COLONEL ABREU.

The governor soon made his

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appearance, and

affairs altered very greatly. He is a fine old fellow, called Colonel Abreu, and as he spoke French, we were in a few minutes great friends; he sent for an orderly to accompany me round the town. I gave him my card, and hoped to have the pleasure of his company, should he come to Gibraltar. On seeing the card, he said that I must be a patriot, from the name; and, on my telling him that the Conde Capo San Vicente was my "governor," I thought he would have embraced me. He gave me an

invitation to his house whenever I returned to Tarifa, which I shall make a point of doing, as, besides being an agreeable old fellow himself, he has two or three very pretty daughters, who shewed a great disposition to become acquainted with us before the old gentleman made his appearance.

We went over as much of the town as the shortness of our stay would admit of; saw the breach which, in 1812, was so gallantly defended by Colonel Gough and the 87th,*

* About this time were built by the English some very good barracks on the "Isla de Paloma," which VOL. I.

F

when they repulsed the French with great slaughter. We also went to the castle, which is of Moorish origin; but the time was too short, and I must, when I return from Grenada, pay another visit to Tarifa for two or three days. One thing struck us very much at Tarifa as indicative of the remains of Moorish customs the dress of the women. They were entirely enveloped in black clothing, and only one eye remained visible, which enabled us to form no opinion of their beauty. We were obliged to start at two; and, with the help of fresh shoes and lots of wine, with which I made my horse nearly drunk, and the application of a pair of sharp spurs, reached the gates of Gibraltar at half-past six, highly pleased with the trip, and after having been eleven hours in the saddle.

joins the continent by a narrow isthmus. The rock composing the Isla is formed of a sort of conglomerate of shells; which, being cut out in square blocks, served to form the walls of the buildings, whilst the space from whence the substance was removed was converted into powder magazines. The Isla de Paloma is about one mile in circumference, and, at its most southern extremity, has a fine lighthouse.

66

THE MERCURIO."

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CHAPTER XII.

Embark on board the "Mercurio" steamer for Malaga -English engineers and engines" Mercurio" runs between Cadiz and Marseilles-Pleasant mode of travelling" Putrefied" coals-Variety of passengers-Spanish customs-Dress-Cards-Sobriety of the Spaniards-Arrival at Malaga-The British Consul-The Captain-General of Andalusia -The Commandant's lady-First regular attempt at Spanish-Moorish traces in Malaga-Mixture of architecture-" Time," the leveller.

Malaga, March 15, 1838. ON the 13th of March, 1838, my friend Captain Zuhlcke, and myself, after all the requisite preliminaries of applying for and obtaining a month's leave of absence, received the intimation of the arrival of the "Mercurio" steamer from Cadiz, and that she was to leave for Malaga on the same evening.

After taking an early dinner, at the Windmill, we proceeded on board, accompanied by several brother officers, and were much surprised to find such superior accommodation in a Spanish craft; we however shortly learned that the "Mercurio" had been built and fitted up at Liverpool, at a considerable cost, had British engineers on board, and, in fact, was neither more nor less than an English boat. It is a proud reflection to a Briton, that in whatever part of the world he is, he invariably finds proofs of the wealth, genius, and industry of his own country, always tending to the weal of those who thus pay us so unequivocal a compliment of our superiority.

There is no opposition to this vessel, and, as the fares are high, and she is crowded with passengers from Cadiz to Marseilles, no doubt it proves a thriving speculation. The manner in which the voyage is performed is also very agreeable for those who may wish to see every town of note along the coast, as the boat stops at each, during the day, and pursues her course at night. She occupies about twelve days in the trip, and certainly the same num

ber of places could not be seen with less trouble, or to more advantage.

There is but one drawback to the navigation-the want of coals, which are brought from England, those procured on the Spanish coast being, as the engineer expressed himself, regular "putrefactions."

The passengers appeared to be of every nation of Europe,-English, French, Sicilian, German, and Scorpions, (Giberaltinos.) A young Sicilian of the name of V who spoke some half dozen languages with the greatest fluency, gave me a great deal of information during our middle watch, respecting the customs of Spain, Barbary, etc. Amongst other things, he said that on leaving a house. on a first casual visit, although the usual salutation of the lady was, "Consider the house. as your own," this by no means implied that future visits would be acceptable, unless the same were intimated by a friend; when the etiquette required a call on the third day, provided that day did not happen on a Sunday. At a ball, whether public or private, no introduction is necessary to any lady with