The San Francisco call., 1898-11-29
PREDICTED THE
 DEFEAT 0F SPAIN Admiral CerVera Pro- tested Against War. NO CHANCE ON THE SEAS SHIPS OF THE DoNS TOTALLY
 oUTCLASsED BY OURS.
Surprise and Astonishment of the Officers of His Doomed Squadron Over the Orders to Sail
 for Cuba.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S.-The Navy Department to-day published, through the office of Naval Intelligence, the views" of Admiral Cervera regarding the Spanish navy in the late war
 Captain Clover. the chief intelligence officer, explains that this is reprint or a number of letters published in La Epoca of Madrid, on the 9th of the present month. The letters are dated from before the war up to May D. They were written by Cervera in protest against Spain rushing into war Tn the face of certain defeat, due to the naval strength of the United States. and the unpreparedness of the Spanish navy. CerVera writes:
 I ask myself if it is right for me to keep silent and thereby make myself an ac- complice in adventures which will surely cause the total ruin of Spain. And for what purpose? To defend an island which was ours, but which belongs to us no more, because even if we should not lose 1t by right in the war we nave lost II in fact, and with 1t all wealth ana an enormous number of young men, vic tims of the climate and bullets, in the defense of what is now no more than romantic idea. Furthermore, Deneve to the Queen and by the whole council or Ministers. l have deemed it my duty to express my opinions to the proper author the bush Now let orders be given to me; 1 will carry them out with energy ana decision; 1 am ready for the worst.
 Captain Clover says Spain had ne glected her navy, and Cervera shows that it was inprudent for her to at tempt war against superior naval power. Taking up some of the vessels in detail, in a letter written ln January, he shows how the Vizcaya carried defective guns; how the Carlos V was a failure because of lack of power: and how the Cataluna begun more than eight years before, was still incomplete And then he predicted that a conflict would be disastrous to Spain.
 Ia letter written in February, the admiral speaks of the Colon having no guns; of other vessels being defective; of the inability of the fleet to coal at Cadiz; of their being obliged to go with half rations, and finally their having no charts of the American seas. He says that the eight principal vessels on the Havana station are worn out and that, taking things as they are, the Spanish naval force compared with that of the United States, is in propor- tion of one to three. In such condi- tions a campaign, he writes, would be all that could be done in an offensive way would be to make some raids with a few fast vessels.
 The admiral points to the futility of attempting to blockade the United States ports, and asks how the Spanish ! navy would repair. even should they win a great victory. without resources. He said:
 It would be foolish to deny that what we may reasonably expect is defeat, which may be glorious, but, all the same, defeat which would cause us to lose the | cl In ha m Only in case we could count on some powerful ally could we aspire to obtain satisfactory result.
 The admiral refers to the Spanish Pa cific force as not able to afford even shadow of resistance to the American naval force. Further on he speaks of the war as at last in sight and laments the incomplete state of the Spanish ves- sells. But, after all, he says that he Is glad that the end Is coming and is pre- pared to do his duty. He is on record as protesting against the idea of send ing the little torpedo-boat f1otilla to Cuba, pointing out that naval defeat for Spain would precipitate the loss of Cuba. He speaks of the surprise and astonishment experienced by all of the officers of his squadron on receiving orders from Spain to sail from Cape Verde for Cuba. inasmuch as they had united in pointing out the condition of the ships. Says the admiral:
 With an easy conscience I go to the sacrifice, but I cannot understand the decision of the navy general officers against my opinions
 The last letter in the series is one from l Admiral Villamil of Cervera's squad ron, addressed directly to Sagasta, | pointing out that the sacrifice of the 1 Spanish naval forces will be as cer- tain as it will be useless and fruitless for the termination of the war"