himself took the field with 60,000 men. Shortly before he left on this expedition he repeated his proclamation that a free pardon would be extended to all insurgents who presented themselves to the Spanish authorities. rebels did not, however, take advantage of this concession, except in the case of sickness, and in that event left the revolt with the advice and consent of their comrades. An

severity.

The

order was issued from the military headquarters Weyler's to the effect that troops when marching through the country would destroy all buildings or crops capable of sheltering or assisting the insurgents in any way, and that all persons encountered who had failed to obey the order to concentrate in the fortified towns were to be treated as rebels. This roused the indignation of the people of the United States, for it showed clearly that the policy Weyler intended to pursue was one of absolute extermination of the recalcitrant sections of the population. The horrors of the march through the provinces of Havana and Pinar del Rio cannot be overestimated. The country people were mercilessly shot down, the animals that could not be made use of were hamstrung, and the smiling country was left a grim mass of smoking ruins. Constant skirmishes occurred with groups of insurgents, but no advantage of importance was gained.

Suddenly it was discovered that Antonio Maceo was not in Pinar del Rio, but had slipped through the trocha and was in the province of Havana, in the rear of Weyler. Maceo had crossed the Bay of Mariel in a boat with the object of organizing a demonstration and threatening the city of Havana as an offset to the operations of Weyler in Pinar del Rio. This intention was never put into practice for the reason that on December 6 Maceo was killed in a skirmish. His death was a very severe blow to the insurrection, and the Spaniards thought for a time that they would have small further difficulty with the rebels. But here, again, the authorities underestimated the strength and bitterness of feeling on the part of the Cubans. After a few weeks Rius Rivera, who had served throughout the former revolt, landed in Pinar del Rio to take command of the rebels, but in March 1897 he was wounded in a skirmish near San Cristobal, and subsequently captured and deported. About the same time, Layas, another prominent Cuban leader, was killed in the province of Havana, but these two additional difficulties did not cause the insurgents to waver.

General Weyler returned to Havana after the death of Maceo, leaving General Arolas and General Bernal to continue operations against the rebels in Pinar del Rio. Other factors arose to complicate the situation. The authorities declared that the owners of sugar plantations were making regular payments to the rebel leaders in order to protect their property. No doubt it was a fact that such payments were made, but no other course was open to the planters unless they were prepared to abandon their properties. General Weyler issued a decree prohibiting the manufacture of sugar until such time as the different districts might be declared pacified, and stating that work would only be permitted as this pacification progressed. This order affected Spaniards as well as Cubans, and brought upon Weyler a storm of abuse, so much so that he was obliged to rescind the decree. Large numbers of persons suspected of sympathizing with the rebels were arrested and shipped without trial to the Spanish penal settlements of Fernando Po and Ceuta, in Africa, and executions after summary trial took place almost daily.

The Spanish Commander-in-Chief decided to build a second trocha across the island for the purpose of isolating the central provinces from the eastern section of Puerto Principe and Santiago, drawing the line from Moron on

the north coast to Jucaro on the southern seaboard. Preparatory to initiating this work, General Weyler determined to march through the centre of the island in order to drive the insurgents towards the east, and with this object left Havana early in February 1897 at the head of a large body of troops. The route taken was through Havana and Matanzas to Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. The system followed was similar to the former one through Pinar del Rio. The insurgents made no attempt to oppose the troops, and their inactivity apparently deceived General Weyler, for on his return to Havana he declared officially that the western and central sections of the island might be considered pacified. This statement was no sooner made public than the rebels again began to make their presence known by attacks on Spanish posts and the destruction of a number of plantations where the owners had failed to comply with their demands.

The arrest of an American citizen named Rius served to increase the tension between the United States and Spain. Rius was a Cuban who had obtained naturalization after residing for some years in Philadelphia. The United States Consul-General demanded that he should be immediately tried and released if no offence could be proved against him. While the question was pending, Rius was reported to have died suddenly. The United States Consul-General insisted upon a medical examination of the body, and it was found that Rius had died from the effects of a blow on the back of his head. On the woodwork of a chair in his cell was discovered a statement, scratched with a nail, to the effect that the prison authorities intended to murder him. General Lee, the United States Consul-General in Havana, reported the facts of the case to Washington, and President Cleveland caused instructions to be sent to him to demand a full investigation, promising all necessary support. Ultimately the Spanish authorities appointed a commission of inquiry, but no clear proof was adduced that Rius had been deliberately murdered. The incident then dropped, but it brought one step nearer the intervention of the United States.

Recall of Weyler.

Meanwhile the country - people of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, and Havana, concentrated in the fortified towns, were dying of starvation. In the village of Consolacion del Sur the deaths exceeded 10,000, and in the city of Matanzas the total was still larger. As the true situation became understood in the United States, the opinion that intervention should take place, or in any case the recognition of Cuban independence, every day found expression in emphatic terms in Congress. The number of lives sacrificed in the campaign had reached nearly 50,000 without bringing the end of the trouble in sight, while the cost of the operations in Cuba was calculated at £2,000,000 sterling monthly. In view of the general situation, the United States Government approached the Madrid authorities with suggestions for a very liberal measure of local self-government for Cuba. This pressure from Washington, combined with a change of Ministry in Spain, brought about the recall of General Weyler in October 1897, and the appointment of General Blanco as his successor. The Sagasta Administration determined on a radical change of policy in Cuba and Porto Rico. The Abarzuza reforms were abandoned, and a form of Constitution was drawn up for both islands based on that of Canada, but with certain restrictions as regards financial legislation. General Blanco was structed to use every endeavour to conciliate the Cubans, but the new policy came too late. The Cubans were convinced that it was only a question of maintaining the insurrection for another year to force Spain to evacuate the island, unless American intervention brought about

in

this result at an earlier date, and the principal rebel leaders declined to accept the terms offered.

General Blanco's policy.

General Blanco arrived in Cuba in November 1897, and immediately annulled the concentration order; but the permission for the people to return to their homes was of little avail to them owing to their weak condition and the ruin of their homes. To the insurgents in the field the abrogation of the concentration decree was, however, an immense boon. They were now able through their friends in the cities to obtain the medicines, clothing, and other necessaries of which they stood sorely in want. General Blanco's next act was to proclaim an amnesty for all rebels who presented themselves to the authorities. A few surrendered, but no leaders of importance. No further executions of captured rebels took place, and arrests for political purposes were rarely effected. The Press, also, was allowed a far greater degree of liberty, although all news concerning the revolt continued to be strictly censured. On January 1, 1898, the new Constitution was proclaimed in force and a Colonial Government appointed, of which Señor Galvin was the nominal leader. The new Administration had, however, very little power, the question in Cuba being a military one as long as the insurrection continued. Finding that the insurgents did not intend to lay down their arms, General Blanco ordered military operations to be energetically carried out; but, as in former years, no decided advantage over the rebels was gained.

The "Maine."

On

A riot, in which many military officers and Spanish volunteers were concerned, occurred in Havana in January, and with a view to the protection of citizens of the United States in the event of any further outbreak the American warship Maine, commanded by Captain Sigsbee, was ordered to Havana. Under the direction of the port authorities she was moored in the section of the harbour specially reserved for men-of-war. No discourtesy was shown to the officers and crew of the vessel, and several receptions were held on board by the captain and officers in order to return in some measure the hospitality extended to them by the residents of Havana. February 15 a large number of guests visited the cruiser. At 9.30 on the evening of that day the inhabitants of Havana were startled by a terrific explosion, and the Maine was seen to be in flames and in a sinking condition. Subsequent explosions of ammunition occurred, and the wreck settled down. The boats of the Spanish cruiser the Alfonso XII. were promptly lowered, and helped to save the survivors. The complement of the Maine in officers and crew was 347 all told. Two officers were absent on leave ashore when the explosion occurred. Of those on board, two officers and 257 men lost their lives.

The great

loss of life among the crew was due to the fact that the men had turned in, and the explosion took place under their quarters in the forward part of the vessel. Everything that was possible was done by the Spanish authorities to aid the wounded survivors, seven of whom afterwards died. A public funeral was accorded to the victims, and was attended by the principal Spanish officials. In spite of this show of sympathy, it was recognized in Havana that the critical moment had arrived, and that unless the explosion could be satisfactorily accounted for, war between Spain and the United States was inevitable.

Shortly before the disaster two events had occurred rendering the relations between the two countries extremely strained. The first was a letter written by Señor Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish Minister in Washington, to his friend Señor Canalejas, then on a visit to Cuba. not intended for publication, but was stolen in Havana and disposed of to a New York newspaper. In this letter

It was

the Minister expressed emphatic doubts as to the good faith of the United States Government in dealing with the Cuban question, and made some insulting remarks in reference to President M'Kinley. The result of the publication of this letter was that Señor Dupuy de Lome was forced to resign his post. The second event was a request from Madrid for the recall of General Fitzhugh Lee from his position as Consul-General of the United States in Havana, on the ground of his being a persona non grata to the Spanish authorities.

The

qences.

The advice of Captain Sigsbee to his Government and the people of the United States was contained in a telegram sent to Washington a little before midnight on the evening of the disaster, Suspend "Maine" judgment pending result of official investigation." inquiry A court of inquiry was named, composed of Cap- and its tain (afterwards Admiral) W. T. Sampson, Captain conseF. C. Chadwick, Lieutenant-Commander W. P. Potter, and Lieutenant-Commander A. Marix. The court assembled on board the United States steamer Mangrove in Havana harbour a few days after the disaster occurred, and sat continuously until March 21. The hull of the Maine was examined by divers, and a searching investigation of all facts bearing on the case was made. It was not until early in April that the report of the court was handed to Congress. The finding was :—

"That the loss of the Maine was not in any respect due to fault or negligence on the part of any of the officers or members of her crew; that the ship was destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine, which caused the partial explosion of two or more of her forward magazines; and that no evidence has been obtainable fixing the responsibility for the destruction of the Maine upon any person or persons."

The position of the vessel after the explosion was evidence of the correctness of this finding, the keel being bent upwards from the centre and remaining above the level of the main deck. The Spanish authorities held an inquiry, and after a few days drew up a report to the effect that the explosion was due to internal causes. They also stated officially that no submarine mines existed in the harbour of Havana, and that the Government possessed no materials for their construction. This statement was afterwards conclusively proved to be incorrect.

On April 8, 1898, General Lee received orders to leave Cuba and hand over the charge of United States interests to the British Consul-General. The following day General Lee, with the remainder of the United States citizens still in Havana, embarked on board a United States gunboat and proceeded to Florida, and on Monday, April 11, President M'Kinley sent to Congress his President Message on the situation. On April 13 the message. Foreign Affairs Committees of both Houses reported joint resolutions, and on April 18 a conference between the two Committees resulted in the adoption of the following joint resolution by 42 votes to 35 in the Senate, and by 311 votes to 6 in the House of Representatives:

M'Kinley's

"Whereas the abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization, culminating as they have in the destruction of a United States battleship with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbour of Havana, and cannot longer be endured, as has been set forth by the President of the United States in his Message to Congress of April 11, 1898, upon which the action of Congress was invited; therefore,

"Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled

"First. That the people of the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent.

Second. That it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the Government of the United States does hereby demand, that

the Government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters.

"Third. That the President be, and hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States, and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the several States, to such an extent as may be necessary to carry these resolutions into effect.

"Fourth. That the United States hereby disclaims any disposition to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over the said island, except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination when that is completed to leave the government and control of the island to its people.'

"

This resolution was signed by President M'Kinley on April 20, and a copy served upon the Spanish Minister, Señor Polo y Bernabé, who immediately asked for his passports and left Washington. On April 24 the Spanish Government formally recognized the existence of war between Spain and the United States, and on April 25 the United States Congress passed the following Bill without a division:

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, First-That war be, and the same is hereby declared to exist, and that war has existed since the 21st day of April A.D. 1898, including the said day, between the United States of America and the kingdom of Spain. Second -That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States, and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the several States, to such extent as may be necessary to carry this act into effect."

On April 21 the President of the United States proclaimed the blockade of the Cuban coast from Cienfuegos on the south of the island, thence westwards to Cape San Antonio and thence to the east, passing Havana, to Cardenas on the northern seaboard. From the date of the destruction of the Maine, the bulk of the United States navy had been quietly concentrating at Key West, off the coast of Florida, and within eight hours of the proclamation of the blockade the fleet was patrolling Cuban waters. The dominion of Spain in Cuba virtually ceased from this time.

Meanwhile General Blanco decided to make a bold bid for peace with the insurgents, and for their co-operation with the Spanish troops in defending the island against American aggression. On April 10, 1898, he ordered a cessation of hostilities against the rebels, and sent a deputation to their leaders to ascertain what terms they demanded as the price of laying down their arms. The insurgents accepted the armistice offered pending any decided action on the part of the United States, but made no compact with the Spanish authorities not to resume hostilities on the declaration of war, and meanwhile remained in their camps awaiting the development of events. General Blanco withdrew the majority of the garrisons in the interior of the island in order to strengthen the coast defence against any attack by the Americans, and the country districts were left at the mercy of the insurgents. When the declaration of war was made public on April 23, the insurgents immediately resumed their aggressive tactics and harassed the Spanish troops when opportunity offered. Considerable supplies of arms, ammunition, and provisions were despatched by the United States Government to enable the insurgents to carry on operations until the time arrived for the landing of American troops. With a few exceptions, there was at this time no industrial life in the island; it had been reduced to a desert, and on all sides were signs of suffering and distress.

The United States army for the invasion of Cuba was concentrated at Tampa, in Florida, in May 1898. It had been intended to land a force of 5000 men, under the command of Major-General Shafter, near Tunas, on the

After the

declara

war.

south coast, and, in conjunction with the insurgents, gradually push the Spaniards to the westward, but the arrival of a Spanish squadron under Admiral Cervera at Santiago de Cuba, and the blockade of that port by Admiral Sampson, made impera- tion of tive the landing of an army to attack the city, and so render the harbour untenable for the Spanish ships. On June 14 the Fifth Army Corps, consisting of 815 officers and 16,072 men, sailed from Tampa. Shortly before this the transport Florida had landed a contingent of 500 Cubans on the north coast of the island. On June 20 the fleet of transports conveying the American troops arrived off Daiquiri, some 15 miles to the east of the city of Santiago, and by the evening of the 24th the entire force had been landed. On the following day, under an arrangement effected by Major-General Shafter, some 5000 Cubans, commanded by Calixto Garcia, were also brought to the scene of operations. No attempt was made by the Spaniards to resist the landing, although the country lent itself admirably to defensive purposes. The garrisons at Daiquiri and Siboney retired in the direction of Santiago, where General Linares was in command of some 7000 men. At Guantanamo, a few miles to the eastward of Daiquiri, a force of some 1400 American marines had been landed a couple of weeks earlier, and held possession of the villages at the entrances to the harbour.

Until June 30, Major-General Shafter was engaged in moving his troops towards Santiago, and preparing for a general attack on the outer lines of defence at San Juan and El Caney. The Cubans were usefully employed as scouts and skirmishers. On July 1 the division commanded by General Lawton attacked El Caney. The Spaniards made an obstinate resistance, but their positions were captured. General Vara del Rey, commanding the Spanish forces, and most of his officers were killed. At the same time the divisions under Generals Wheeler and Kent drove the Spaniards from the hill of San Juan, which formed part of the outer line of defence of Santiago. During the night the Spanish General Escario reached. Santiago with reinforcements of 3600 men, having made forced marches from Manzanilla. The fighting was continued on the following day, the American lines being drawn closer towards Santiago. On the morning of July 3 (an unsuccessful, but plucky, attempt having been previously made by Lieutenant Hobson to block the channel by sinking the Merrimac across it) the Spanish squadron under Admiral Cervera left the harbour and attempted to force the blockade. In half an hour this important section of Spain's navy was destroyed, with a loss of 600 killed and 2000 captured, and the fate of Santiago was sealed. At noon General Shafter demanded the unconditional surrender of the city. General Linares had been wounded on July 2, and had temporarily handed over the command to General Toral, who conducted the negotiations with General Shafter. After a delay of fourteen days and a partial bombardment of the city on July 12, the Spaniards agreed to the terms proposed, namely, the surrender of the city and province of Santiago de Cuba and the entire garrison of the province, this consisting of nearly 23,000 officers and men. The losses of the United States troops in the fighting on July 1, 2, and 3 were officially returned as 22 officers and 208 men killed, and 81 officers and 1203 men wounded, while 79 men were reported missing. The Spanish loss was stated to be, approximately, 1500 officers and men killed and wounded.

General Shafter took formal possession of Santiago on July 17. By some oversight, no official invitation to be present at the ceremony of surrender was extended to Calixto Garcia as representative of the Cubans. This fact, and the order of General Shafter prohibiting the Cubans

from entering the city, were taken as an insult by Garcia, and he withdrew with all his forces to the interior of the island in the direction of Holguin, where he remained until hostilities were suspended.

The sufferings of the non-combatants in Santiago were very great. The foreign Consuls, of whom the British Consul, Mr Ramsden, was the doyen, visited the American lines on July 3 and presented a joint petition to General Shafter to the effect that the women, children, and other non-combatants should be allowed to leave the town before further offensive operations were undertaken. This request was granted, and El Caney was designated as the most convenient place to which these people might proceed. Some 22,000 persons took advantage of the permission. The Spanish authorities placed no obstructions in the way, but only allowed the fugitives to take with them such food and worldly goods as they could carry individually, and would permit no wheeled vehicles to leave the city. In the course of a couple of days the food supplies at El Caney were exhausted, and it became necessary for General Shafter to issue rations. These were necessarily limited, and many families were reduced to dire straits. Mr Ramsden died shortly afterwards from the effects of the privations he suffered at this period.

Some further skirmishing took place towards the end of July, and the Spanish gunboats in the harbour of Manzanilla were captured or destroyed by United States men-of-war. The fall of Santiago, however, practically ended the war. On July 26 the French Ambassador in Washington approached the United States Government with peace proposals. A protocol was signed on August 12, and all hostilities were suspended. Under the terms of this agreement Spain was obliged to evacuate Cuba within a reasonable time, as is seen by the following copy of the official document signed by Mr W. R. Day, the Secretary of State, and M. Jules Cambon, the French Ambassador, acting on behalf of the Spanish Govern

ment :

"Protocol of agreement between the United States and Spain, embodying the terms of a basis for the establishment of peace between the two countries.

"William R. Day, Secretary of State of the United States, and his Excellency Jules Cambon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of France at Washington, respectively possessing for this purpose full authority from the Government of the United States and the Government of Spain, have concluded and signed the following articles embodying the terms on which the two Governments have agreed in respect to the matters hereinafter set forth, having in view the establishment of peace between the two countries, that is to say:

"Article I. Spain will relinquish all claim of sovereignty over, and title to, Cuba.

"Article II. Spain will cede to the United States the island of Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and also an island in the Ladrones, to be selected by the United States.

Article III. The United States will occupy and hold the city, bay, and harbour of Manila pending the conclusion of the treaty of peace, which shall determine the control, disposition, and government of the Philippines.

"Article IV. Spain shall immediately evacuate Cuba, Porto Rico, and other islands under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies; and to this end each Government will, within ten days after the signing of this protocol, appoint Commissioners, and the Commissioners appointed shall, within thirty days after the signing of this protocol, meet at Havana for the purpose of arranging and carrying out the details of the aforesaid evacuation of Cuba and the adjacent Spanish islands; and each Government will, within ten days of the signing of this protocol, appoint other Commissioners, who shall, within thirty days after the signing of this protocol, meet at San Juan, in Porto Rico, for the purpose of arranging and carrying out the details of the aforesaid evacuation of Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies.

"Article V. The United States and Spain will each appoint not more than five Commissioners to treat of peace, and the Commissioners so appointed shall meet in Paris not later than October 1,

1898, and proceed to the negotiation and conclusion of a treaty of peace, which treaty shall be subject to ratification according to the respective constitutional forms of the two countries.

"Article VI. Upon the conclusion and signing of this protocol, hostilities between the two countries shall be suspended, and notice to that effect shall be given as soon as possible by each Government to the commanders of its naval and military forces.

"Done at Washington, in duplicate in English and in French, by the undersigned, who have hereunto set their hands and seals, the 12th day of August 1898.

(Seal) (Seal)

WILLIAM R. DAY. JULES CAMBON."

The treaty of peace agreed upon in Paris was finally signed on December 10, 1898, and Spanish dominion ceased after having been in force since 1492, a period of 406 years.

It is worthy of note that throughout the insurrection the Church took no part in the political troubles; this was in marked contrast to the attitude of the Clerical authorities in the Philippines and in Spain. (C. E. A.).

hostilities.

By the terms of the Spanish surrender of Santiago province, July 1898, that province temporarily became American territory. The remainder of Cuba was After still in a state of insurrection, and under Spanish cessation control. The Porto Rico campaign after the of Spanishfall of Santiago lasted until the signing of the American protocol on 12th August 1898. The status of the Cuban insurgents, who were still in arms against Spain, west of Santiago province, remained indefinite. Inasmuch as by the terms of the protocol Spain relinquished all claims to sovereignty and title to Cuba, and promised to evacuate the island as soon as a Commission to be appointed should arrange details of the evacuation, the insurgents themselves, exhausted by the conflict, naturally ceased hostilities, awaiting future action. Within a month of the surrender of Santiago all the Spanish and American forces, with the exception of a small guard of the latter, had returned to their homes. Brigadier-General Leonard Wood was appointed Military Governor of the stricken province. He at once began an enlightened policy of sanitation and public improvements, and gave the Cuban element every official and political recognition. The undertaking of the United States to retain control only until a form of government could be evolved from the chaotic and stricken condition existing upon the island at the end of hostilities was conscientiously maintained. No discrimination was allowed in favour of goods shipped to Cuba from the United States, and the products of all nations were admitted to Cuba on same terms as America. The acts of the temporary American occupation were: (1 the relief of immediate suffering; (2) the successful conducting of an orderly evacuation of the island by Spain without the attending evil of anarchy; (3) the disbandment of the Cuban army; (4) the restoration and betterment of the social, hygienic, and economic condition; and (5) the preparation of the island for independent govern

ment.

The condition of the island upon the cessation of hostilities was bad beyond description. The people were impoverished by revolution and starvation, transportation and communication were palsied, agriculture prostrated, brigandage rampant, and commerce dead. Human misery had apparently attained the maximum of possibility. The débris of war and attending disease existed everywhere, Official and private charity immediately hastened to the relief of the starving inhabitants, and was practised upon a scale of munificence never before exhibited in the world. Money, food, medicine, raiment, shelter, and employment were quickly bestowed, all dependants were properly cared

for by the public treasury, and the hordes of maimed beggars which hitherto had infested the streets of Cuban cities were properly dealt with. The relinquishment of Spanish sovereignty was accomplished in an orderly manner and without disturbance on January 1, 1899. By previous arrangement the flag of Spain was lowered and that of the United States temporarily hoisted. The Spanish officials withdrew from the island and the American authorities took up the reins of government. A tragic incident of the evacuation of Cuba, the last colony of Spain in America, was the solemn removal of the supposed remains of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America and founder of the first Spanish-American colony, from their tomb in the Cathedral at Havana, and transportation to Spain.

Another serious problem which confronted the American authorities upon the acquirement of Cuba was the disbandment of the Cuban army. It was unfortunate that the tidings of peace in Cuba should have been followed by distrust between the Cubans and Americans, and a mutual misunderstanding followed which for some time proved awkward. This was brought about (see p. 309) by the refusal of the American commander at the battle of Santiago to permit the representatives of the Cuban army under General Calixto Garcia to participate in the investment of that city. The Cubans were hurt and insulted, feeling that there had merely been a change of masters. General Garcia, wounded by the incident, retired with his troops into the interior of Santiago province. In October 1898 the Provisional Cuban (Insurgent) Government, which had existed since 1895, called a meeting of delegates from all sections of the insurgent forces to decide upon a line of policy for the immediate future. This Congress sat at Santa Cruz del Sur for some three weeks. It was finally resolved to dissolve the Provisional Government and nominate a Commission to represent the armed forces which had fought against the Spaniards, leaving the question of the constitution of a Government to be determined at a later period, when the intentions of the United States Administration in the matter of Cuba were more clearly defined. This Commission, the President of which was Calixto Garcia, went to Washington in December 1898 and laid before the United States authorities a carefully prepared statement of the situation of Cuba and the Cubans. The Commission arranged that the Insurgent army be disbanded, with certificates of service to be presented to the future permanent Government of Cuba for pay. General Garcia, at the head of the Commission, declared that the Cubans accepted gratefully the aid of the United States, and trusted implicitly in its promise that a free and independent Government should sooner or later be established in Cuba. This general, who for forty years had laboured and fought for the freedom of Cuba, died in Washington, December 1898, while upon this mission of peace. The American Government sent his remains to Cuba upon a man-of-war, and accorded them full military honours. After the death of Garcia, the details of disbanding the Cuban army became temporarily serious, and resulted in many conferences between the military authorities and the insurgent leaders in Cuba. Finally, through the aid of General Maximo Gomez, all the various elements came to agreement, rosters were made of the insurgent armies, and each soldier was given a sum of money sufficient for his temporary needs, and the arms turned over to the American authorities. In all $3,000,000 was distributed to 48,000 men and 6000 commissioned officers.

By the Treaty of Peace signed December 17, 1898, Cuba's status became that of a foreign Power in the military occupation of the United States, pending the estab

lishment of an orderly Government. By the same treaty Spanish subjects were given twelve months in which to determine whether they were to retain or relinquish their allegiance to Spain. Until the end of that period it was impossible to know who might rightly participate in the work of reconstruction, and therefore the withdrawal of the United States and the establishment of a Cuban Government necessarily became a gradual process requiring much toil and firmness. The War Department issued a formal order in December 1898 making Cuba a military division, with Havana for headquarters. For the purposes of military administration the island was at first divided into military departments, each under a commanding officer carefully chosen from men with broad experiences in civil as well as military administration. The United States assumed entire control of Cuba January 1, 1899. President M'Kinley issued immediate proclamation defining government and organization and establishing custom rates. The supreme authority upon the island was vested in a Commanding-General, whose functions were very similar to those of the Captain-General under the Spanish régime. The first American Military Governor to be appointed upon the retirement of Spanish sovereignty was Major-General John R. Brooke, who entered upon his duties January 1, 1899. The Military Governor preserved and restored the Spanish forms of administration so far as they were compatible with good government. He established an advisory and administrative Cabinet composed of Secretaries, in whom were vested the administration of civil government. The departments and Ministers were known as those of state and government, finance, justice and public instruction, agriculture, commerce, industries, and public works. The military commanders there were instructed to restore local government as soon as possible. In carrying out this order the communal or municipal organization of the Spanish system was retained in spirit as well as form, and the people were permitted as far as possible to manage their local affairs. There are about two hundred municipalities in Cuba, and the alcaldes temporarily appointed were selected with great care.

The chief problems confronting the newly installed American authority were those of relief, police, sanitation, and reform of the judiciary. The last was especially needed. The civil and criminal code which was in existence prior to the relinquishment of Spanish sovereignty was retained in force, with such modifications and changes as might from time to time be found necessary in the interest of good government.

By decree of January 1, 1900, the department of Justice and Public Instruction was divided. The judiciary systems of the Spanish régime early received the attention of the American Military Governor, and was so modified as to result in more speedy attainment for the ends of justice, although retaining the forms of procedure and organization which previously existed. Upon the withdrawal of Spain, General Brooke organized a Supreme Court to hear cases and appeals, which under Spanish rule were sent to Spain for decision. This court, with its seat at Havana, was composed of a president, of a chief justice, six associate justices, one fiscal or prosecuting attorney, two assistant fiscals, one secretary, two deputy clerks, and other subordinate officials. Another court established was the Municipal or Correctional Court of Havana, the powers of which had hitherto been exercised by the mayors, and this system of police courts was afterwards applied to the whole island. A great obstacle to the administration of justice was the absence of remedial writs in the Spanish law of procedure. It was proposed, however, to institute the Habeas Corpus and other procedures for the protection of personal liberty as soon as expedient.