The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-08

Thus pulled about, the government was
at its wits end and finally called the ram
Gus council of war of the eighteen or
twenty admirals and captains in Madrld'
which decided that Cervera must san from
Cape Verde and fling himself upon the foe
That was about what his orders amount
ed to, for ne was utterly unable then or
later to get Ineligible instructions from
the Minister Of Marine His orders were
simply to sail for the Antilles. calling ot
some neutral port for information ana
then going to Porto Rico or Cuba, as he
might think best, and doing there what
ever his skill, discretion and courage
might suggest. Was ever hapless oiiicer
sent more bunglingly TO the fate which
he knew 10 be as certain as the sunriSeF
Yet Cervera set sail with his crippled ships
as braVely and cherefully as If going 10
assured victory. He said that II the al
mirals OVerruled him, one of them ought
really to relieve him. but he was not the
man to shrink from duty, and with a
proud moriturus salute to the Spanish gov
eminent and people, he put to sea.
Cervera fully intended to go to Porto
Rico after calling at Fort de France. His
statement to that effect is a tribute TO
the et1rewdness of our own naval strate-
gists, who sent Sampson to that island to
meet him But at Martinique Cervera
heard that Sampson was awaiting him.
he himself had to go to Curacao for coal;
and then, by a good deal of luck 5aigo cas-
uaD as he himself confesses, got into
Santiago unobserved. To Cervera at Mar
Unique the following extraordinary tele-
gram was sent by the Minister of Marine:
Madrid, May -, 1S98.-Since your sail
ing the situation has changed. Your in
structions are amDlifed, 50 that If you
Judge that the squadron cannot operate to
advantage where you are, you may re-
turn to Spain, choosing your own route
ay,I orf II al would
ably be Cadiz. Acknowledge receipt and
advise of your decision"
Cervera did not acknowledge receipt be-
cause he never saw the dispa ch til he got
back to Spain. He sailed Def re it was de-
Rvered. But as an ind cation of the state
of mird Of the Spanish government, and
of its fitness to carry on war, IL needs no
comment. In this res pect, however, Ii was
surpassed, If such a thing were possible,
by the suggestion made by the minister
of war on June 3, that Cervera should run
the blockade at Santiago, and go to Man Ia
to smash Dewey. afterward returning to
finish off Sampson!
The later official correspondence has
nearly all seen the light before. Cervera
was never deceived about the ruin of his
ships If he tried to take them out. He
wished to blow them up in the harbor and
land his men to assist in the defense of
the place. But he was under Blanco's or
defS, ana tHdN olllcei iHaloteu dS We hiOW,
upon the AdmiraTs 8 ing out TO have 600
of his men killed, in a spirit of sheer g, an
ity" as Cervera called Il. One incidental
point Is cleared up in these dispatches Adj
mira1 Sampson has said that he never
knew Why his ships were not fired on at
ght when standing in close to the bar
boris mou with Their arch lights. The
reason is that the Spanish had not the
guns or ammun ton TO do It. Cervera ask
cd Gen Iinares 10 oDen on the American
ships at night but that officer had to in
form him that he had no artillery mounted
that could do it. And the ammunition on
shore was as defective as It was on ship
board
Where f. boasting? This is the question
we well may ask after this full revela-
ton OF the weakness OF the foe we con-
quered at Santiago. The orSy boast he
SDaniards have made Is that they showed