he Carthaginians and Romans. The island called La Escombrera, the
ancient _Scombraria_ (i.e. "mackerel fishery"), 2-1/2 m. south, protects
Cartagena from the violence of wind and waves. The mines near the city
are very productive, and thousands of men and beasts are employed in
transporting lead, iron, copper, zinc and sulphur to the coast. The
industrial and commercial progress of Cartagena was much hindered,
during the first half of the 19th century, by the prevalence of epidemic
diseases, the abandonment of the arsenal, and rivalry with the
neighbouring port of Alicante. Its sanitary condition, though still
defective, was improved by the drainage of the adjacent Almajar Marsh;
and after 1870, when the population had dwindled to about 26,000,
Cartagena advanced rapidly in size and wealth. The opening of the
railway enabled it to compete successfully with Alicante, and revived
the mining and metallurgical industries, while considerable sums were
expended on bringing the coast and land defences up to date, and adding
new quays, docks and other harbour works. As a naval station, Cartagena
suffered severely in 1898 from the maritime disasters of the
Spanish-American War; and its commerce was much affected when, at the
beginning of the same year, Porman, or Portman, a mining village on a
well-sheltered bay about 11 m. east, was declared by royal order an
independent port. Vessels go to Porman to land coke and coal, and to
load iron ore and lead. From Cartagena the principal exports are
metallic ores, esparto grass, wine, cereals and fruit. Esparto grass,
which grows freely in the vicinity, is the _spartum_, or Spanish broom,
which gave the town its Roman designation of _Carthago Spartaria_. It is
still used locally for making shoes, ships' cables, mats and a kind of
spun cloth. Timber is largely imported from the United States, Sweden
and Russia; coal from Great Britain; dried codfish from Norway and
Newfoundland. In 1904, exclusive of coasters and small craft trading
with north-west Africa, 662 ships of 604,208 tons entered the port of
Cartagena, 259 being British and 150 Spanish; while 90 vessels were
accommodated at Porman.

Cartagena was founded about the year 243 B.C. by the Carthaginian
Hasdrubal, and was called _Carthago Nova_ or New Carthage, to
distinguish it from the African city of Carthage. It was conveniently
situated opposite to the Carthaginian territory in Africa, and was early
noted for its harbour. Its si