o the relative
value of the belt or deck armor."

As regards ships versus forts, he said:

"The Spanish forts seem to have been, probably from various reasons, as
inefficient as their ships. Both the Spaniards and the Americans in
their use of torpedo craft have shown very remarkable absence of dash.
Practically neither side has made any use of this dreaded arm."

Captain Montagu Burrow, who is professor of modern history at the
University of Oxford, had this opinion to offer:

"There are no new lessons to be learned, but only confirmation of some
that are very old. The state of unreadiness in Spain when the war
suddenly broke out might, from the unfortunate circumstances of that
country, have been expected, but if the United States had had to deal
with a Power anything like its own strength it would have found its own
position intensely difficult. The war will probably have the effect of
inducing their government to keep up a standing army and navy of a very
superior kind to that of their present system. The recent warning of
their admirable writer, Captain Mahau, will now have a chance of being
listened to, but the Americans have only to expand what is already
proved to be good. The training of their officers and men must have been
of a superior kind to enable them to handle their ships and point their
guns with such excellent effect. It was at one time considered doubtful
whether modern guns could be as accurately fired at great distances as
the old armament at shorter ranges, but they were laid quite as
accurately, and were far more destructive."

As the New York Herald declared at the time, the United States had now
attained their majority. They were now of age, and their voice must be
heard in the council of nations.

There were misgivings all over Europe, especially in Germany and France,
old and bitter foes though they are.

A prominent Parisian thus summed up these misgivings:

"The young American giant," he said, "is only trying his strength on
Spain, but what if he should use it against us?"

CHAPTER IX.

WHAT OUR ARMY ACHIEVED.

Now to turn from the navy to the army, and see what the latter achieved
in Porto Rico.

On July 21, 1898, General Miles sailed from Guantanamo Bay with a force
of 3,415 men. General Wilson had sailed the day before from Charleston
with 4,000 men, and General Schwan and his command sailed from Port
Tampa two days later.

The entire army of invasion numbered ab