xpected to renew in Cuba
the horrors of that campaign; as he did. Upon the announcement of his
appointment the Autonomists largely abandoned hope of any amicable
arrangement, and those of them who were mayors or other officers
promptly resigned their places, being unwilling to serve under him. Many
of them left Cuba altogether, dreading the horrors which they knew were
impending. As for the masses of the Cuban people, they flocked to the
standard of the revolution in greater numbers than before. Within a
month after Weyler's arrival at Havana, more than 15,000 fresh recruits
were following the banners of Gomez and Maceo.

[Illustration: GENERAL WEYLER]

It was on February 10 that Weyler landed in Cuba. He promptly issued a
number of decrees addressed to both the Spanish Loyalists and the Cuban
Revolutionists. He chided the former for their indifference and fears,
warned them that they must expect to make sacrifices and endure
sufferings, and demanded of them that they should themselves undertake
the guardianship of their cities and towns so as to release all his
troops for service in the field. The latter he threatened with all
possible pains and penalties if they persisted in their contumacy. Death
or life imprisonment was to be the fate of all who circulated news
unfavorable to the government, who interfered with the operation of
railroads, telegraphs or telephones, who by word of mouth disparaged
Spain or Spanish soldiers or praised the enemy, who aided the enemy in
any way, or who failed to help the government and to injure the
revolutionists at every opportunity. All inhabitants of Oriente,
Camaguey and the district of Sancti Spiritus in Santa Clara were
required to register at military headquarters and receive permits to go
about their business. Later he ordered all persons living in rural
districts to move into fortified towns, and confiscated the property of
all who were absent from their homes without leave. It should be added
that at the beginning of his administration he sought to curb and even
reproved and punished the cruelties of his subordinates.

In spite of the repudiation of Campos and his policy of pacification,
and the accession of Weyler and his policy of severity, the Spanish
Prime Minister, Canovas del Castillo, determined to make another attempt
at amicable settlement. Elections for a new Cortes were to be held, and
he directed that they should be held in Cuba as well as in the
Peninsula. To t