| Show gibraltar alf t tile the english strongholds strong holds in the mediterranean DI d u le are Malta and gibraltar G gi captured by the british erria spain in 1104 and though many efforts have been mads made since to retake great britain has beld possession p s ion or of it ever i si since e I 1 in 1782 a c combined 0 m b ined attack by we the french and Spa lists was made upon an army ot of men and one I 1 thousand pieces of artillery forty seven sail of the line all three deckers ten floating batteries carrying two hundred and twelve guns fript frigates es I 1 i bomb ketches cutters and nd gun got and mortar or boats gent gentra general ra i elliott beat the land itar forces in a sortie aud and the naval forces forces were ds dispersed persed arid floating batteries dA destroyed troyed gibraltar has ton lobig been considered impregnable regular set me lines cannot be op hopeel opened eel against it for the simple reason andt there are no materials for I 1 I 1 earth works within battering batte ring range and we were once elroc elected ted theres there is hidir to batter but solid rock a breach I 1 in which would only render the storming I 1 I 1 more impracticable than ever more alore 1 over er to the immense imin ense elevation of athe place it is impossible to prevent as I 1 gallants isai sal lants from any quarter from being i i completely completely overlooked still and exposed to the ve vertical vei fire of the garrison without a I 1 possibility of returning to it malta is also considered impregnable against any attack by sea by any armament hitherto in use 1 I was ca captured as ai alleged the treachery of one of 0 the nights knights of oe st john by napoleon when on his ivay way I 1 to egypt in ill june 1793 bu bui continued in the possession of the fi ench only a short I 1 i time having been blockaded by a british squadron arid and talen taken by gen in in 1800 malta has ever since been been in the hands hards of britain and was guaranteed her by them the treaty of paris pans the ionian islands situated along the eastern coasts of the adriatic captured in ISO 1 I from I 1 france by a british fleet in 1815 the mands were placed by the congress of off I 1 vienna under a british protectorate in in I 1 which condition they have lai e ever since re 1 allied on the island of corfu there is is a fortress fortress of very peat greit p eat strength sti bength supposed pi 8 d to be next to impre france I 1 w will 11 have to dislodge eng tand from these 1 I ns before the former cm cin make ph il li di I 1 the is mediterranean a french lake the supposed object ot of Louig Napoleons ambition arid and the purpose probably of I 1 the great naval preparations whiz which are b being ing I 1 M made ti e in france |
