with crimson housings and fantastic trappings, and by his side are slung his saddle-bags and carbine. The Moor is a magnifioenfc fellow, massive of frame, and with the freedom of the desert in all his movements; and his costume is well j adapted to set off his physical advantages. I The graceful turban overshadows his oval, and often Btriking'y-hindsome countenance ; his garments are loose and flowing, varying according to his rank—the common marketmen, who bring over from Barbary dates, fowls, and eggs, wearing.a plain, striped robe of rough material, while the better class of traders are more richly and tastefully attired in ve3ts and loose trousers of crimson cloth and long-sleeved blue jackets. Their lega are naked and their feet are encased in yellow slipped with pointed toes. The Moor may be seen in every part of Gibralter—in the market, the streets, and the Almeda— and always with the same statuesque dignity and the same imperturable gravity of demeanour. The market itself is excellently supplied with poultry, eggs, and be6f from Barbary, abundance of fish from the adjacent waters, and fruits and vegetables from the neighbouring parta of Spain. In fact, here I areiionja-foirml-att-t^Tr-vT^^aj^-j ■•■.- rg

the sunny South—immense mellohs piled in heaps resembling the piles of cannon balls in an arsenal, great panniers of figs of various kinds, and among them the large green fig with red pulp—a native of Gibraltar and the highest flavoured of all the enormous purple figs, one of whioh wouid fill an ordinarysized tumbler, and various other sorts. There are mountains of grapes—some " purple and gushing," others firm and fleshy, but supreme above all, the rlph but most delicate muscatel, from Algeciraz,. Apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and apricots are in great abundance, and very cheap. Among these luxuries must be mentioned the wholesome tomato, the favourite vegetable of the Spaniard, and the large Spanish onion, the mildest and most delicate of its kind. One of the most valuable fruits to the Spanish peasant is the large water-melon, which is cultivated to a great extent all through the south of Spain. It attains to a wonderfui perfection hero, and to the thirsty wajf arer or labourer under the scorohiog sun of Andalusia it presents at once a cooling and healthful meal. The juice contains a great quantity of saccha-iue matter, and one of thess melons with a small pieoe of bread, a drink of water, and a cigarette, will afford the hardy and temparate Spaniard a sumptuous repast. Another wall and an open esplanade, surrounded with barracks and overhung by the rock, separates the market place from the streets of the town, which consist of three

long thoroughfares running parallel to the sea-wall, and from which a nnniber of narrow lanes branch ou ab right-angles and ascend the steep sides of the precipitous hill by flights of rugged steps, denominated " ramps." Crouching thus as it does at the

foot of the hot and arid rook, with its streets and alleys closely jammed together for want of room to expand, the town of Gibraltar is in summar excessively close and oppressive. Bat as soon as one passes through the thick forest of houses, barracks, and magazines, and issues out at the south" em gate the contrast is positively magical. You are at once upon the Alameda, one of the most beautiful public promenades in Europe. This delightful spot is formed by an ornamental garden, with intricate winding walks, carried ingeniously as far as practicable up the faoe of the mountain, and furnished with alcoves and seats, planted in the most Bhady and inviting nooks. On one side tho bare and rugged precipices of the rock tower to a height of a the u'and feet overhead, while on the other Is a perfect paradise of semi-tropical vegetation, where huge cluetsrs of aloes, enormous cactuses, thicketsof odoriferous geraniums of every dye, orange trees, with their clusters of golden fruit, grown side by side with the choicest flowers and creepers, which clothe with their vivid green the dark fissurrs of the jutting oraga. The Alameda forms the usual promenade of the officers of the garrison and the inhabitants of the town. I made this my rendezvous for the evening, and gazsd with delight upon the tranquil water 3of the ocein, bathed in a flood of moonlight; on the myriads of stars in the cloudless heavens ; on the dim outline of the distant Spanish Ooast; and a feeling akin to national pride stole over me as I beheld the mighty ironclads in the bay, and the gigantic

batteries, whose heavy guns, frowning down

over all, could send their deadly bolts miles away to " Africa's distant shore." I listened, too, with rapture to the soft strains of a military band, playing a selection of the most enchan- ing airs. But, there were other attractions. Da*k forms flittel pist me; there was rustling of s;lk, and gentle creakin ga from the most delicate of high-healed boots. Tho walk was crowded .to excess with the elite of " the rock " ; aad of talking, laughing, whispering, flirtirga of fans, and other kind 3of flirtings there was obviously no lsok, ss the dark Andaluslan belles, with oval features,, dark lu3trous eye 3, peirly teeth, and ruby lips passed to and fro along the winding p »ths side by side with their gallant cabalkros. The romantic beauty of tho Spanish women lniy here be-Been to advantage, and a single glauoe is sufficient to convino9 one that; ia Btatalinees and digDity of carriage, ia the peculiar grace of the gliding walk, in the else and elegance of their motions, they are altogether un-ivalled. In matters of la toilette, too, they have no equals for neatness and taste. Their dress always appear to fit them with scrupulous exsctness. Thefaw addi< tions they veur in the way of outward decorations blend harmoniously with the general colour of their attire. A Spanish dame would never dream of wearing a red

dark silk dress-usually black-with » bodf fitting tightly to her shapely form, wd trimmed with folds of kce, i a h e T usari ?k T', d With a mmtllla Wonherhead the ends falling gracefully over her shouldW a fan in her delicately white hands, and tSe stately forms and dark-eyed beautier I 0 « £"*■»«• I»i T* S y i,™ m" I,°™