June 9th. ()f I;2 ships "of the first class," 5.L averaging 721i to. ns and 2tl guns, were still with the fleet.

Captain l)uro, and Professor Laughton fi,llowing him, seem to be of npinion that, upou the whole, the Spanish vessels were much more lightly armed than their enemies. lb'. W. F. Tilton is some- what opposed to this conclusion. ()f the guns, ['rolessot Laughton says: "As rule they were small- four, six, or nine pounders: they were comparatively few, and they were very badly worked." Dr. Tilton imagines that hc can trace the origin of this sscrtion to the fact that, on July 211th, the day after the fight off the Isle of Wight, Medina Sidonia sent to l'arm request for shot of four, six, and ten pounds. A list, dated May 4th, shows that the Spanish fleet had 1497 bronze guns of all calibrcs, including many "cannon," i.e., ships' guns of the largest size then employed. Besides them there were 934 iron pieces of all sorts. "For these 24:l weapons," says Dr. Tilth, "there were only 1,790 shot supplied--an average of about 50 shot per gun. It is ahnost certain that for the lighter pieces the supply was larger than for the ear; but, supposing that the allowance was the same for all, the quicker rumting short of the small shot hecomes only the more natural"; and Medina Sidonia's request ought not to be tortured into an implication that he had yew few gnns bigger than nine or ten-pounders. Dr. Tilton, morver, points out that Professor Laughton bases at least part of his conclusions upon a statement of force drawn up on July 9th (N.S.), 1587, a and that he appears to ignore that, as late as Mrch 4th, 15S, l'hilip ordered the anna- merit of the Armada to be strengthened?

It is, however, probM)le that the thirty-four ships of the English Royal Navy, which were engaged, had a slight superiority of anna- merit over any thirty-four vesls helonging to the Armada; and it is quite certain, not only that the Spanish gunnery was very inferior, but also that the Spanish practice of making portholes so small as barely to admit thc muzzles of the guns mounted hehind them, prevented nany guns, which might otherwise have rendered excel- lent service, from hcing effectively eml)!oycd. On the other hand,

Duro, p. 76. e lntrod. to ' S. I ). tt.htting of tle Span. Armada,' xlix-. s ' Die Katastrol,he der Sl,anischen Armada': Freilung, i. B., 189 I. ( Duro, doc. riO, p. a Nrly all the larger guns of the time were bronze or brass. s Dum, doc. 39, I'- 390. lb., doc. .

xon. I. 2o