o Cherbourg on the way
down Channel. He reported that she looked formidable enough to sink the
whole Austrian ironclad fleet single-handed. She was a ship of 4000 tons
and 750 horse-power, iron-built, heavily armoured, and with a spur-bow for
ramming. She carried in her turret two 10-inch rifled Armstrong guns,
throwing an armour-piercing shell of 295 pounds--say 300-pounders, and let
us remember the heaviest rifled gun in the Austrian fleet was the little
24-pounder. Then there were two wooden ironclads of 5700 tons and 800
horse-power, the "Re d'Italia" and the "Re di Portogallo." The "Re di
Portogallo" carried 28 rifled guns, two 300-pounders, twelve 100-pounders,
and fourteen 74-pounders. The "Re d'Italia" mounted thirty-two rifled guns,
two 150-pounders, sixteen 100-pounders, fourteen 74-pounders, and besides
these four smooth-bore 50-pounders. On paper these three ships, the two
"Kings"[19] and the "Affondatore," ought to have blown the Austrian
ironclads out of the sea or sent them to the bottom. Let us compare the
number of rifled guns and the weight of metal. There is no need to count
the smooth-bores, for the "Merrimac-Monitor" fight had proved how little
they could do even against weak armour. Here is the balance-sheet:--

AUSTRIANS. | ITALIANS.
Rifled Projectile.| Rifled Projectile.
Ships. Guns. lbs. | Ships. Guns. lbs.
|
_Ferdinand Max_ none -- | _Affondatore_ 2 300
_Hapsburg_ none -- | { 2 150
_Kaiser Max_ 14 24 | _Re d'Italia_ {16 100
_Prinz Eugen_ 14 24 | {14 74
_Don Juan_ 14 24 | { 2 300
_Drache_ 16 24 | _Re di Portogallo_ {12 100
_Salamander_ 16 24 | {14 74
----------- | ------------
Total 74 guns | Total 62 guns
throwing 1776 lbs. of metal. | throwing 6372 lbs. of metal.

[19] "Re d'Italia" (King of Italy); "Re di Portogallo"
(King of Portugal).

Even the "Affondatore" was supposed to be what the "Dreadnought" is to
older ships in these paper estimates. What would she be with the two
"Kings" helping her