A SPANISH "MAN OF WAR." 417 impressed with the idea that it never "meant business," and that its voyage was a mere political moveintended to silencefor awhile the outcry against the government in Spain itself. Describing his visit to theflagship, he wrote :— "'The Pelayo in somerespects reminds one of H.M.S. Alexandra, with her great freeboard, sloping sides, and high bulwarks. Ihave been through the naval manSuvres at home, but this was my first visit to a battleship in war time, and Iexpected a stern and grim aspect on board. Nothing could have looked more peaceable, more unprepared for war, than the deck of the Pelayo. She was very dirty, and the brass work did not shine;but, as she was supposed to be coaling, that was not extraengaged,and they were putting in three and a half tons anhour. " The decks of the battleship were swarming with seamen, who looked on at their comrades playing with the coal. Yet this was the fleet which hadbeen sent off with a rush to Manila. Iused the word seamenjust now, in speaking ot the crew, but for the most part they were mere boys, and lookedas if they hadjust been drafted from a training ship. The guns were all encased in tarpaulin covers,and from the look of the lashings they hadnot been removed for a long time. The officers, of whom there were man}-, smoked cigarettes anywhere and everywhere. Some of them were dressed in white ducks, others in blue serge. There was no U.S. ARMOURED CRUISER "BROOKLYN" (9,271 Jo\-,.

uniformity of pattern, and as far as clothing went it wa quite impossible to distinguish a captain from a midshipman. On boardingthe pi had sent my card down to Admiral Camara, and as it was nearly nine o'clock I ihe commanderif it wouldbe possible for me to see the admiral before leaving. An officer was sent below, and he returned to saythat the admiral was asleep. The hire of the launch was £2 ios. an hour, soIdecided not to wait for lus awakening, and with a 'Bon voyage' to the officers 1 departed. Yincenza, ihe skipper of the launch, did yeoman service here when the Victorious went aground. As i the Heet behind us, he turned his head towards it and said,'They don't mean it,you know ; it's just political.' " ,the torpedoboat- wereordered to return home; then, on theground thatit was impossible ordinary. But what one did look tor was strict discipline and an air of businesslike preparation. Both, however, were conspicuously absent. The day was fine,and the conditions were most favourable for coaling— that most important of all operations in a fleet. Being on board a battleship at war and not at peace manSuvres, Iquite expected to see the coal coming 'in ship' like an avalanche, every winch rattling, and hundreds ofmen,black and grimy, working like fiends. Iwalkedover to the starboard side, where the Colon was lying close by, with a broad gangway which bridged the space between the two ships. There was only one winch at work, and even men on the collier's Unhooked the baskets of coal as they came up troni tlie hold and pushed them over the bridge urely manner imaginable. There more than thirty-five men in all 27