There were about fifty big ships engaged in the battle, armed with
guns of 305, 340, or 380 millimetres, in varying numbers. Admitting
the average number per ship to be ten guns firing two shots a minute
at an average cost of 3,000 francs a shot, we have: 50 × 10 × 2 ×
3,000 = 3 million francs a minute. Summing up the minutes of firing
and admitting 45 as the total, we have 3 × 45 = 135 million francs.
Adding the fire of the secondary armament, and guns which burst or
which must be changed, the total for the artillery can be given as
about 150 million, which, added to the others, makes 950 million.