The bay of Algesiras or Gibraltar, is about 8 m. long by 5 broad, witn a depth in the center of upwards of 100 fathoms. The anchorage, however, is not very good, and the bay is quite exposed, especially to the s.w. winds, which sometimes drag the ships from their anchors and drive them ashore.
Gibraltar has been known in history from a very early period. The Pheenician navigators called it Alube, which the Greeks corrupted into Calpe, its classical name. With Abyla (now Ceuta) opposite, it formed the Pillars of Hercules, long held to be the western boundary of the world. It is impossible to doubt that such leaders as Hannibal and his fellow Carthaginians must have been awake to the importance of this rock in their expeditions from Africa into Spain; but we have no certain information of its natural strength being made available for defensive or aggressive purposes until the year 711 A.n., when the Saracens, passing into Spain, under Tarik Ibn-Zeyad, a general of the Caliph Al Walid, for the conquest of the Visigothic kingdom, fortified it, as a base of operations and a ready point of access from the Barbary coast. From this chieftain it took the name of Gebel-Tarik, or Hill of Tarik, of which Gibraltar is a corruption. Ane of the old towers of this early castle still remains. Subsequently, Gibraltar shared in the revolutions among the Moors of Spain, being now in the hands of Almoravide princes from Africa, and again in the power of native Arab monarchs. In 1309, after a gallant defense, it succumbed to the Christians of Castile under Don Antonio de Guz man. The king of Castile immediately constructed additional works and a dock-yard at the "Old Mole," and also took measures to induce a Christian population to settle in the town. The Moors besieged Gibraltar in 1315 ineffectually, but in 1333 it fell army of the king of Fez, whoin a siege by the Castilian monarch failed to dislodge. In 1436, the Spaniards tried once more to take the stronghold; but they were unsuccessful, until, in a subsequent siege in 1462, the place was captured through the treachery of a renegade Moor. From this time the Moorish power was too thoroughly broken for any serious attempt to be made for the recovery of Gibraltar, which remained in the hands of the Spanish, and was so strengthened by additional fortifications, that the engineers of the 17th c. accounted it impregnable. A combined Dutch and English force, how
ever, under sir George Rooke and the prince of Hesse Darmstadt, demonstrated that Gibraltar could be taken: for in 1704, after a vigorous bombardment, and a lauding in force, the governor deemed it wise to capitulate. How great, even then, were the capabilities of the rock for defense is seen from the fact that the garrison, only 150 strong; placed 276 of the English hors-de-combat before they surrendered.
Since 1704, Gibraltar has remained continuously in the possession of the British, but not without the necessity of their resisting many desperate efforts on the part of Spain and France to dislodge them. Before the victors had been able to add to the defense, their mettle was severely tried by a siege in 1704-05. In 1720, it was threatened, and in 1727, actually attacked by an overwhelming force under the count de las Torres.
During this siege, the place was near falling into the hands of the assailants. The most memornble, however, of the sieges to which Gibraltar has been exposed, com menced in 1779, when Britain, being engaged in the struggle with its revolted colonies, and at the same time at war with France, Spain took the opportunity of joining the coalition, and directed her whole strength against the isolated garrison of this small but redoubtable fortress.
The communications with Spain were closed on June 21, 1779, and a strict blockade established by the Spanish fleet; the strength of the besieged force being at this period 5,382 men, including 1095 Hanoverians, under gen. Eliott, the governor. Famine speedily set in; the enemy pushed forward his works for the future bombardment, and •commenced active annoyance on Jan. 12, 1780, by firing several shots into the town. Five days later, admiral Rodney overcame the Spanish admiral, threw a good supply of provisions into the fortress, added 1000 men to the garrison, and, removing all useless mouths, left it dependent on its own strength. During 1780, little of importance hap pened; scurvy disabled many of the defenders; the besiegers advanced their works, •continually increased their force, and by obtaining possession of the opposite African ports, cut off the last chance of provisions being obtained for the stronghold.