, 1875-11-13

innocent and helpless women and children who
can neither fight nor fly, the disastrous drain
upon the exchequer OF an embarrassed State
burdened with another conflict OF even greater
gravity on its own soil, the ScandalOus waste
of natural resources, unequalled in the world
for their abundauce-theSe aspects of the Cuban
instruction have been under the eyes Of the.
world since the Creole population first rose
against the power of Spain. They appeal even
more forcibly to the American people than to
the public opinion Of Europe, for the Americans
have the suffering, the embarrassment, and the
ruin much nearer to them than they are to us.
There are at least ten chances of a collision
between the United States and Spain through
the recklessness of the Spanish military authori-
ties in the Antilles against one of a similar
difficulty with any European Power.
1t is indisputable that the American Gov
eminent and the American people have the
strongest reasons 10 desire the restoration Of
peace in Cuba, but how they can give effect to
their wishes is a very doubtful and delicate
question. After years Of fighting the Govern.
ment of Madrid seems as far as ever from any
prospect of extinguishing the Insurrection.
Arms are still struggled into the island for the
use of the rebels, who hold out in the swamps,
the forests, and the mountainous districts
where no Spanish soldier can pursue them.
Only the other day the Government at Wash
ingt0n learnt-sOmewhat too late, of course
that an English steamer had been purchased
at New York by 1.-the agents of the Cuban
"Government," and had towards the end Of
September landed 4S Cuban refugees, eight
field guns, and a considerable number of small
arms and ammunition near Sugna, on the
coast of Cuba. About the same time the
new President of the Cuban Republic" Senior
AGUlLRRA, made his way from Jamaica,
where he had found an asylum, and, with
~''several officers of bis Staff" succeeded in
evading the vigilance of the Spanish cruisers
and in penetrating to the central positions held
securely by the rebels. These operations have
been repeated over aud over again whenever
the resistance of the revolted Cubans appeared
to flag, and it is II beyond the power of Spain to
prevent sympathizers with the lnsurrection
from organizing Expeditions to aid and COM
fort the insurgents. Yet, while the Consorip.
tion in Spain is dragging all the manhood of
the country into the ranks with the hope Of
crushing Carlism, while two-thirds of the
revenue of the country, according to Senior
SALAvERRIA's admissions, are devOured by the
Unsuitable War Department, we still hear Of
transports ordered to sail with endorsements
for Cuba, where they will do no mere than
those who preceded them have done. |: is
high time that General JOvELLAR and his
colleagues make their choice between Cuba
and Spain. The fortress Of mountains
within which the Legitimist Pretender holds
his ground in Navarro and Guipuzooa still deies
the Alfonsist armies, and the langu0r of the
National Commanders has allowed the hard
weather to creep on them before they have even
attempted to strike at the centre of the Car.
list strength. The long and severe winter
will painfully try the temper of the raw soldiery
of QUEsADA, many of them natives of the
warm South, while the BaSques, bred among
the SHOWS and the mountains, think lightly Of
the frost and the bitter winds. These consi-
derations are the source of many misgivings
at Madrid, and they tend to exotic Carlist hopes
in the same proportion as they depress the spi.
rits of the Alfonsists. Hence the speculations
of which CAN ENGLISH CAkLIsT gave
us a sample on Thursday. Only Carlists will
be ready to accept the story that Spain is to b.
d~ismembered, in order to satisfy the claims of
Don CARLOS, by the erection of the Northern
Provinces into a separate kingdom over which
he is to- rule with the consent Of his cousin
and on equal terms with her. But the fact
that such schemes are mooted is worthy of
the attention of patriotic Spaniards who think
that Spanish honour would be sullied if Cuba
we're allowed to 60 her own way. If the Cortes,
the elections for which, according to the latest
reports from Madrid, will be held on the Goth
of December, should be a real representative
Assembly. it is to be hoped that some members
may be found 10 it bold enough to say-there
will be many assuredly keen enough to see
that it 10 better to abandon a distant depsn-