The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-06

battle or effect retreat was never waiting,
ally more than the strategy which wins or Inn.
proves victory. But what did such skill
avail here, on an untried element, where
soldiers and generals were equally helpless,
where strategy was useless, and bravery
thrown away All hope of carrying out any
pre-organized plan was at an end. SGuue Qul
peit became the word among the hired or
pressed masters of transports, who, such OF
them as escaped being run down, made OH
without waiting to take In their original
freights. The wind rose, and soon freshened
to gale. The gunboats which had fallen
back before the advancing armament, now as
sailed 1t on every side. The fire of shells was
continued from the heights. A desperate
sea.fght was prolonged till dark, and partial
ly continued through the night. When morn
ing broke, the catastrophe was made clear 10
all its horrors. The second armada naa n
shared the fate of the first. Most of the hostile
iron.clads were missing. That which carried
Cesar and his fortunes-in other words, the
Admiral. Generalissimo and his suite-had re-
ceiyed 600-pound steel-headed shot between
wind and water, aud had no alternative but to
strike. Princes, Archdukes and Dukes were
made prisoners by the score. The renowned
chief ofa brilliant staff was picked up 10 an ex-
hausted state while endeayoring to regain his ais
ship by swimming, after the boat in which he
was trying to remedy the confusion had been
sWamped BY the surge; and q Serene HIGH
ness. who had made his way to the shore al
the head of his contingent, was WITH dlmcu.Cy
persuaded to give up his sword to Prince Ed.
ward, of Saxe-Weimar, who enacted tne part
of Bayard to Francis /, at Pavia. But we re-
serve for another chapter the various episodes
of this sever-memorable triumph and Its results.
Respecting ssThe Second Armada" the Lon
don Times says:
It is probably useless to offer these consider
olorr tStC
conjure up visions of evil, and II one fancy is
dispelled, another will present itself. Up to
last summer, it was France that threatened
US, and not week passed In the session with
out some reference to the French lron.clads,
their number, size, thickness, and so forth, or
to French guns, and chassepots and mitrail-
leurs. No sooner Is France overthrown, than
Germany Is at once put In It's place, and de-
clared far more dangerous, though formerly
the main point insisted upon was that the
enemy were only separated from US by twenty
miles of sea. But assuming what these gen.
tlemen expect-that one or more CONTINENTAL
powers shonld ever make the attempt TO lana
q force upon these shores-we submit
that the event which the author OF
"The Second Armada" anticipates. is far
more probable than such q. landing,
and such march as others have
described. We know something from former
experience Of the difficulties which impede
the assembling of fleets and fottllas, the EN-.
barkation and transport of large bodies OF
troops. and of the obstacles to landing aud
penetrating inland in presence of defensive
forces. We also know the Overwhelming
power of the British Navy, and that it could
dissipate in few hours all the maritime pre-
parations by which we are said to be threat
ened. Nor Is there any reason to doubt that
the land forces of which this country will now
be able to dispose could be collected and con-
tod in O fam Low N sufficient
to deal with any enemy which might break
through the barrier of our fleets. Indepen-
dently of all political reasons, we have In the
danger of the enterprise and the facility OF the
defence guarantee which ought to be suffi.
cent to all reasonable minds.