The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-20 00:00:00

the money to keep up both an army and a fleet ?

' The interest in naval matters reached its highest
point to-day, when the Archduke Albrecht visited
Trieste and inspected the ships. Accompanied only
by a portion of the staff, his Imperial llig!ine-ss left
Gortz by train at half-past 7 a.tn, and on arrival at
Trieste at a quarter-past 9 was met by the Go-
vernor of the town with his officials, and by the
Admiral and his • small staff. The morning had
been lowering, with occasional rain, but cleared
as the train proceeded, and the sun shone out
as the train rolled down the steep incline that
leads to Trieste. At the station carriages
were waiting to convey the Archduke and his suite

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miral Tegethoff awaited the coming of the Imperial
Commander-in-Chief. After the first greetings, the
whole party went on board the Greif, which, built
originally as a yacht for the Emperor, was admir-
ably fitted for the part which she had to perform.
A few minutes' steaming brought the fleet in view,
lying in two lines—ironclads and frigates in front,
the gunboats in the second line. The Greif glided
along with a quiet, even. motion down the front of
the first line, and the military visitors were equally
astonished and delighted at the novel sight of a real
fleet floating quietly on an actual sea, and with the
sound of a naval salute. It had been reported the
day before that the Kaiser would not be present, as
her repairs were still in course of execution,—nay,
the Italian sympathisers in Trieste had been ready
to assert that the tale of her loss was confirmed, for
why else did she not appear the first day when the
fleet came up from Pola ? But, among the black
uncouth looking objects which, with railway marches
and short campaigns, are fast destroying the pomp
and circumstance of war, appeared at last a far
more gradeful object, a two-decker with her white
barred sides broken with black spots—in fact, the
Kaiser herself ; not, however, without loss of some
of her beauty, —the tall tapering masts were no
longer there, and her general appearance was more
warlike than suited for parade purposes.
The whole array of big ships being passed, the
Greif, led by the Elizabeth (the faithful repeater of
Tegethoff's signals during the battle), came slowly
round and passed along the line of gunboats, four
of whom had the impudence to attack the Affonda-
tore on the famous 20th, and to follow her when
she retreated like sparrows after a hawk. When the
inspection was finished boats were brought along-
side, and the Archdukes Albrecht, Leopold,
and Heinrich, who were present, descended the
side to be ferried over the strip of water that lay be-
tween them and the Kaiser. All the suite followed
their Imperial Highnesses, but the steps were steep,
the boats bobbed about alarmingly, and the legs of
some of the Generals were stiff with age and honour-
able toil in their country's service, and there can
be no question that faces that had remained un-
moved during the storming of Custozza or the dis-
aster of Koniggratz paled a little at this new and ter-
rible enterprise.
Arrived on board how much there was to ask, and
how little time to gain the, information required.
How had the captain managed to get through those
four iron-clads? "He had no idea, except that
he fired broadsides at the neareast, and kept them
off till the Re di Portogallo bore down to ram him,
when he knew that there was no escape—that one
or other of them must have the worst of it, and so
he manoeuvred as best he might to secure a meeting
between his bows and the enemy's side," and so,
and so ; it is the old naval tale, one side cool and
confident in their Admiral, who never lost his head,
the other enthusiastic, ill-trained, and having al-
ready begun to question their commander's capacity,
who :never gave them advice or orders during the
whole fight.

The Archduke spoke to the men on parade, in-
spected the ship, wondered at the small size of the
guns, and made himself popular among them, as he
deserves to be, for he is as kind iu heart as he is
studious in arms, and deservedly esteemed among
the members of his staff and those with whom he is
thrown in contact. Then the Imperial party left
the Kaiser and visited the Max, the Admiral's flag-
ship, and heard how the Re d'ltalia had got among
the wooden frigates and gunboats, putting some of
the latter iu the utmost danger after their friendly
iron-clads had divided the Italian line ; how Teget-
hoff came round to their assistance as quickly as
the ships would turn, and crowned the fortunes of
the day by the effects of his terrible charge. The
interest of this novel review appeared to be so great
that the Imperial guest had to be reminded of the
lapse of time and informed that the idea of visiting
six or seven ships, as originally
detain them until 9 o'clock at night ; that it was
already noon, and a large party of guests invited to
breakfast at 1 p.m. So the Archduke reluctantly
closed his visit, which he afterwards said had been
one of the most interesting events of his life.