CHAPTER V

Minorca under British rule

If the occupation of Minorca was very important to the British as a base for their fleet, it was an even greater blessing to the inhabitants. While the ancient rights and liberties of the Catalans and Majorcans were ruthlessly destroyed by their Bourbon conqueror, the Minorcans were treated very differently. Their religion, their form of civil government, their customs and traditions were all respected by the English, who came as friends rather than as masters. It will be interesting to glance over the condition of the island during the earlier years of British occupation.

Minorca was divided into five provinces, called _terminos_. At the eastern end was the _termino_ of Mahon with the capital under British rule, and at the western the _termino_ of Ciudadela, the ancient capital. Between them were the _terminos_ of Alaior, Mercadal, and Fererias, each with its chief village of the same name. Mercadal included the greater part of the northern coast.

The principal feature of the island is the splendid harbour of Port Mahon, with deep water, and capable in former days of sheltering all the fleets of Europe. There are several small islands in the harbour, and on one the hospital was built when Sir John Jennings was Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, 1711-13. The quarantine station was on another island. The picturesque town of Mahon, built entirely of freestone, rose up the side of a hill, with its great church and monasteries showing above the roofs of the houses. The streets were rocky and narrow, but the site was fresh and healthy. Along the waterside there was a long quay, one end being reserved for the navy and naval stores, and the other for trading vessels and merchandise.

At the entrance of the harbour is the castle of San Felipe, on a neck of land between Port Mahon and St. Stephen’s Cove. The main fort consisted of four bastions connected by curtains, with a deep ditch hewn out of the solid rocks. Within the area there were the Governor’s house, barracks, guard-room, and chapel. In the centre there was a pump to supply the troops with rain water from a large cistern. The whole rock is undermined with subterranean passages and chambers. A considerable suburb, including barracks and officers’ quarters, rose up outside the castle. The plain beyond is stony and barren, but at the head of St. Stephen’s Cove there is a _barranco_ or ravine, bounded by rocks on either side, where there are fruit trees and garden vegetables of all kinds. These _barrancos_ are the fertile and fruit-yielding parts of the island. Originally long creeks penetrating into the land from the sea, they have been gradually filled with rich soil by floods from the hills on the north side, until they were raised above the sea level. There is no tide to carry off the deposits brought down from the hills. At the upper end of the harbour there is another extensive _barranco_, known as the gardens of San Juan, which was the principal source of supply of vegetables for Mahon. A few miles farther north is the _albufera_, or salt lake, separated from the sea by a sand-spit, and abounding in fish; and still farther to the north are the harbour and beautiful valley of Adaia. Wild pigeons and rabbits frequent the rocky cliffs and islands on the coast.

The interior of the island is barren and stony, except for the _barrancos_. Alaior was a tolerably well-built town on an eminence; but Mercadal and Fererias are only wretched villages. The north coast is deeply indented, and Port Fornelle is a large harbour.

Ciudadela, at the head of an inlet on the western coast, was the capital in the time of the Moors, and continued to be so during the Aragonese and Austrian rule. It was then the place of residence of the Governor, and was a flourishing and well-built town. Vessels of small draft, trading with Majorca and Barcelona, came up the inlet and supplied the island with foreign goods. The wall which encircled Ciudadela dates from the time of the Moors, to which more modern fortifications had been added. In the _plaza_ was the Government House and the _Lonja_, or exchange, an ancient building raised on lofty Gothic arches. Thence a passage led to a postern and, by a long flight of stone steps, to the quay. The cathedral is in the centre of the town, and the largest religious edifice in the island, with a square tower and spire, all of freestone. It probably dates from the thirteenth century. Near the Mahon gate was a large convent of Austin friars, where there used to be public arguments on the philosophy of the schools. There was an extensive Franciscan convent, and a nunnery of Santa Clara. A fine _barranco_ to the north supplied Ciudadela with fruit and vegetables.

The people of the island were well housed in solid stone buildings, the farmhouses being generally of two storeys, with the granary under the roof. The farmers have to contend against frequent and violent gales, a very stony and shallow soil, and scarcity of water. They are very laborious, and work under a system of partnership. There is an equal division of produce between landlord and tenant, the landlord finding buildings, implements, and cattle, the tenant seeds and labour. Very few landlords cultivate their own land.

The government of the island was on the model of that of Majorca, as established by En Jayme I. The Courts of Justice were removed from Ciudadela to Port Mahon by the English; otherwise no change was made in the civil government, which was left in the hands of the natives. The magistrates were called Jurats, so many in each Termino; and their duties were to impose taxes, see that the markets were properly supplied, and lay the hardships or grievances of the people before the Governor. These Jurats were chosen from all ranks. The Jurat-Major was a gentleman, his colleagues being chosen from merchants, artisans, and peasants--one from each class. They were elected for a year. The Jurats of the island, with the consent of the Governor, could call a General Council of their body, consisting of twenty-four members, which met at Ciudadela. Their business was to settle the taxes and decide upon the incidence of taxation, as well as to provide for special contingencies and to represent grievances. Besides the Jurats, there was a Bayle or Judge, who held a court and decided cases, there being an appeal to the supreme court at Port Mahon. The ecclesiastical court was held by the Vicar-General at Ciudadela. There were five parishes, and the Curas received tithes, the other clergy being supported by Masses, fees, and collections. In 1713 there were on the island 75 secular clergy, 140 friars, and 85 nuns--in all 300; a tolerably large proportion for a population of 27,000.

Under British rule there was an end to the oppression and peculation of Governors sent to the island to mend their broken fortunes; justice was properly administered, and trade flourished. The condition of the people visibly improved during Sir Robert Walpole’s long peace. The island depended on foreign trade for a third of the corn that was required, and all the oil and spirits, besides other things. It was the English money circulated by the troops that preserved the islanders from bankruptcy, and indeed enabled them to live in prosperity as compared with their former lot.

The English garrison used to consist of five infantry regiments and a company of artillery, in all 2,400 effective men. They were quartered at San Felipe, Alaior, with a detachment at Fornelle, and Ciudadela, the favourite quarters. The successive Governors took an almost fatherly interest in the island, and British rule continued to be very popular.

One of the best Governors was Brigadier Kane, who was many years ruling in Minorca, and who died there. Soon after his arrival there was a great scarcity of fresh provisions: the numbers of sheep and bullocks had dwindled almost to nothing, and chickens had also become scarce. Kane set to work to remedy the evil with great energy. He procured and imported herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. He also got large supplies of poultry from France, Italy, and the Barbary coast, distributing them among the farmers and peasants; and he encouraged the people to set to work improving their breeds. Kane also made an excellent road for the whole length of the island, from Ciudadela to Port Mahon.

The British occupation was not wholly without permanent record, both as regards general history and some scientific results. Mr. John Armstrong, the Government Engineer, described the island, its physical aspects, antiquities, people, and institutions in a series of letters which were published as ‘The History of the Island of Minorca’ in 1752. Dr. George Cleghorn resided for many years on the island as Surgeon-Major to the garrison. In 1751 he published his ‘Observations on the Epidemical Diseases in Minorca,’ a work which contains a list of 180 species of plants of the island, with Latin, English, and Minorcan names.[36]

The first period of British rule lasted for nearly half a century, from 1708 to 1757, when there was a catastrophe.