Tarragona

Tarragona (Roman Tarraco) is a seaport of Spain, capital of the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, 60 miles W. of Barcelona, and pleasantly situated at the mouth of the small river Francoli. There is a good shipping trade, the annual tonnage of the port amounting to half a milliin. The old town, which is dirty and irregular, and is surrounded by ramparts, is separated from the new and well-built new town by a broad street. The 12th-century Cathedral is a fine specimen of Gothic architecture, and is 300 feet long by 100 feet wide. The principal industries are the spinning and weaving of sllk and jute and the making of felt and lace. Tarraco was the capital of a Roman province, and among the Roman remains are an aqueduct, the tower of the Scipios, and an amphitheatre, much of the stone of which was used in constructing the mole. The modern town suffered much in the Peninsular War.