418 THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.

to obtain coal for the voyage through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, the warships and transports returnedto Cadiz. Manila had been abandonedto its fate.

from the Spanish governor of the Ladrones. Unaware that warhad evenbegun,he had taken the shot for a salute, and sent off to express his regret thatbeing short of powder he could not exchange salutes, but offering at the same time to do all he could to welcome the American visitors. To hisutter astonishment he was told that he must surrender the islands to the squadron. On the 30th the expeditionanchored in Manila Bay,and the troops were landed at Cavite. The secondexpedition arrived on July 19th, andits troops werelandedunder the guns of the fleetbetweenCavite andManila. General Merrittarrivedon the 25th. Heestablishedhis headquarters at Cavite arsenal. The troops of the thirdexpedition reached ManilaBay on the 31st. The total force under Merritt'scommand was470 officers and 10,464 men,chieflyinfantry, for there were only three batteries of volunteer artillery and small detachments of cavalry and engineers.

Meanwhile reinforcements had been despatched to Dewey. Except small gunboats, the only ships available on the Pacific coast of the United States were the cruiser Charleston and the monitors Monterey and Monadnock. These two last steamed so slowly that their voyage across the broad Pacific must necessarily take a long time. The cruiser was detailed to escort the first fleet of transports conveying the vanguard of the Philippine expedition. General Wesley Merritt was given the chief command, and established his headquarters at San Francisco, where the troops were to embark.

Notwithstanding all the efforts that weremade tohurry away the reinforcements, the first convoy- didnot leave San Francisco till May 25th. On that day General Anderson's brigade, 2,500 strong,wasembarkedon thetransportsAustralia, City ofPekin,and City ofSydney,and put to sea, escorted by the Charleston. The troops were the ist Californian Volunteers,four companies of the 14thRegulars,andsomecompaniesofmarines and of garrison artillery. The second brigade, under General Greene, wasnot sent off till June 15th. It was embarkedon four large steamers. The troops were a battalionof the 18th,andhalf a battalionof the 23rdRegulars;the ist Colorado and 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and some companies from Nebraska; two volunteer batteries fromUtah, and a squadron ofcavalry ;in all, 3,500men. On June 29th a thirdexpedition sailed in five transports, conveying General MacArtlaur's brigade, composed of a second battalion of the 18th and a battalion of the 23rd Regulars, the ist Idaho, ist Wyoming, ist Oregon, and 13th Minnesota Volunteers, and Astor'sbattery of quick-firers, mannedby volunteer gunners. General Merrittaccompanied this brigade, which was 4,800 strong.

While the American army was thus slowly assembling, the Philippine insurgents blockaded Manila on the landside, andDewey's fleet cut it off from all communication by sea. On June 23rd General Augustin got a message throughto Madrid, which represented the state of affairs as anything but encouraging. " The situation is stillgrave,"he wrote. "Istillholdmypositions along the line of blockhouses,but theinsurgents are increasing in numbers, and now hold the provinces. Tropical rains are flooding our entrenchments,making the work of defence most difficult. Sickness is on the increase amongthe troops,and the generaldistressis causingfurther desertions in the native corps. The strength of the rebels is estimated at 30,000 armed with rifles,and100,000 armedwith swordsand various native weapons. Aguinaldohasagain summoned me to surrender, but Ihave treated his message with contempt, resolved as Iana tomaintain to the last extremity the sovereignty of Spain and the honour of her flag."

For a while the Spaniards hoped that the interference of other Powers wouldeither put a stop to the conflict or turn the scales in their favour. The presence of a strong German squadron in Manila Bay suggested a possibility of such interference, especially as there was not a little frictionbetweenDewey and the German admiral. And the German naval officers showed their sympathy with the Spaniards without the least reserve,and were often seen with the Spanish troops in the trenches. Dewey was,however,like manynaval officers,a Other reinforcements were subsequently despatched, but these three brigades were the American troops that took Manila. On its way across the Pacific the first expeditionhad called at Guam, the largest of the Ladrone Islands, on June 20th. The Spanish flag flew from two forts, and the Charleston stood in andfired a shot as a summons or challenge to the garrison. There was no reply, but a boat was seen pulling out from the town,with an officer sitting in the stern. He brought a strange message