he larger of the two cannon, which was trained over
the northern parapet as if to bombard the city of Santiago, bore the
following inscription:

MARS
PLURIBUS NEC IMPAR[8]
12 Jun 1748
PAR JEAN MARITZ

ULTIMO RATIO REGUM[9]

LOUIS CHARLES DE BOURBON
COMPTE D'EU
DUC D'AUMALE

The other cannon, which was trained over the western parapet and aimed
at the place where Socapa Castle ought to have been, was inscribed:

LE COMPTE DE PROVENCE

ULTIMO RATIO REGUM

LOUIS CHARLES DE BOURBON
COMPTE D'EU
DUC D'AUMALE
1755

The mortars, which were embellished with Gorgons' heads and were fine
specimens of bronze casting, bore inscriptions or dates as follows:

No. 1. EL MANTICORA
1733

STRVXITDVCTOREXERC
ITM REGISBEN[q*]VE (_sic_) [* enlarged small letter q. (note of transcriber)]
------------------
PHIL II HISPAN REX[10]
ELISA FAR HIS REGINA

No. 2. VO[~I]E ABET FECIT
SEVILLE ANO D
1724

No. 3. EL COMETA
1737

No. 4. 1780

No. 5. 1781

From the above inscriptions and dates it appears that the most modern
piece of ordnance in the Morro Castle battery was cast one hundred and
seventeen years ago, and the oldest one hundred and seventy-four years
ago. It would be interesting to know the history of the two French
cannon which, in obedience to the order of Louis XIV, were marked
"ULTIMO RATIO REGUM." Iean Maritz, their founder, doubtless regarded
them, a century ago, with as much pride as Herr Krupp feels now when he
turns out a fifteen-inch steel breech-loader at Essen; but the _ultimo
ratio regum_ does not carry as much weight on this side of the Atlantic
in the nineteenth century as it carried on the other side in the
eighteenth, and the recent discussions between Morro Castle and Admiral
Sampson's fleet proved conclusively that the "last argument of kings" is
much less cogent and convincing than the first argument of battle-ships.
It is doubtful, however, whether these antiquated guns were ever fired
at Admiral Sampson's fleet. They were not pointed toward the sea when
the castle was evacuated; I could not find any ammunition for them,
eith