THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, 222 but in the eastern province, and that he would soon be in a position to crush Garcia and Gomez. He undoubtedly exaggerated what limited success he had obtained. But there was as much exaggeration on the other side. The news sent out to the American papersfrom the Cuban camps toldof tens of thousands in arms, and theJunta declared that if there wasonly a friendly fleet on the coast the rebels could take Havana and every other town in the island.

They had not attempted to take them so far, because they had no fleet to protect them from a subsequent bombardment by theSpanish ships.

necessity ofgranting autonomy to Cuba. There is no doubt thatMr. McKinleybelieved that he could accomplish all that wasneeded by pacific intervention. A friend of peace, a believer in arbitration,he clung to thishope to the last.

Duringhis first year of office the agitation in favourof AmericaninterventioninCubagathered fresh strength, as the facts about the Reconcentradosbegan to find a wayinto the Press. The insurrectionstill depended largely on help from outside; and its hope of final success was based chiefly on what would be done at Washington. It is difficult to blockadethe coast of Cuba, and the Spanish cruisers failed to cut off the filibustering expeditions that landed arms and supplies,now here,now there,andkept up communicationbetween therebelleadersin the field and the Junta in New York. The existence of the Junta in an Americancity, and thefrequent departure ofexpeditions for Cuba, was naturally a subject of complaint on the part of Spain. Sometimes a United States revenue cruiser wouldsuccessfully intercept a steamer ladenwith arms for Cuba before she got out of American waters, and the cruisers generally had orders to exercise the utmost vigilance for this purpose. But there were too many sympathisers with Cuba in the American service for these orders to be very rigidlyobserved.

While the insurrection thus refused to be suppressed,Weyler's personalpower wasnearing an end. Strongrepresentations hadbeenmade to the Spanish Government at Madrid as to the wholesale misery inflicted on the wretched Reconcentrados. The Queen Regent herself came to a knowledge of some of the facts and was deeply moved by them. While matters werein this position, Canovas, the Premier, was assassinated at the baths of Santa Aguada by an Italian fanatic, a young anarchist named Angiolillo. He declared that he had killedthe unfortunate Minister in order to avenge the crueltiesinflicted on theanarchists of Barcelona. Thus, indirectly, Weyler's policy in Europe precipitated his downfall in Cuba. For a few days General Azcarraga, at the request of the Queen Regent, took charge of the conduct of affairs at Madrid, then on the friends of Canovas declining to forma governmentwith a new and milder policy for Cuba, Sagasta, who had long urged a policy of reforms and concessions for the island, was sent for as PrimeMinister.

As for Cuba itself, the main fact was that the rebellion, though reduced to sore straits in some districts, was in others as strong as ever. In the east of the island,the most favourableregion for guerilla tactics, Garcia had got together a solidly organised little army,provided even with light artillery which threw dynamiteshells. It was withthe help of these guns thathe captured the fortified town of Victoria de las Tunas in September, 1897, the most striking success yet securedby any Cuban leader. It is true that he could not hold the place long, as large forces were concentrated for its recapture, but its temporarypossession, and theuse of artillery in the short siege, showed that CubaLibre had at last for its defencesomething like an army, and not mere guerilla bands. The force under Garcia, probably not more than five thousand strong, was, however, the only army the rebels possessed. Elsewhere the guerilla bands held thefield, severalof them beingoftenconcentrated under the personal leadership of Gomez in the west. They were daring and active, and more than once there was firing at night in the very suburbs of Havana. Weyler claimed that he had broken up the insurrection everywhere He formed his Cabinet on October 4th,1897. Next day GeneralWoodford, the United States envoy at Madrid, presented, to Sefior Gullon, Minister for Foreign Affairs, a note asking for a statement of what the Governmentproposals for Cuba would be, and suggesting that a definite dateshouldbe named for the pacification of the island,pointing out at the same time that,quite apart from other considerations, the ,civil war, whichhadnow lasted more than two and a half years, was a cause of serious loss to American trade and to United States citizens, whose property in the islandhadbeen-ruined. >Atter consulting his chief, Senor Gullon replied that, although the Government could not fix a date for the pacification of the island, they expected that thecivil war would soon be at an end, as they had decided to grant to Cuba the la possible measurers self-government, reserving