asked
was a fair chance at the "American pigs." They hoped that nothing would
occur to prevent the coming of the fleet, for the Spaniards would never
cease to mourn if the golden opportunity were allowed to slip from their
grasp. They were not disappointed in that respect.

It is proper to give at this point the respective strength of the
American and Spanish fleets. The squadron under the command of
Commodore Dewey was as follows:

_Olympia_--Protected cruiser (flagship), 5,500 tons. Speed, 21.7 knots.
Complement, 450. Armor, protected deck, 2 inches to 4-3/4 inches. Guns,
main battery, four 8-inch, ten 5-inch, rapid-fire; secondary battery,
rapid-fire, fourteen 6-pound, seven 1-pound, four Gatlings, one field
gun and five torpedo tubes. Captain Charles V. Gridley.

_Baltimore_--Protected cruiser, 4,400 tons. Speed, 20.1 knots.
Complement, 386. Armor, 2-1/2 inches to 4 inches. Guns, main battery,
four 8-inch, six 6-inch, slow-fire; secondary battery, rapid-fire, four
6-pound, two 3-pound, two 1-pound, four 37 MM. Hotchkiss, two Colts, one
field gun and five torpedo tubes. Captain N.M. Dyer.

_Raleigh_--Protected cruiser, 3,213 tons. Speed, 19 knots. Armor, 1 inch
to 2-1/2 inches. Guns, one 6-inch, rapid-fire, ten 5-inch; secondary
battery, eight 6-pounders, four 1-pounders, and two machine guns.
Complement, 320. Captain J.B. Coghlan.

_Boston_--Protected cruiser, 3,189 tons. Speed, 15.6 knots. Complement,
270. Armor, 1-1/2 inch deck. Guns, main battery, two 8-inch and six
6-inch rifles; secondary battery, rapid-fire, two 6-pounders and two
3-pounders. Captain F. Wildes.

_Petrel_--Fourth-rate cruiser, 890 tons. Speed, 13.7 knots. Guns, four
6-inch, two 3-pounder rapid-fire, one 1-pounder, and four machine guns.
Commander E.P. Wood.

_Concord_--Gunboat, 1,710 tons. Speed, 16.8 knots. Armor, 3/8-inch deck.
Guns, main battery, six 6-inch rifles. Commander Asa Walker.

_Hugh McCulloch_--Revenue cutter, light battery of rapid-fire guns.

_Zafiro_--Auxiliary cruiser: supply vessel.

The vessels under command of Admiral Montojo were the following:

_Reina Cristina_--Cruiser (flagship). Built in 1887, iron, 3,090 tons,
14 to 17.5 knots, according to draught, and a main battery of six
6.2-inch rifles.

_Castilla_--Cruiser, built in 1881, wood, 3,342 tons, 14 knots, and four
5.9-inch Krupps and two 4.7-inch Krupps in her main battery.

_Velasco_--Small cruiser, built in 1881, iron, 1,139 tons, and three
6-inch Ar