The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-12

year. soon aftsr the capture Of Havana
by the English, British feet under
Admiral Cornish, with land force of
2, 500 men under Sir William Draper,
composed Of the Seventy ninth British
regulars and q body Of lascArs and So
poys, left Madras for an attack on the
Philippines
They arrived in Manila bay on Sept.
23, and on the 25th landed force of
/, 800 soldiers, 700 seamen and 500 ma
rines, and Immediately began to erect
batteries for the investment OF the
town, which they found strongly forti-
fed. Manila was defended on the land
side ''by the bsstions of st. Diego and
st. Andrew, ravelini wet fosse so
yards in breadth, covered way and
glacis.'' The weather'was stormy and
the climate deadly to the Europeans,
but in spite OF these obstacles the work
was pushed with great vigor. and they
soon had completed batteries. which.
supported by the FIRE Of the feet, proved
no formidable that the Spanish governor.
the Marquis de Medina. determined on
q desperate effort to destroy them. Ac-
cordingly. ON Oct. 4, the Spaniards
made sally from their defenses, hut
they were rspulsed with considerable
loss and driven back into their works.
Two days afterward the English carried
the outer defepses by storm, the Spanish
commander rstreating to the citadel and
leaving the town to the mercy Of the
assailants, who ravagsd and pillaged
the inhabitants without restraint. Me-
dina held the citadel o few days and
1hen surrendered himself and his garri-
son. and agreed to pay ransom for the
town of 81, 900, 600. besides delivering
up all the military and naval stores.
The British commanders accepted bills
for the amount Of the ransom drawn
on the Spanish government, but when
the bills were presented the ministry
refused to pay them, and although
the British government was appealed
TO to enforce their payment, Lord Butte.
in his eagerness to negotiate peace,
failed to demand 1t, and the victors lost
their share Of the spoils. The British
feet, however did not return empty
handed, as soon after the surrender the
Santa Trinidada was captured with a
cargo valued at e3, 900, 900 which she
had brought to the Philippine islands
from Acapulco.
British sailors were in luck that year,
for about the same time the English
feet captured OF the coast Of Spain q
Spanish treasure ship from Lima with
&5, 600, 900, the richest prize ever
brought into British port.
The English government apparently
did not appreciate the value Of the Phil
ippine islands, for when peace was
made, while they obta!ned the Floridas
in exchange for Havana, they gave up
the Philippines without any equivalent.
II they had foreseen the present condi-
tion of affairs In the east, they would
never have yielded the key to the China
sea.
Whether or not it would be our In
terest IL we should capture IL to retain
it as an American colony is question
that we are not called upon to decide %
yet. We must catch our hare before we
decide what TO do with 1t.
The loss of the Philippines to Spain.
however, would be q grievous blow.
Followed. as IL surely would be, by the
loss of Cuba, 1t would leave her strip
ped Of the rich colonies upon which she
has depended in her miserable old age
for her sustenanoe and support and load.
ed with an overwhelming debt which
she would have no means of either meet.
Ing or carrying.
No wonder the holders Of the Spanish
bonds have been so anxious to bring
about o peaceful settlement with her
colonies, for without them there 10 no
prospect that Spain can pay either prin-
cipal or interest. II. s. I. in New York
Sun.