THE SECOND CTVTL WAR IN THE PHILIPPINES.

IN our narrative of the war between the United States of America and Spain, we have told how Admiral Dewey, when he General Wesley Merritt had returned to America after the capture of Manila, leaving General Otis in command of the United States forces. His relations with Aguinaldoweredaily moreand morehostile,and the war nearlybroke out in October, when, on the Philippine forces advancing towards the suburbs of Manila, they were warned back by shells fired from the United States fleet. Another native republic in alliance with that whichhad been proclaimed inLuzon wasorganised at Iloiloin the island of Panay. But the native levies were forced to abandonIloilo by a naval bombardment. The secondcivil war in the Philippines began in the neighbourhood of Manila in the first week of February,1899.

attacked Manila,arranged for the co-operation of the Philippine malcontents under the leadership of Aguinaldo, and how before the end of the siege ot Manila he had to exert himself to hold in check his native allies. The Filipinos were not permitted to take any part in the actual capture of Manila, and after the surrender of the Spanish garrison precautions were taken against even an armed party of the insurgent army entering the city. Aguinaldo and his colleagues now realised that instead of beingallowed to set up a Philippine Republic thev were to be treated as the subjects of the United States, and they foresaw that the element wouldbe considered as an inferior race. Theytherefore prepared to continue against the Americans the struggle they had begun against the Spaniards, and in taking this step they undoubtedly had the sympathy ol many who in the earlier stage of the civil war had been on the side of Spain.

For some weeks the city had been almost in the position of a besieged town. The Filipinos had entrenched themselvesalongthePasigRiver andin the villages close to the suburbs. Thev kept a sentry line within a quarter of a mile of the Americanoutposts, and no one was allowed to pass in or out. There had been some skirmishing in the middleof January, the result of a sudden alarmthat the Filipinos were advancing on tlae city. Then for a fortnight everything was quiet. But General Otis had two causes of great anxiety. He knew that Aguinaldo had numerous sympathisers in the city, and he might therefore have to hold the suburbs and meet aninsurrection in the streets at the same time if the enemy attacked. And what made the situation far more serious was that the reservoirs and waterworks of Manila were on the high groundbeyond the Pasig and well within Aguinaldo's lines. If the supply were cut off the garrison would have only the bad water from the wellsin the town, for the Pasig River was brackish with tide water.

As it was kno.vn that there was a part) in the United States which was opposed to the complete annexation of the Philippines, efforts weremade, in the first instance, to effect a compromiseonthebasis ofanAmericanProtectorate. On September 15th the Philippine "National Assembly," composed chiefly of delegates from the insurgent districts of Luzon, met at Malolos, on the railway line north of Manila. Aguinaldo was elected President, and on the 23rd the Assembly proclaimed the independence of the islands under a Republican Constitution,at the same time expressing its readiness to accept an American Protectorate, but only in so far as the foreign relations of the new state were concerned. The United States Government paid no attention to these proceedings. Having secured the cession of the islandsby Spain, they reinforced their naval and military forces at Manila and prepared to assert their authority 1 their new possession.

The actual hostilities began on the night of February 4th. By a curious coincidence it was on the eve of the debate in the American Senate on which depended the ratification of the peace treaty and the decision of the United States Government as to the future of the