Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-04-05

sons ana property III Vuo P"''' y"
Spain. Drake went out to sea with
six armed ships, andcaptured San Do
mingo, Carthagenia st. Augustine.
Philip II. was now preparing the
greatest armament that the combined
navies Of Spain and Portugal, of Ma
pies and Sicily, Of Genoa and Venice,
could watt across the seas to crush the
arch hereto Of England. Rome
blessed the undertaking. PROPHECIES
had been heard in divers languages
that the year 1883 should be "the
most fatal and ominous unto all es-
tates y and it was now discovered
that England 40 be the object OF
this great maritime enterprise. Yet
England did not quail. The whole
community became Of one heart and
mind.
Drake determined to deal blow
at the heart Of the Spanish project.
He sailed from London with four
Queens ships and twenty-fom fur
nished by the merchants of London.
At the beginning of April, 1887, the
ENGLISH feet entered the harbOr of
Cadiz and fell apon the Spanish ships
destined for the invasion of England.
Some of them we're of the largest size
then known. One was of 500 tons,
another of 200, and several Others
of 1000 and 500. Drake destroyed
lO,0O0tons ofshipping, with their con-
tents. For two nights and day he
continued his -scuttling, ritling,
unloading and burning the Spanish
war ships. Before he left, $50 ships
were burning and throwing bright
blaze upon the walls and forts OF Ca
diz. On his return to England, Drake
captured and destroyed 100 more YES
sells, appropriating a part of the ear
goes and taking the crews prisoners,
He also captured a Spanish caTack
laden with cargo of extraordinary
value. He confessed that he had
done but little, and gave the Govern
ment warning as to the enormous
power and vast preparations ofSpain.
"There would" he said 'sbe 10000
men under weigh ere long, and equip
ped and provisioped,' and England
could not he tooenergetic in its meas
ures of resistance.
Everything was doneSy Philip to
make his Armada invincible. He had
spentnearly 5000 ducats on the fleet.
The Pope lent him | 900 ducats. Be-
side what he had spent, he had 2,0OO,-
000of lucats in reserve. The Armada
consisted of 1876 ships. They were by
far the largest that had mp to that
time been constructed. They con-
tanned 10000 Spanish infantry and
sailors, and 1000 galley slaves for the
purpose of rowing the ships when the
wind failed. Besides this large army
10000 troops We're in the Spanish
Netherlands. ready to embark, on ;
given signal, in aid of the troops %
the Armada. Such was the fore,
which English sailors had to combat
Before the Armada sailed, the Pope
SeytnS v. Illuminated his bull. HI
denounced Elizabeth rs anilhgitimat'
and usurper, and Solemnly conferred
her kingdom on Philip, with the It'll!
of defender OF the Christian faith. 1T
have and to hold as tributary an'
feudatory to Rome.
Everything was now prepared to
the subjugatiou of England, and Sh
invincible Armada set sail. The frs
ships were sighted off the Lizard o
the 2l2d of July. 1853. They hal
long beer looked for 'rhe beacon
fires blazed forth FROM the Lizard [
Falmouth. Dodman Point, Grjbbi
Head and Rams Head. When tn
news arrived az Plymouth that tn
enemy were in sight, Drake was play
ing game of bowls with his com
{. radcs; bnt before the evening close
sixty of the hest English ships wer
warped out of Plymouth harbor
meet the foe. They went down til
English channel. 1t was not unit
the next day that they saw the bulk
Spanish ships through the drizzl
haze.
i,,+h.r ,l,,- .,l,n.al and +bay IN.