The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-18

the old ship up. Like the Royal George,
she yet may put to sea
To-day in fact, an announcement APP
pears in official form that the Numancia
will be commissioned to join a new re-
serve fleet, which IS to be collected at
Cadiz. What is to be done with the Pela-
70, the Carlos V. the Alfonso XIII and
the other fine ships now forming the re
serve fleet" there is Eot known Ever
since Cavite they have been on the point
of starting for the Philippines but they
have not gone. The 1000 to 5000 men who
were to have gone with them are now
definitely countermanded, but the official
announcements still say the feet will go.
From the first it seemed incredible that
Spain could be so mad as TO throw away
her last hope on such a scheme, and now
we read Admiral Camara who commands
it, has been holding long conferences with
the new minister of marine, (Senor Au-
nom 1 think 1t may be taken as fairly
certain that the fleet will be put to bet
ter service.
On some service it Is certainly going for
the names of the new reserve fleet which is
to take its place are published. They are
the Numancia 1O35 tons, above) the
Cardinal Cisneros (also described as a
''second-class" irOnclad, 1000 tons, the
Lepanto Chrst-class cruiser. now just out
OF dock at Cartagena, 1900 tons) and the
three second-class cruisers, Dona Maria de
Molina, Don Aware de Bazan and Marques
de la Victoria. The Perez. a liner from
Valencia, is ordered to Cadiz to be trans
formed into an auxiliary cruiser, and SIM
liar orders are expected for the TRANSACT
lantic liner lover Surra
What such reserve fleet may be worth
when at last it got together l cannot say.
The Lepanto is said to be good. 1t is prob
ably unfair to judge the others by the
Numancia. Dragging is not the Spanish
way, not in the least. AS rule, l think
they make themselves out worse than
they are rather than better. May we stih
use the word gentleman without offense?
IL so, L suppose il suits the Spanish
temper well. Their news is generally true;
at all events, as true as they can get It.
They do not invent lies either about their
successes or the estimate Of their strength
and so, though the new reserve may not
be of great value, it would probably be a
mistake TO regard it only with ridicule
on Saturday as l telegra phed, about
l'O0O men left this port for Cadiz, to be
drafted to the Canaries, and some perhaps
20 Cuba. There was no excitement or la
mentation. People are growing accus-
toned to see them go. The fault of a
6entlemanly nation is likely to be indif-
ference. 1t is seen again at Montjuich.
There the fortress stands on its height of
rock overlooking the harbor. Round it
runs grass-grow ditch, where the an
archist were shot Scores of old guns
and few new look over the battlemeuts
Sentries are at every corner, there is
big garrison inside. The place is strong,
no doubt. Still. Peterborough. with a
handful of Englshmen, once took it at
bound, and a people really infuriated
as Englshmen would be If the horrors
which have been wrought within that
fortress during the last two years had
happened in an English prison. would
wipe all those fertilization off the face Of
the earth in a day. 1t may, of course,
come to that here, but at present on noli-
day afternoon the pretty little gardens
which have been cut on the hillside rising
from the town are full of merry families
who dance on squares of beaten earth,
or sup out of large brown bowls under
their fig trees or wander up and down
the slopes gathering the yellow broom