Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-07-07
JOSE 1OnAks
Commander-fn-Ch Chief. Fourth Corps

tants of the contents of your message.
Very respectfully.
JOSE ToRAL.
COMMANDMENT In Chief. Fourth Corps
The British, Portuguese, Chinese
and Norwegian consuls have come to
my line with Col. Dorst. They ask II
non-combatants can occupy the town
of Caney and railroad points and ask
until ten o'clock of the 5th instant be
fore the city is fred On. They claim
that there are between $4,000 and 90
600 p~aople-many of them old, who
will leave. They ask If I can sup
ply them with food, which I cannot
do for want of transportation to Caney,
which is Is miles from my landing.
The following is my reply:
The Commanding General, Spanish Forces.
Santiago de Cuba Sir-In consideration OF
the request OF the consuls and ofioers In your
city for delay In carrying out my intention TO
women and children, who will suffer
very greatly by their hasty and
enforced departure from the city, I have
the honor to announce that I VIII delay such
action solely in their interest until noon Of the
9th, providing during the interval your force %
make no demonstration whatever upon those
of my own. am with great respect,
Your obedient servant,
W. R SHAFTER,
Major-General q. s. v.
(Signed1 SKATER,
Maior-Ge neral Commanding.
Gen. Skaters dispatches breathe the
same air of confidence and determine
ton as shown in his demand on the
Spanish commander. The first one
made public during the day stated that
his lines completely surrounded the
town from the bay on the north to San
Juan river on the south, leaving the
city thus enveloped by a stretch OF wa
ter on one side and a stretch OF frown-
ing American guns on the other.
In another dispatch Gen. Shafter
opitomized the strength of his position
by saying:
81 feel that I am master of the situa-
ton, and can hold the enemy for any
length of time"
Gen. Skaters Demand for the Surrender
Of Santiago.
In another dispatch Gen. Shafter
states hat his demand for the sur
render of Santiago is still being con-
sidered by the Spanish authorities,
which indicates that the refusal OF the
Spanish commander to c~apitulate was
not final. In any event, 10 o'clock on
Tuesday marks the limit of Skaters
concession, and if Santiago has no
capitulated at that hour, the great
siege guns now brought to the front
and in position, backed by the batter
les of lighter field pieces, will begin
their work of destruction.
The present need of reinforcing
Shafter is no longer felt, now that the
| Spanish fleet is out of the way. A
considerable number of men, however,
are already on the way and others will
| follow.
| VIII Hurry Watson's Departure.
The changed naval situation will
bring no abatement IN the activity of
| the authorities here in carrying the
war directly home to Spain. There is
a determination to get Commander
| Watson's eastern squadron away at the
| earliest moment, for the double pur-
pose of striking a blow at the coast
towns of Spain, and of pursuing Ad-
miral Camara's fleet, which has halted
at the entrance of the Suez canal.
Secretary Long made the official
statement yesterday that the fleet
would sail at the earliest possible mo-
ment, and although he did not go into
details as to its purpose, it is well I'M
derstood that it will devote its atten-
ton to the Spanish coast and to Ca
mara.
Admiral SIMPSONS Hands Free.
The destruction of the Spanish feet
at Santiago relieves Admiral SIMPSONS
from surveillance of this squadron,
and he can readily spare the ships in
tended for the attack on the Spanish
coast.
1t has been Acting Admiral Sampson
for some time, but that it will be Ad-
miral Sampson in fact as we'll as in
name is the prevailing feeling in naval
circles as a result of the victory by the
American admiral.
A Question of Rank.
Shortly after the war broke out
Capt. Sampson was made acting ad-
miral in order to give him a rank At
ting his high command, although his
actual naval rank remains at captain.
By a singular coincidence his rank was
advanced yesterday to that of com.
modore, owing to the retirement of Ad-
miral kirkland. In the event Of his
now being made an admiral, it would
advance him over the ten commodores
making up the list of that grade, and
would place him just below that very
famous hero of the war, Admiral
Dewey. 1t is, of course, purely con.
jectural thus far, but it is a conjecture
which receives such common accept
ance in naval quarters hat it is most
likely to be realized.
awm Result In the Release of Hobson.
The release of Hobson and the other
heroes of the Merrimac is likely to be
another result of the events transpir-
ing yesterday. It may now come
about either by the surrender of the
city which would include the surren.
der of Hobson and other American
prisoners in the city, or else by the
exchange of Hobson for Admiral Ger.
vera or some other high ranking naval
official. Until yesterday the POSSIBLE
ity of exchanging Hobson was slight,
as this government had no Spanish
prisoner of high rank to offer in his
place. Now, however, they have one
of the foremost admirals of Spain and
among the 1900 other naval prisoners
Il