The times., 1898-06-05

smallest ships, and even of boats from
the bigger ones, which felt their way
along the Cuban shore and from island
to island on the other side of the chan
mel, ready to give the signal should an
opposing force of the enemy be sight
ed. On June 2 the frlgate Alarm, which
was In the scout line, caught and cap
tured the Spanish frigate Thetis and
smaller Spanish vessel On June and
the fleet lay 10 about thirty miles
west Of Havana, while one of the frig
ates Yves sent forward to make re-
connoissance. After it had reported,
the fleet advanced on June to point
near Guanabacoa and the troops were
landed in barges. AS soon as they
could be formed they were marched
straight at MORO Castle.
They found some slight earthworks
that had been hastily thrown up to pro-
tect he advance line of those who were
to oppose them. The Spaniards who
were stationed in these earthworks
fired with much spirit, but without
hitting anybody, after the good old
Spanish fashion, and then ran for
shelter as fast as their legs could carry
them. The advance guard went on to
the fort at Cotima, which had ten guns
and a garrison of 600 men. The fire
from the fort was a good deal stronger
than any answer the advancing COL
umn could make to it, and the British
halted and sent word 10 the admiral.
The good ship Dragon was sent for
ward and took up position off the
fort. In just half an hour after she
opened fire Co1ima was Silenced and
its garrison was Fastening TO add 10
the number of Moro reconcentrados.
The army at once passed the fort and
the river of the same name and camp
ed for the night two miles west of Nor
ro Castle itself. This shows how ,ely
different modern warfare is from that
of the days of the gallant Admiral Po-
cock. Two miles from the fort was a
perfectly safe distance for the camp
The guns that are in MORO now would
make things uncomfortable for an
army that encamped within five or six
miles of them.
On June Gen. Elliot, of the army of
invasion, took possession of the town
of Guanbacoa, and established there
his base of operations. Lord Albe-
marie, taking the greater part of the
army with him, took a station in the
woods directly east of the Moro. run
ming his line as far to the south as
the heights of Cabanas. These heights
had not been fortified then. The Span
iards doubtless intended to fortify
them, for Col. Carleton, at the head of
a body of troops sent out in that di-
rection, found a large space cleared
away, as if in preparation for the
building of a fort: but there were no
guns there, and ne only saw the backs
of a few Spaniards who were scam
pering down to! the batteries nearer
the harbor, in much inferior position,
and to the Moro. The British engi-
neers Immediately began to build for
tifications on the ground that had been
so obligingly cleared away by the
Spaniards. Cannon from the trans
ports were brought ashore and mount
ed. The work was carried on under
cover of the fire of two howitzers,
which pounded away at the Spanish
warships in the harbor and kept them
from coming near enough to interfere
seriously with the work of the engi-
neers. Indeed the ships did not an
nov the workmen nearly so much as
did the mounted guerrillas, who made
sorties continually from the south, re-
quiring the presence of a heavy skir-
mish line to keep them from upsetting
things generally.
On June ii Col. Howe sent to the
western side off Havana a force of
about 1,800 men, who were ordered ia
invest the Chorera fort where the
Queens battery now is, and pester the
enemy on that side of the city as much
as possible. This force was also order
ed to cut off the streams that were
carrying water to the city. On the
next day Col. Carleton was sent into
the city with a flag of truce to deliver
the British commanders terms to the
governor. The governor declined to lei