CARTHAGENA, a city, sea-port, and arsenal of Spain, situated on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. It is in the province or kingdom of Murcia. The port is very se-
cur, both from an enemy and from tempests. Two castles of great strength defend it from the former, whilst high mountains surrounding all its sides, and an island called
Escombria in the centre of the entrance, protect the shipping from the effects of the latter.
As the tide in the Mediterranean does not rise sufficiently high to permit docks to be constructed in the usual manner, they are kept dry by the help of steam-engines and pumps. Some of the largest ships in the Spanish navy were built at this arsenal, and, in prosperous times, every species of store for the building and equipping of ships of the line were collected here; but the late disasters have prevented the re-erection of the store-houses, and the whole marine service has fallen into decay with most deplorable rapidity. Carthagenena is a presidio, or place in which felons condemned to slavery are kept at work in chains. These convicts perform the most laborious offices about the arsenal, and are treated with rigorous severity.
The city has very little trade, except the exportation of barilla, which is made from the ashes of marine plants, some of which are cultivated, and others grow naturally on the sea shore. There are manufactures of sail-cloth and cordage, both for the royal navy and for the supply of individuals. The hemp and flax of which these are made is almost wholly grown within the province, which produces annually about 12,000 quintals. Considerable quantities of larger ropes and cables are made from esparto, or broom, the spartium junceum of Linnæus. The fibres of this plant, when spun into cordage, make cables which are buoyant, and therefore less subject to accidents from rocks at the bottom of the sea than those made from hemp. Carthagenena is the see of a bishop, and has a handsome cathedral, besides many other churches and convents. By accurate observations, its latitude is 37. 35. 50. N. and its longitude 0. 29. 13. W. This city contains 20,000 inhabitants.