THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.

2.— The Spanish Navy.: Compared with the United States navy at the outset of the war, that of Spain was weak in battleships, strong in armoured cruisers and torpedo craft, and well provided with men. Events showed, however, that although the war had been long foreseen, her naval preparations were completed much more slowly than those ofher rival ;and, in consequence, a number of her most valuable ships had to remain in port during the all-important opening period of the war.

Displacer t "sll5 Torpedo Gunboats— mentions). '-*«>">"«■\% Maria de Molina \ *£ Marquesde la Victoria ... ] 830 1896-97 19! Alvaro deBazan ) Filipinas 747 1892 20 Galicia Nueva deEspafia Marquesde Molins Martin Alonzo Pinzon ... > 57° 1889-91 20i Temerario ... Vincente YanezPinzon ... J Destructor 3S6 1886 22§ Torpedo Boat Destroyers— Furor ... ... ... ' Terror Audaz „, ' Osado > 400 1896-97 23 Pluton Proserpina Torpedo Boats— Twelve ready. Twenty-fourbuilding.

The following list gives the names of all the ships that were either ready or in an advanced stage of preparation for sea when war was declared. As in the caseof our survey of the UnitedStates navy, some notes on the principal ships willbefound afterthe tables :— Looking over this list one sees thatit is weak in battleships,but strongin cruisers and torpedo craft. Two of the battleships, the Numancia and Vitoria, were very old. And though they had recently been partly reconstructed (fitted with new boilers, and armed with quick-firing guns), their thin iron armour and low speed made them a very poor match for a modern protectedcruiser. Thus, strictly speaking, there was only one goodbattleship in the list. Even as to this battleship expert opinion,published at the outset of the war, was very divided. One well-known authority declared that she would be a match for the Iowa; another that she could not fight a cruiser like the New York. BuiltinFrance, the Pelayo is fitted with a steel armouredbelt frombowto stern,nearlyeighteen inches thick where it is heaviest. The armour is carried up the sides to the barbettes, which are four in number— one forward, one astern, and one on each side amidships. Each of them is covered with steel armour between eleven and twelve inches thick. The bow and stern barbettes carry each a I2i-inch Hontoria gun, throwing an armour-piercing projectile of 1,040 pounds. There are, besides, twenty-seven quick-firers of various calibres, and seyen torpedo-tubes.

"The enginesand boilersof theReina Mercedes werein such abad Condiron that she was not available for sea service. She was employedas a floating battery forharbour defence at Santiago de Cuba.

Name. Displacement(tons). Launched. us Battleships— Pelayo ... .„ Numancia ...

Vitoria 9,900 7.035 7,000 1887 1863 1865 i6 13 *3» Armoured Cruisers— EmperadorCarlos V.

Cardenal Cisneros Princesa de Asturias Almirante Oquendo Vizcaya InfantaMaria Teresa Cristobal Colon 9.235 I 7,000 j 6.890 1895 j1897 \ j1896 J 1 1891 ) 1891 !1890 ) 1896 20 20 20 6,480 20 Cruisers— Alfonso XIII Lepanto ... ... Alfonso XII Reina Cristina Reina Mercedes*... Castilla Conde de Venadito Don Antonio deUlloa ... DonJuan de Austria InfantaIsabel ...

" ... IsabelII Marquesde la Ensenada... Isla de Cuba Isla de Luzon ( 5,000 s 3,090 3 342 1 / 18911 11892 1 1887 18S1 20 16 14 I }■».'52 ! 1,040 1883-88 1886-S7 M i5i Auxiliary Cruisers— Fourteen Atlantic Liners... ( 3.000 to 1888 to IS90 *3* to 17