Cadiz is the see of a bishop, who is a suffragan to the archbishop of Seville. The see was removed from Asi donia to this city in 1262, in the reign of Alphonso the Wise, when the church of Santa Cruz was erected into a cathedral. Its diocese extends only over fifteen dis tricts, containing twenty-eight parishes. The chapter of the cathedral is composed of six dignitaries, ten canons, four prebendaries, and eight demi-prebendaries. The government of Cadiz consists of a governor, a king's lieutenant, two assistant majors, and two alcades major for the administration of justice ; and, as this city is one of the three departments of the royal navy, it has also a captain-general, a major-intendant, an accountant-gene ral,two treasurers, a post captain, a marine minister, and two marine auditors. Since Seville fell into the hands of the French, it has been the residence of the supreme legislature, and of the executive government of the king dom.
The bay of Cadiz is one of the finest in the world ; has capital anchorage ground, and is from ten to twelve leagues in circumference. It is every where protected by mountains, except on the west, where it opens to wards the ocean, and where it is defended by the forts of St Sebastian and St Catherine. The entrance into the inner bay, where the ships of war generally lie, is strongly defended by forts Louis and Matagorda, whose fires cross one another, and also by Puntal fort on the opposite shore. On the eastern extremity of this bay is the Caraca, or royal dock-yard, which contains twelve. docks for building all sorts of ships of war ; and three great basons, one for careening frigates, and two for ca reening ships of the line of all rates. it has immense magazines of naval stores, consisting of cloth, cordage, cables, anchors, arms, timber, yards, masts, and sheets of copper. Cables, sail-cloth, and ropes, are made here ; and ship-wrights and others arc constantly chi ployed throughout the year.
" The rocks near Cadiz," says Mr Jacob, " arc of a very singular structure. The basis of their composition is probably pechstein ; and in this, by its glutinous pow er, the shells, pebbles, quartz, sand, and marble have been so intermixed and hardened in the course of years, as to form a compact kind of stone. This glutinous matter is at first of a greyish black ; but in process of time, when mixed and combined with other substances, changes into a very light yellowish colour : it pertsesses so much tenacity, that pieces of brick, tiles, chalk, shells, and other rubbish thrown into the sea, become incorpo rated with it, and in time so firmly united, as to appear a piece of solid stone. It forms an excellent stone for building, is easily worked, and very durable." In the neighbourhood of Cadiz is an extensive tunny fishery, which is a source of great traffic and profit to the inhabitants. They have a particular method of salt
ing and preserving these animals, by which they can export them in good condition to any part of the world. Though this fish was well known to the ancients, who made it a great article of commerce, and there are still some considerable tunny fisheries on the coasts of Si cily and other parts of tile Mediterranean sea ; yet the inhabitants of Cadiz owe the discovery of it upon, their own shores entirely to chance. A party of fishermen, when navigating towards the north-west, came to a part of the sea which was filled with moss and sea-weed. Perceiving under the weeds an immense number of tunnies, which they called athunas, they caught as many as they were able ; and having cured them according to their own fashion, put them in barrels, and carried them home. They afterwards exported them to different ports in the Mediterranean, where they met with a prodigious sale ; and this traffic is now extended to almost every part of Europe. It was in gratitude for this discovery, we are told, that the city of Cadiz stamped upon one side of its coins two tunnies, and the temple of Hercules on the other ; acknowledging that it was to them it was indebted for the high station which it held among the cities of the world. The tunny fishing com mences here in the beginning of May, and lasts until the middle of June.
At Cadiz, the common period for bills of exchange with England, Holland, Hamburg, and other foreign countries, except France, is sixty days after the date of the bill, with six days of grace. With France, it is only a month, with the same number of days of grace.
The population of Cadiz, according to M. de La borde, is computed at 70,000. Mr Townshend, who visited Spain in 1786-7, reckons it at 65,987, and says, that about ten years before it had been estimated at 85,000, besides 20,000 persons who entered daily from the sea, and the adjacent country. At this place, the tide runs north-east and south-west ; and at spring tides, it is high water at half past four o'clock. NV. Long. 11' 50", N. Lat. 36° 31' 7". Sec De Laborde's View of Spain, vol. ii. p. 69.; Collins' Voyages to Portugal and Spain, Ste. p. 22., in Phillip's Collection of Voyages, Ste. vols. viii. and x.; Townshend's Journey through Spain; Fisher's Travels in Spain ; Semple's Journey through Spain, &e. vol. i. p.141.; Semple's Second Journey in Spain, &e. p. 263.; Jacob's Travels in the South of Spain, in 1809 and 1810, p. 5, &e.; Osbeck's Voyage to China and the _East Indies, vol. i. p. 13, lee.; Guide des Voyageurs, tom. i. p. 39.; and Peuchet Dictionnaire, Sze. (p)