e people, literally overwhelmed with joy, gave little heed
to the movements of our forces elsewhere until the details of this
marvellous fight could be sent under the oceans and across the countries,
thousands of leagues in distance, describing the deeds of the heroes who
had made their names famous so long as history shall exist.

During such time of waiting all were eager to familiarise themselves with
the theatre of this scene of action, and every source of information was
applied to until the bay of Manila had become as well known as the nearest
home waters.

For a better understanding of the battle a rough diagram of the bay, from
the entrance as far as the city of Manila, may not come amiss.(1)

Twenty-six miles from the entrance to the bay is situated the city of
Manila, through which the river Pasig runs, dividing what is known as the
old city from the new, and forming several small islands.

Sixteen miles from the sea is the town and arsenal of Cavite, which,
projecting as it does from the mainland, forms a most commodious and safe
harbour. Cavite was well fortified, and directly opposite its fort, on the
mainland, was a heavy mortar battery. Between the arsenal and the city was
a Krupp battery, at what was known as the Luneta Fort, while further
toward the sea, extending from Cavite to the outermost portion of Limbones
Point, were shore-batteries,--formidable forts, so it had been given out by
the Spanish government, such as would render the city of Manila
impregnable.

Between Limbones and Talago Point are two islands, Corregidor and Caballo,
which divide the entrance of the bay into three channels. On each of these
islands is a lighthouse, and it was said that both were strongly fortified
with modern guns. North of Corregidor, nearly opposite, but on the inner
shore, is the point of San Jose, where was another water-battery mounting
formidable guns. That channel between Corregidor and San Jose Point is
known as the Boca Grande, and is nearly two miles wide. The middle
channel, or the one situated between the two islands, is shallow, and but
little used. The third, which separates Caballo Island from Limbones
Point, is nearly three miles in width, at least twenty fathoms deep, and
known as the Boca Chica.

All of these channels, as well as the waters of the bay, were said to have
been thickly mined, and the enemy had caused it to be reported that no
ship could safely enter without the aid of a government