Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-19
THE SPANISH ARMADA.

The King Of Spain placed an embargo
upon all English vessels, persons and
property in the ports Of Spain. Drake
went out to sea with six armed ships,
and captured San Domingo, Carthagena
and St. Augustine. Philip II. was now
preparing the greatest armament that
the combined navies Of Spain and Port
ugal, of Naples 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 1888 should be "the most fatal
and ominous unto all estates" and it
was now discovered that England was to
be the object Of this great maritime en-
terprise. 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-four furnished by the mer-
chants of London. At the beginning of
April, 1887, the English feet entered the
harbor of Cadiz and fell upon the Span
ish ships destined for the invasion OF
England. Some Of them were OF the
largest size then known. One was OF
1000 tons, another Of 1000, and several
others of / 900 and 800 tons. Drake de-
stroyed 10000 tons of shipping, with
their contents. For two nights and
day he continued his work scuttling,
rifing. unloading and burning the Span
ish war ships. Before he left $50 ships
we're burning and throwing bright
blaze upon the walls and forts OF Cadiz.
On his return to England, Drake capt
ured and destroyed 100 more vessels, APP
propriating a part of the cargoes and
taking the crews prisoners. He also
captured large Spanish carrack laden
with cargo Of extraordinary value.
This he also took with him to England.
He confessed that he had done but little,
and gave the Government warning as to
the enormous power and vast prepare
tons Of Spain.
"There would" he said, "be 10000
men under weigh ere long, well
equipped and provisioned, and England
could not be too energetic in its meas
ures of resistance.
Everything was done by Philip to
make his Armada invincible. He had
spent nearly $4,000 ducats on the fleet.
The Pope lent him 1000 ducats. Be-
side what he had spent, he had 2,000,-
600 of ducats in reserve. The Armada
consisted OF 1876 ships. They were by
far the largest that had up to that time
been constructed. They contained 3d.
600 Spanish infantry and sailors, and
1900 galley slaves for the purpose of
rowing the ships when the wind failed.
Beside this large army, 10000 troops
were in the Spanish Netherlands, ready
to embark, on a given signal, in aid of
the troops of the Armada. Such was
the force which the English sailors had
to combat.
Before the Armada sailed, the Pope,
Sextus v, Illuminated his bull. He de-
nounced Elizabeth as an illegitimate and
usurper, and solemnly conferred her
kingdom on Philip, with the title of de-
fender of the Christian faith, ''to
have and to hold as tributary and feud-
atory to Rome"
Everything was now prepared for the
subiugation of England, and the irwin
chile Armada set sail. The first ships
were sighted off the Lizard on the 22d of
July, 1883. They had long been looked
for. The beacon-fres blazed forth from
the Lizard to Falmouth, Dodman Point,
Gribbin Head and Rame Head. When
the news arrived at Plymouth that the
enemy we're in sight, Drake was playing
game of bowls with his comrades; but
before the evening closed sixty Of the
best English ships were warped out of
Plymouth harbor to meet the foe. They
went down the English channel. TWAS
not until the next day that they saw
the bulky Spanish ships through the
drizzly haze.
Another day elapsed, and then they
met. As the Armada, followed by the
English feet. went fighting along the
coast of Devon and Dorset, the people
Oh land looked on with intense anticipa-
ton. At every little port that they
passefl-at Dartmouth, Teignmouth,
Lyme, and Weymouth-boats came out
laden with men and provisions, and lit
tie ships darted out to sea, most of them
merchantmen, to take part in the fray.
The Armada reached the bay between
Portland Bill and St. Adams head,
when the wind shifted to the northeast,
and gave the Spaniarils the weathergage.
The English made tack seward, and
were soon after assaulted by the Span