at once
perplexed and triumphant, and to Hayti, Jamaica and Porto Rico; and
there were several landings where it would be possible to disembark
troops, protected by the fire of our ships. More than that, Santiago
is the old capital of Cuba, the place where the head of the Cuban
church abides, and the scene of the Virginius Massacre--altogether
having a place in history almost equal to that of Havana. It was not
doubted the sanitary situation of the east end of Cuba was better than
that of the west end. Experience shows that this easy assumption was
questionable. If we omit the great plague spot, the city of Havana,
it will appear that Santiago is in a region as pestilential as can
be found in the provinces of Havana and Pinar del Rio. More than
all other associations and conspicuities, the attention of the world
was directed to Santiago because Cervera's elusive fleet, short of
coal and provisions, and overmatched by the United States navy, took
refuge in the deep harbor, hoping to clean his ships, get supplies and
escape with coal enough to open a new career. The Spaniards were too
slow, and the only ships of Spain that showed a sign of the spirit
of enterprise and the capacity of adventure, were bottled up by a
relentless blockade. Lieutenant Hobson became famous in a night in his
most hazardous effort to use the Merrimac as a cork for the bottle,
but fortunately left a gap through which the Spaniards made haste to
their doom. When the second fleet of Spain was destroyed, all chance
of disputing our supremacy at sea, or of doing anything to guard
Spanish interests either in the East or West Indies, was extinguished.

There has been no marked features of contention as to the battles of
Manila, except in the case of the gratuitous observations of critical
persons, whose feelings have been disturbed, that the storming of the
town was not bloody enough. The victory, however, was all the greater,
for the casualty lists were not long, owing to the management of the
Commanding General and the heroic Admiral, who won a battle famous as
that at New Orleans, with less bloodshed, but as Jackson's victory
was not belittled because he lost but half a dozen men killed, the
victories at Manila should not be slighted. The Santiago battles,
however, have stirred controversies, and there is a great mass of
literature, official and other, subject to endless examination, and
perhaps so voluminous as to confuse readers for some generatio