New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-15
THE FATE OF THE ARMADA.
MIR. FROUDE'S NEW VOLUME.
TIE SPANISH STORY OF THE ARMADA. and otn ne
ESSAYS. By James Anthony Froude. l-mo' pP'
vii 34f. Charles Scribners Sons.

Es,ays By james Anthony Froude lsmo' pp'
| vii, 34f Charles Scribners sons
Tho account Of the Armada from Spanish sources
| which Mr. Froude has made picturesque by the
magic Of his graphic style is based upon worN oS
CAPTAIN Fernandez Duro, entitled La hIn"''
| Inve,cible" This boo; consists of a collection OF
letters and documents of the period concerned anu
it throws into high relief. for the first uhle' 'nc
| personalities of the Spanish actors IN the "ia''''
and enables us TO realize the whole action as never
| before This new evidence, moreover IuhS cA-
| plains the causes of the defeat OF the Aiin'i"
| According TO Spanish testimony. it was so mis-
managed from first to last that it co"iu iio' nave
escaped disaster, and hut for the parsmohy Vi
Eli,o,z,tb in withholding necessary munitions OF
war from her own ships, there can dc no "o"'
| that the greater part of the Spanish meet mus.
| have surrendered in the Channel. ms lhuee"
would have been good fortune for the Spahr'rns
| for they would have saved thcr lives ana ESCAPE"
all the protractcd sufferings which, LOT "ie ma
orty. preceded a cruel death Inc fesPons''i"'S
for the defeat Of the Armada rests primarily. and
indeed almost wholly, upon Philip HIS worst
| blunders grew out Of policy when was Ill l,seii
| n bunder 1t is now shown for the nrst 'h''
that the King of Spain did not really aim al the
conquest of England His purpose was TO thre''e"
Elizabeth so formidably that she would consent to
He intended that the doings of the Armada should
| ho s,rictIv reoulated IL was TO go so far and no
farther.
But in order to make sure that MS policy "ou''
bo carried ont he held it necessary to put at the
head of the expedition n man who could De lruSuo"
N obey his instructions implicitly, and this ne
ccssity excluded from the command the Only
| lcodor Of capacty Admiral Santa Cruz. Inc
Admiral was a veteran seaman, bold fighter, ana
\ man of Judgment and enterprise. His ldca was
flat with the aid OF the Prince Of Parma's troops
il WAS quite possible to make conquest OF Eng
land and Philip feared that if Santa Cruz was
put in command and saw his opportunity lor
coinr further than his instructions warranted, lie
would not hesitate to follow his impulse 10
prevent this. the King selected the Duke OF
Medina Sidona for the command of the great
expedition. Medina was in all respects as unfit
man MS cOuli have been chosen. He was neither
a .ailor nor n soldier He had never been TO sea.
lie know nothing of the military art He was
wanting in firmness, decision and presence Of
mind. He himself realized his nefliccncy. and
il is - his credit that he wrote frankly Ia Philip
pointing on, the truth. But Philip did not want
capable commando. lie only required docile
one. lie meant 10 conduct everything himself
and from his study IN the Escural hc dispatched
which, Of course proved utterly useless.
When. I'm April, 1858. the Armada supposed
70 he ready for seq. il was found that III" whole
work Of vic'naing md ftting out the fleet had
been committed 10 the hands Of contractors who
had beer bent upon plumber alone Nearly all
The sea stores were Of 20 vilanous a quality
that they were already rotting. The water had
been put on board four months previously. and
-ceihing under tho hot sun Of Lisbon. it had all
spoiled and became not only undrinkabe but
dangerous to life. Worse than ALL the supply of
powder was short, and could not he increased
AZ the last moment. When the expedition SGT
ont il encountered contrary winds and after two
months heating about, during which sickness
caused by the bnd provisions and water struck
down thousands Of scamen and soldiers il was
obliged 10 go into Corunna for water and fresh
supplies. Not nearly enough could be obtained
here. but at last the Armada got 10 sea in a
wrctchcd condition and made for its destination.
There were about $4,000 men lcf. Of the 10000
who hal started. but there much sickness
still TIE provisions were bad and The water was
short The commander was supposed TO be- dry
nurscd hy Don Diego Flnrs. veteran seaman.
but. az the event proved. n man Of slight atty
When of Plymouth the Armada ir't en-
countcrcd the English fleet under Drake arl
coycry Thcl- plan had been 10 TO close
quarters with the enemy nj once, and they |
counted confidently upon overwhelming him with
their numbers. But they on perceived that h"
would not accommodate them. and that rs hi- |
ships saicd ten times better than those OF
Spain the latter could not cocroe HIM More |
over the English carried heavier guns than tie |
Spnniards AMI they were able 10 ken ont OF range
and 10 pour brondsdcS into the helpless galleon'
whose superior muSkctry fire could not he |
availed Of From thu fret Medina lost his head, and |
he rever recovered scf-posscSSion. though his |
Ignorance was 80 great that even had he been |
cool he could have done nothing In the accounts !
Of the doinqs of That famous five days fight. the |
Spanish account differs from the English only IN |
the new light thrown upon the suiIcrlngs OF the |
Standards They exhausted their ammunition.
their provisions and their water For days before
50 many q them went ashore on the Irish and
Scotch coasts they had suffered terribly not only
fem hunger and thirst. but from cold. They |
had lost their spars and slS in many instances.
and when the final catastrophe occurred and they
were driven on shori those who we're not too
exhausted 10 fight for their lives in the surf, only
reached dry land TO fall under the clubs and
skcncs Of the wild Irish who came down in hord"s
ON the scent OF plumber: while such as escaped
this fate for the most part persisted by shot or
hemp at tie hands OF the English earrisons.
TNvo-thiris Of the whole number that had set
out from Lisbon never returned, and Of the smal
remnant that reached home with the Duke Of
Medina Sidonia large proportion succumhcd
TO disease and exhaustion in few days weeks
The Armada one enormous blundcr from
beginning to end. and it is perfectly clear that
ecclesiastical ianaticism had much to do with
the failure. 50 certain were the Spanish priests
and nuns that the Armada was appointed to do
Gods work that they persuaded everybody to
believe that proper preparations wem Of quite
secondary importance Philip does not appear
70 have been 20 fully convinced as the Church,
but he took The disaster paticnty-as lesser pco-
nile than absolute kings apt TO take the mis-