Tebruary 3.
. The smoke awoke the the upper storey, who cessful but none too speedy exit by at each end of the building, had got complete possession. Newcombe, Mr. F. H. Clarke, Trading Company, and Mr. Crofts, of Lesars, Arnhold, Karberg & Co., were on the premises, but beyond the very serious incon- venience of the loss of their wardrobes and personal effects (in one case uninsured) are none the worse for their exciting experience Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co.'s agent, Mr. Niolassen, lives in the house adjoining the south side the fierce heat set the window sashes and frames on fire and for a time it was just touch and go with this building but a strong landing party from the Linnet made its appearance and under the energetic orders of Capt. Sparkes these flames were put out and everything combustible removed. The Japanese Maya also sent a large landing party, which did excellent salvage work. There was fortunately no wind; had there been, nothing but dynamite or gunpowder could have saved that quarter of the settlement. It so happens that both the British and French Concessions are densely covered with buildings in that particular spot. As it was, the trees on the op: | posite side of Victoria Road caught fire and all the adjoining residences and stores are charred or smoked. The inhabitants all undertook salvage operations and bad a very had hour and a half. The municipal authorities and police were promptly on the spot with their manual engines, but for the second time in Tientsin experience the latter proved all but useless. The water in passing from the river through the long "lengths of hose freezes Until deep laid mains are introduced, Tientsin must remain more or less at the mercy of the fire-king during the winter season: this, however, is no excuse for our insufficient fire extinguishing apparatus during the rest of the year,
The rebels for a few days
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trenches, and had
and guns bered 4,000 me to explain
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General Dimaluga.”
the country have joined pines is compulsory and un been arrested, and as education
master class is an important and General Dimaluga, certainl siderable amount of skill in the selection
display position and the manner in which he fortified it, and it was by no means an easy task that Col. Lopez Arteaga and his fellow officers had before them to meet the militant domine and his apt and well-armed pupils. They were best armed band that has so far appear in Bulacan, though of course they wer inferior in this respect to their friends Cavite, where the real rebel army, that the organized drilled and seasoned force. inflicted such a terrible blow upon the royal up only waiting probably for the word to be forces at Noveletta four months ago, is looked given to make eruptions into the neighbouring provinces and attempt to take even Manila itself. Dimaluga's men had a large number of guns, rifles, and revolvers, and were well found in ammunition. Four mortars of about 12 centimetres were mounted inside the last line of entrenchments, from which bursting shells artillery consisted of five lantakas indifferently were thrown, but with little effect. His other served and of little fighting value beyond moral effect. His main defence, therefore, rested on his riflemen, amongst whom were many deserters from the native regiments that the Spaniards have made into such excellent fighting men.
OHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT regarded as a most formidable movement, and one which it will tax the best efforts of Spain to suppress. In its extent and the earnestness. of its supporters in the field, it is scarcely in ferior to that in Cuba, and it is now only really beginning. The rebels have lately received large accessions of arms and ammunitions from some quarter, and by means alike matter of my stery; but there is little doubt in my own mind that they have procured their supplies from China, most probably from Shanghai or Hong. kong, more especially because some of the cartridges found after recent fights Bulacan are of French make, and of the same in calibre as the Gras rifle, a large number of which were brought ont to the East by arms dealers during the war between Japan and China, in the hope that the latter might become a buyer. The abrupt and premature termination of that struggle having left a large quantity of these weapons upon the hands of the speculators, they probably have endeavoured to find another market and in all likelihood have found it in the Philippines. If this is really so then the work of the Spanish Government is fully cut out for it, as arms and ammunition are all the rebels want to make a desperate struggle. Men they have in numbers practically without limit. Hitherto their difficulty has been to find arms for their men and they have spent much time in Cavite in the manufacture of crude weapons, melting down bundreds of church bells stolen from captured convents in Bulacan, Manila, and Laguna provinces, and from the iron pipes taken from the numerous irrigation systems and sugar works all over the country. To give an idea of the activity of therebels in this respect, I may say here that on the estates of Pedro Roxas in Cavite and Bulacan the ironwork of over 20 mills was utilized for the mann facture of guns, the larger pipes being bound round several times with telegraph wire (stolen from the Government line) converted into field pieces, the smaller piping being cut into short lengths and mounted on rough rifle stocks. But with all their skill and patience displayed in the production of these crude weapons the results fall very far short of their requirements. The sudden accession then of a large quantity of modern arms and ammunition means a great deal to the insurgents and more still to the Spaniards, who had felt tolerably certain up to now that their savage enemies could procure no decent weapons and would have to fight all
cans, which are to be found in thousands all over the country; but the natives turned it to through with the poor substitutes they made wonderful account and their home-made The Tientsin Trading Company had a very and whatever old Remingtons deserting native cartridges large and expensive stock on hand, and as soldiers carried over to their side. The sudden made by machinery in America and Europe, serviceable as those chance had it Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg & Co.'s disillusionment on this score has been painful though their godown was crammed to repletion with skins and alarming, largely increasing the apprehen- novel. The seams were most neatly soldered appearance was somewhat of every variety. It is not known definitely sion of the Spaniards, who no longer fight only and back-pieces beautifully let in for the how far these stocks were covered by in against bolos, spears, and a handful of firearms, percussion caps, which were inserted by a surance, but lines to the amount of Tis but have to meet weapons of very fair precision most ingenious little machine that one of their 89,000 are already known to have been in the hands of desperate enemies who are underwritten by the London and Lancashire, naturally excellent marksmen.
artificers contrived. The bullets, of ordinary the North British, the Phoenix, and the few occasions upon which they have met the whole cartridge when finished was a marvellous Thus the lead, were tightly fitted into the case and the Lancashire. There is the usual wild talk rebels in any numbers of late have resulted in product of patience and the willing labour of of enormous losses, and Tls. 250,000 is quoted a far higher proportion of casualties from hundreds of clever hands. The profiles of as the sum total; the more rational think that bullet wounds amongst the royal troops than Dimaluga's defensive works han been covered it will be well under Tls. 150,000. During our they have sustained hitherto, and a still more carefully over with undergrowth and grass, thirty odd years as a settlement we have had alarming high percentage of killed as compared which concealed them from anything but very but two big fires. A large and brilliant social to wounded. This latter feature is especially close scrutiny. The ascent to his entrench- gathering at Taiku was just breaking up as noticeable in the fight of the lat instant, south ment was easy only from one side, the south- the fire reached its climax (1 a.m.): the ladies, of the important town of Santa Maria, 17 Eng-east, that on the other points being over rough snugly wrapped up, all went along in their lish miles from Manila in a north-easterly direo- 'rickshas and remained there watching the fas- tion. The exact scene of the engagement was in cinating and impressive sight till 3 and 4 a large scattered village named Cacaron, situated o'clook.-N. C. Daily News correspondent. to the north of Santa Maria, and in a direct line between that last named town and Angat, -THE PHILIPPINE REBELLION. another large pueblo right in the centre of Bulacan. The country is here very hilly with THE BATTLE OF CACARON.
branches of the mountain range cutting it up into divisions that follow the direction of the Bulacan, near Manila, 2nd January. cordilleras which mostly run north and sonth. The New Year opened with an engagement To the immediate east of Cacaron rise the between the Spanish and the insurgents on a cordilleras proper, which from the backbone scale somewhat more extensive than usual. It of the entire island of Luzon, easily accessible was fought in the centre of Bulacan and had for from the west side, but forming precipitous its main object the routing and destruction of declivities running down to the Pacific Ocean that province. It succeeded in its on the east. The village of Cacaron lies amidst but whether it was equally successful low hills, three or four hundred feet above sea second and more important object is level; two miles to the eastward you get into not so certain and a great deal indeed heavily wooded hills, rising from one to two point in the future con- thousand feet, surrounded at the base by terrible duot the orations for the suppression of stretches of mangrove swamp and thick under the insurrect The dimensions of the latter growth, Sugar and rice are cultivated exten-
The native fire-brigade came down in force, but in the absence of water supply was able to do little beyond throwing snow on to smoulder ing heaps later on. The admirable order kept by our Sikh and native constables and the sailors quite checkmated all the looters and Tientsin city canaille, who find their best chance at a fire. All the approaches to the concessions were promptly guarded and the Chinese mob barred out.
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have unquestionably reached arming dimensively all round in the low-lying country, sions since my last letter, and must
now be is very fertile.f
Behind the trenches and well protected from frontal fire the rebel general had a little arsenal, where for many days before his people had been busily engaged in manufacturing icar- tridges for their very varied assortment of smell arms. The greatest ingenuity was displayed in this work. The only material available for making cartridge cases was the tin of kerosene
oil
were as
and steep ground affording only very poor cover. It was found that he had constructed no less than seven long lines of entrenchment inside the other, and in the centre of th he had erected long low nipa houses for He had also attended to their food supp plenty of water inside the fort and good arrangements with plenty of rice and stuffs, and his commissariat was chance, but was regularly organized. our troops eventually occupied the positio from an individual styling himself were very much amused to find
General affixed to the ent saying with military, brev bidden here, except those on Such was the brigade had to entrusted Col. A Sarthou and Olaguer 850 to 1,000 men forces, being placed the work The ford