CORUNNA (Span. La Coruna; Fr. La Corogne ; Eng. for merly often The Groyne), the capital of the Spanish province described above; on Corunna bay, an inlet of the Atlantic ocean and connected by rail with Madrid and Oporto. Pop. (193o) 74,132. Corunna consists of an upper and a lower town, built respectively on the south-east slope of a small peninsula, and on the low isthmus connecting the peninsula with the mainland. The old, closely-built upper town overlooks the harbour formed by the bay east of the peninsula and was once strongly fortified. With the growth of the port, however, it became too restricted and the population expanded over the former fishing settlement of La Pescaderia, now a modern, fairly well built town on the shores of the harbour. Corunna has an electric tram service, two hospitals, theatres, a school of navigation, a school of agriculture, an arsenal and barracks. A characteristic feature of the houses, especially those overlooking the harbour, is their balconies enclosed with glazed windows for protection against the wind. In the old quar ter there are convents and the churches of Santiago and the Cole giata, dating respectively from the i2th and i3th centuries. The walls have largely been demolished and the harbour forts dis mantled as useless in modern times, being overlooked by a hill behind the town. That on San Anton island is now a prison and San Diego on the mainland has been converted into a factory. The so-called tower of Hercules on the north is now a lighthouse. Corunna, owing to its position near a great sea route between north-west Europe and South and Central America, the Mediter ranean and beyond, is one of the chief ports of north Spain. The sheltered harbour, facing north-east and protected by a break water, has an easy entrance and is deep and safe, accommodating vessels of 2 2f t. draught, with an inner dock for smaller ships. Many foreign merchant and mail steamers call here and it is the chief Spanish port for passengers for Cuba and South America. Corunna is a great fishing centre for sardines, herrings, haddock and conger-eels with an important salting and canning industry. It exports agricultural products, especially onions and potatoes, and fish, and imports coal, colonial produce, salt and manufac tured goods. It has a state tobacco factory and yards for build ing sailing vessels and steam trawlers.
Corunna, possibly at first a Phoenician settlement, is usually identified with the ancient Ardobrica. Its present name is prob ably derived from that of Caronium by which it was known in the Middle Ages, rather than from the Latin Columna. The har bour has always been of considerable importance, but it is only in comparatively modern times that it has made a figure in history. In 1588 it gave shelter to the Invincible Armada; in 1598 the town was captured and burned by the British under Drake and Norris. (X.) For the objects and early course of Sir John Moore's campaign In 18o8, see PENINSULAR WAR. Having, by his bold thrust at the French line of communication, through Burgoe, drawn Na poleon from his intended advance against Lisbon and Andalusia, Moore with his small force of 2 5,00o men began, on Dec. 25, to fall back upon his new base at Corunna. Napoleon, with 70, 000 followed hard upon his trail but his advanced cavalry reached the vital crossings of the Esla only in time to see the bridges destroyed by the British rear-guard. Moore had 36 hours' start; it should have been enough, but at Astorga he found the town full of demoralized Spaniards, so that the billeting of the troops and the issue of supplies were thrown into confusion; infuriated by the irritation of countermarching and the disappointment of retreat, his men broke through the thin shell of their discipline, burst open the wine stores, and within a short time a large part of the army was in no condition to move. With great difficulty the bulk of the drunkards were collected and driven forward by the rearguard, Paget's Reserve Division, who throughout the re treat combined that duty with the less irksome one of repelling the enemy. It must be remembered that the majority of British regiments at this period were not bound by the "tradition of dis cipline" that obtains to-day. The officers were often ill-chosen and badly trained and, worst of all, the system of supply and transport was hopelessly inadequate. At Astorga, on Jan. 1, 1809, Napoleon, believing Moore's army to be beyond his grasp, handed over the command to Soult and returned to Paris. Day by day the two armies, pursuers and pursued, plodded doggedly westward through the bitter winter weather, the British losing hundred of prisoners by sickness and straggling every day. At Lugo Moore made a stand, hoping to revive the moral of his troops by action. Instantly the spirits of his men responded to the prospect, but Soult would not attack and the retreat began again, discipline breaking down more completely than before. Supplies now were terribly scarce ; boots were worn out, so that men and even officers marched barefoot over the rough mountain roads. The cold became even more intense, so that many died from this cause alone. Straggling increased daily and bands of soldiers wandered into the mountains, plundering the villages for food and loot. Amidst all this demoralization a few units maintained their discipline throughout : the guards, alone among the main body; the Light Brigades of Craufurd and Alten, which acted as left flank guard on the Orense road, and Paget's Reserve Division, which had successfully held off the pursuit in a series of fierce rearguard actions. At last, on Jan. 11, Moore reached Corunna, only to find that the fleet had not arrived. After em barking his sick in such ships as were in the harbour, the British commander turned his attention to the battle that was now in evitable. Two miles south of the harbour and astride the road by which Soult must approach lay a ridge known as the Monte Mero ; Moore chose this as his main position. Its left was protected by the estuary of the river Mero, but its right was open and could easily be turned. On this ridge Moore stationed the divisions of Baird and Hope, with Paget echeloned to their right rear in the valley of the Monelos at Oza and Frazer farther back still on the heights of Santa Margarita above the town; about 15,00o men in all. On Jan. 14 Soult was in touch with this position and on the i6th he attacked it, employing 16,000 men and 20 guns. He concentrated his attack on Monte Mero, Delaborde's division on the right being directed along the main road, Merle's in the centre against the summit of the hill, and Mermet on the left against the village of Elvina on its western slopes. La Hous saye's cavalry protected Mermet's left flank and a second cavalry division under Longe was in reserve. Baird, on the right of the Monte Mero position, had the brigades of Bentinck and Manning up in the front line, with the Guards Brigade in reserve; Hope, on the left, had Leith and Hill in front, and Craufurd in reserve. Mermet's advance soon drove the British skirmishers out of Elvina and, overlapping Bentinck's right, threatened to turn his flank. To meet this danger Moore brought Paget up the valley of the Monelos and ordered Baird to retake Elvin.. By this time Merle and Delaborde had joined in the attack on the right of Mermet, the action becoming general. Baird now sent forward two of Bentinck's battalions, which retook Elvina and even ad vanced beyond it. Had Moore remained in command it is prob able that he would have pressed this advantage to its fullest extent, for he had already ordered up a Guards battalion to join in the counter-attack, while Paget's advance was beginning to make itself felt on the French left. Unfortunately, at this critical moment Moore's left arm was carried away by a round shot and, knowing his wound to be mortal, he handed over the command to Hope and allowed himself to be carried from the field. The change of command and weakness on the part of Bentinck resulted in the failure of the British counter-stroke. The French retook Elvina but were again checked before the main position, Merle and Delaborde on the right also failing to make any impression upon Manningham, Leith and Hill. By this time darkness was beginning to fall and the fight gradually flicked out. Neither side could claim a victory (each had lost about 90o men), but the British were able to embark next day unmolested in the fleet which had at last arrived. At the dawn of that day, Sir John Moore, his task accomplished, was buried on the ramparts of Corunna ; a monument in the Jardin de San Carlos commemorates his death.
The town joined the revolutionary movement of 182o, but in 1823 it was forced to capitulate by French troops. In 1836 it was captured by the Carlists. Corunna suffered heavily when Spain was deprived of Cuba and Porto Rico by the Spanish American War of 1898, for it had hitherto had a thriving trade with these colonies. (H. L. A.-F.)