Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1894 — The Greatest. Fortress in the World. [ARTICLE]

The Greatest. Fortress in the World.

Harper's Young People. In 1779 combined French and Spanish land and sea forces besieged Gibraltar, closely investing the place until September 13, 1782, when the most, memorable attack that history records was made upon it. Forty'six line-of-battle ships, 300 gun and mortar boats, together ! with a great fleet of specially con- | structed armored floating-batteries ' encircled the rock, and daily hurled' thousands of tons of iron against its scraggy sides. This frightful assault was maintained and successfully resisted for several months, and it was not until , 1783, when peace was declared, that | the siege was raised,and the English left masters of the place that they had defended without cessation for four weary years. The great rock of Gibraltar is of limestone formation, and is honeycombed with caverns and subterra- ; nean avenues. Some of the caves have been given such names as St. Michael’s, -Martins-, Fig-Tree, Monkey, Beefsteak, and Judges. The first of these is on the western side, and its entrance is about 1,100 feet above the sea. It is the most remarkable and interesting chamber of them all, and the particular cave that tourists make a point of exploring. The earth slopes rapidly from the entrance, and the passage opens into a hall 200 feet long, of varying width and seventy feet in height. The roof of this cave has the appearance of being supported by the enormous stalactite pillars that reach from the floor and spread out where they mingle overhead. These columns areof wonderful beauty, and form every imaginable shape —trees, animals, human figures, etc. From St. Michael’s Cave passages radiate and lead to four smaller chambers, known as Leonora’s Caves, one of which ; s fully 300 feel below the surface. Th? first of these four v.a given the name of Victoria's Cave, in honor of England's Queen, by Captain Brome, of the Royal Engineers,to whom the credit of thf discovery is due. Pierre Loth the famous Frencl novelist, who saw Li Hung Chanj when in China a year or two ago, de scribes him as a tall, slender, bony distinguished looking rian with s beard and long mustache. When ot horseback it would be difficult t< imagine a man more dignifiec iu appearance. '