on a bold eminence to the north-east dates from the 13th century, and is
still in fairly good preservation.
During the 19th century so much silt accumulated in the harbour that
vessels were obliged to lie in the roads outside, and receive and
discharge cargo by means of lighters; but new harbour works were
undertaken in 1880, and large ships can now again load or discharge at
the quays, which are connected with the main railway system by a branch
line. About 2150 ships of 1,750,000 tons enter at Malaga every year.
Iron, lead, wine, olive oil, almonds, fresh and dried fruit, palmetto
hats and canary seed are exported in large quantities, while the imports
include grain, codfish, fuel, chemicals, iron and steel, machinery,
manures and staves for casks. Although trade was impeded during the
early years of the 20th century by a succession of bad harvests and by
the disastrous floods of September 1907, the number of industries
carried on in and near Malaga tends steadily to increase. There are
large cotton mills, iron foundries, smelting works and engineering
works. Pottery, mosaic, artificial stone and tiles are produced chiefly
for the home market, though smaller quantities are sent abroad. There is
a chromo-lithographic establishment, and the other industries include
tanning, distilling and the manufacture of sugar, chocolate, soap,
candles, artificial ice, chemical products, white lead and pianos.
Foreign capital has played a prominent part in the development of
Malaga; a French syndicate owns the gas-works, and the electric lighting
of the streets is controlled by British and German companies.
Malaga is the [Greek: Málaka] of Strabo (iii. 156) and Ptolemy (ii. 4,
7) and the _Malaca foederatorum_ of Pliny (iii. 3). The place seems to
have been of some importance even during the Carthaginian period; under
the Romans it became a municipium, and under the Visigoths an episcopal
see. In 711 it passed into the possession of the Moors, and soon came to
be regarded as one of the most important cities of Andalusia. It was
attached to the caliphate of Cordova, but on the fall of the Omayyad
dynasty it became for a short time the capital of an independent
kingdom; afterwards it was dependent on Granada. In 1487 it was taken
and treated with great harshness by Ferdinand and Isabella after a
protracted siege. In 1810 it was sacked by the French under General
Sebastiani. The citizens of Malaga are noted for their opposition to the
Madrid government; they took a prominent part in the movements against
Espartero (1843), against Queen Isabella (1868) and in favour of a
republic (1873).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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