The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-09-10


and Her Captains-Troubles of the
Bishops.
Preserved in the library at Hatfield,
the home of Lord Salisbury, is an enor-
nous quantity Of historical manuscripts,
many of them valuable and most of
them interesting. The English Hlstori-
cal Manuscript Commission is Issuing a
calendar Of these documents. Six vol
umes have already appeared. and in
commenting on the last of them, the
London Times says that Ii shows that
the collection, IL not inexhaustible, Is
still far from being exhausted The
fifth volume covered period of only
fifteen months; the present one includes
no more than single year, 1886.
The event Of that year, and Of the con-
tinued war with Spain, was the expedi-
ton to Cadiz, an expedition in which
more damage might well have been in
fiicted on the Spaniards than was actu-
ally done. With this exception, the
twelve months were comparatively I'M
exciting. There was war, as usual, in
the Netherlands, and as good deal is
now heard of "the Turk" There are
many rumors of renewed attempts at in
vasion by Spain, but the failure of the
Armada seems to reduce their import
ance.
At home, though recusants are re-
ported from many quarters, especially
from the north, Professionalism is firmly
established and there is little mention
of political plots against the Queens
life. Elizabeth herself, now in her SD
year, loses nothing by her imperlous-
ness, her quick temper, and her love of
flattery. Burghley and his son, Sir
Robert Cecil are her chief Ministers;
the brilliant Essex, not yet 70, Is her
principal favorite; Raleigh has just re-
turned from Guiana; Drake and Haw-
kins have died in the unfortunate West
India expedition Of the previous year.
Through all these changes the war
with Spain. partly religious and partly
commercial, continued, without abate-
ment, and this year 1t is with the for
ward policy of the English that we are
chiefly concerned. Early in the year
there had been rumors of an intended
Spanish invasion, some of them circumt
stantial and some, like the report that
$4,000 Spaniards had landed In the north
of Scotland, imaginary.
The reality of the danger may be
doubted. 1t Is possible that the King of
Spain may have desired only to avert
an English attack on Havana, but, how
ever this may be, preparations were
made for descent on the Spanish coast,
and the project was pushed forward
with the greatest energy when 1t was
known, to the general surprise and con-
sternation, that the Spaniards had
taken Calais.
This misfortune seemed to have been
the result Of sheer acknowledgement, for
English help was declined and rein
forcements actually on the road to Do
yer were countermanded only few
days before the fall of the place. The
result was to give great impetus to the
expedition to Cadiz, which sailed about
six weeks later, at the end of May.
There were to be '12 ships Of Her
Majesty's, Of the City of IL, of the Low
Countries TO-" with land force Of 5000
men under the joint command of the
Lords Generals, Lord Admiral Howard
and the Earl of Essex, calculated that,
If the Low Countries paid for 1000 men,
the remainder would cost G13,600 for
four months. The Low Countries were
to find transport for 1000, and the other
3, 900 were to be carried in fifteen good
big ships or fiyboats.''
AS for the ships of war, Essex OBJ
serves that the Queens ships would cost
no more at Cadiz than If they "tarried
in the narrow SEAS" and that the City
of London and the Low Countries would
bear the expense of their respective con-
fv-th lak 80 bat
actual cost to the city was 91S,500 The
force, however, when Raleigh at last
Joined 1t considerably exceeded the num-
bers originally designed for the expedi-
ton, thanks, probably, to Essex's active
zeal and the lavish expenditure of his
own money.
Meanwhile the Queens attitude toward
the expedition and its leaders was far
from encouraging, and there is nothing
in this correspondence 10 explain 1t. Els
sex complains bitterly that, in spite of
all his exertions, the Queen sent him
no word of thanks, but treated him as
though he had already lost her army.
To crown all, the two leaders received
letters of recall almost at the last mo-
ment, letters that were withdrawn in
consequence of the remonstrance of
Lord Thomas Howard. Sir Francis We're,
Sir George Carew and others Of the
commanders.
But after this narrow escape of mis-
carriage the expedition, begun with
great enthusiasm, completely succeeded
in its immediate object, the capture
of Cadiz, Essex and Raleigh showing
conspicuous personal bravery, and the
troops doing great credit to their some
what hasty discipline. II must be
owned, however, that the place was
defended by inferior forces. Still, 1t
was truly GLORIOUS acquest," as Ba-
con calls 1t, and its capture was most
blow to the Spanish King.
The town was held for fourteen days,
looted and partly burned, and the expe-
dition, unfortunately missing the rich
West India Spanish fleet, returned, not
without certain misgivings on the part
of Essex as to the reception that he
was likely to receive from 'her that Is
more mistress of me than of any man
or anything In this world
In fact, the expedition had been a sue
cess, but might have done more. Then
followed an amusing and undignified
struggle for the plumber, one leader
after another protesting that he had
none or very little, and the Queens COM
missioners doing their best to secure her
share of the booty. The whole trans
action exhibits a curious mixture of
greed and chivalry.
The domestic and miscellaneous mat
ter in the volume is, on the whole, of
more interest than the account of the
Cadiz expedition, but before leaving this
latter subject one may note that the
correspondence shows an increasing rec
ognition of the navy as England's first
line of defense and chief means of ag-
gression. Its organization, however,
was difficult and unsatisfactory, In spite
of national ardor The moor esta teo