May 7, 1898.]
on the coast of Luzon some twenty miles north of the entrance to the Bay of Manila. It has for some time past been in contemplation to es- tablish the chief naval station of the Philippines there, and an order for a large floating dock for it is at present in course of execution by an English shipbuilding firm. As yet we believe the place possesses no defences of any consequence, unless it be in the shape of mines that have been hastily laid down in anticipation of the present trouble. It is not unlikely that the first move of Commodore Dewey may be to take possession of Subic and utilise it as his base from which to operate against the Spanish fleet and Manila.
Reliable news from Manila having been scarce for the past few days considerable inter- est was aroused by the arrival in Hongkong harbour on Saturday of the Blue Tunnel steamer Memnon from Sandakan ria Manila and Captain Mogridge has been beseiged by interrogators anxious to know how he left things in the Archipelago. We may state that the Memnon left Sandakan on the 19th of April and reached Manila at two o'clock on Saturday morning, April 23rd. At this junctura, of course, any vessel arriving there is closely scrutinised by the authorities, and consequently as the Memnon made her way to the anchorage & Spanish gunboat approached her but after cruising round and subsequently coming alongside, the officers were satisfied and the Meninon was allowed to proceed to the anchorage without further question. Tho vessel was several days in port, during which time the officers went freely about the town, where there were no visible signs of active prepara- tions to resist a bombardment. The cafés were crowded with Spaniards in the evenings, and the discoursing of music by the bands was go- ing on as usual. Among the foreign residents. however, much excitement prevails. In pro- spect of a scarcity of food British, Americans, and Germans are laying in large stocks of provisions, and ships fentering the harbour are boarded by Europeans offering large sums for British flags to hoist over their residences. Hundreds of Chinese are selling their businesses and deserting the port. The Memnon brought about 550 over, as much as $50 being freely offered for a deck passage. Some Spanish re- sidents also came by her to Hongkong. The Memnon, in addition to her usual cargo. also brought over in her strong room specie to the value of $500,000. She left Manila on Wednes- day evening. As she left the harbour a small gunboat came in towing a large lighter which had been used in laying mines. The Memnon did not sight the American squadron, but on Friday morning she passed the "Esmeralda,
We take the following items from the Manila Comercio, the portions in quotation marks being literal translations
"In supplication to the Almighty for the triumph of our arms and the complete pacifica. tion of Spain and her colonies, our venerable Prelate has ordered that Wednesday, the 27th March, at eight o'clock in the morning, a roga. tion procession shall take place, which will leave the Holy Cathedral Church and traverse the Plaza de Palacio, and on its return the most Holy Host will be exposed and will remain exhibited until eight o'clock in the evening. We do not doubt that throughout the day great numbers of the faithful will repair to our holy church to support the pious desires of His Illustrious Ex- cellency."
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On Sunday, 24th April, the Municipal Cor- poration of Manila organised a grand demon- stration, which is reported by our contemporary to have evoked the greatest popular enthusiasm. The Spanish flag which is hung in the Town Hall was borne in state, accompanied by the Corporation, to the Palace of the Governor General, where the Corporation, on behalf of the citizens of Manila, offered their lives and property in defence of the national honour. A numerous following of all classes of society carrying national flags joined the procession. which grew on its way until on arrival at the palace the crowd was so dense as to completely block the grounds. The Mayor addressed an eloquent and patriotic speech to the Governor- General, stating that the whole population of Manila, without{distinction of race, class, or con- dition, had come to offer their lives and pro- perty, prepared to make a holocaust of them
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
for the benefit of the country and in defence of the national honour.
The speech of the Governor-General in reply is reported in full ------
Senores, Deeply moved by this solemn, patriotic, and enthusiastic demonstration, at whose head stands the Mayor representing the people of Manila, who are gathered around him without distinction of corporations, categories, or entities, I am prond in the first place to be a Spaniard, and next to be the first authority in this rich and beloved archipelago. I cannot, Senores, the less regret the situation in which our poor and beloved Spain finds herself. You know, from the proclamations that have been addressed to the country, that a nation with iniquitous proceedings, outraging all interna tional laws, using evil devices and felonies. taking advantage of our misfortunes aud exhausting the patience of all Spainards with its perfidious machinations, has provoked us to war. Spain wounded in her tenderest point, her national integrity and honour, accepts the challenge. And this Spain, which appears so decadent, will show to the whole world that she still possesses great military energy and economic vigour, and that, far from decaying in spirit, she is capable of the highest heroism. We enter upon the fight, then, resolved to conquer or to die, and I count upon the whole Philippine population, without distinction of race or con- dition. that standing together as Spaniards, only as Spaniards, we will defend this glorious possession of the realm. I count upon you one and all, and flatter myself that while a single Spaniard lives we will never consent that a procacious and iniquitous foreigner shall desecrate with his footsteps, this beautiful land. The hour of the fight has arrived. To arms! Each to his post! trusting that the God of Victories will concede one to the cry of Viva Espana.*"*
Enthusiastic and frantic rivas for Spain, for the King, for the Philippines always Spanish, for the Army and Navy. and for the illustrious General Augustin followed His Excelleney's speech.
An address was then presented on behalf of the native community, in which they professed to be loving and dutiful children of Spain ready to shed their blood for her.
The Most Rev. Father Evaristo Fernandez Arias then exhorted the people to fight and conquer for God and the Virgin.
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tionally and undismayed we defend the society of which we
are members from insult and attack. To die for country is to die for virtue, is to die also for God, because, as the holy Maccabees say, 'Let us die rather than see our nation and our temples trampled underfoot,' "Be animated therefore by great courage and confidence. Our cause is just, great, and holy. The North Americans are heretics; they are a people who have destroyed the Indian races that inhabited their territory; they are a people who know 'not the true God, because they accept every kind of religion and false doctrine; they are a people who, against all reason and international law, think in their covetous- ness and mad pride that they can violate our divine religion, our laws, our property, our hon our, and renew, may be in this country, their cruelties and slaughterings against the native, destroying the holy and civilising work of Spain. It shall not be. Trust in God, trust in the Virgin of the Rosary, who in the waters of these islands with two old galleons gave us the victory five times in succession against a powerful squadron of other heretics who also came to take away from you your Catholic faith, your glorious Spanish nationality."
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After further eulogy of the Virgin and ex- hortation to seek valour by prayer and penance, the address concludes:-
To this end, and without prejudice to your duty to do your utmost in the ranks of the Volunteers to defeat the enemies of our religion and our country, I exhort you that during the present circumstances yon endeavour, each of you, to recite daily the entire rosary, or at least the three parts of it adaptable as prayers that God may give the victory to our forces by sea and land, that these islands may never cease to be Catholic and Spanish, and against all the machinations of Masonry and separatism and of secret societies excommunicated by the Church. Convent of Santo Domingo de Manila, 23rd April, 1898,
By order of my Prelate "FR ZACARIUS LIZARRAGA,”
3rd May. safe arrival of the Esmeralda at Manila.
A telegram has been received announcing the
It
received to the effect that the American A private telegram is said to have been squadron bas bombarded Corregidor, the island which divides the entrance to the Bay of Manila into two
This information is not passages. Commodore Dewey might well stay to destroy in itself improbable. On arriving off Manila Bay
pursuit of the Spanish squadron, which is re- the forts on Corregidor before proceeding in ported to have left Manila to cruise along the If the Spaniards were still at Manila the Here the pro-destruction of the Corregidor forts would of course be the first operation in the American programme.
The assembly retired from the Palace amid renewed cheers and the procession was directed to the Plaza de Santa Cruz, in whose church there is a statue of the distinguished native Don Simon de Anda Salazar, who defended coast. Manila against the English. cession broke up.
The following an address to the mombers of a religious society with apparently a lay membership:-
"TO THE GUARDS OF HONOUR AND MEM- BERS OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY IN THESE ISLANDS.
My beloved Brothers in the Lord and in our Most Holy Mother Mary, The occasion has ar- rived for you to display with especial enthusiasm your pure Catholic faith, your firm fidelity to your country, and your sentiments of ten- der devotion to the most Holy Virgin, in whose membership of the Rosary you are inscribed and whose guards of honour you proclain yourselves with holy joy.
War is not yet declared.at diplomatic re- latious with the United States being broken off it appears so imminent and it evitable that even at this very moment the navy and army of our heroic and Catholic Spain may be castigating in distant parts the villany of a people who, having long abused our nobility, have now blindly ignored the conncils of reason and have dared to insult ur flag and to violate the most sacred and evident rights of our dearly beloved Spain.
Emilio Aguinaldo was expected to arrive from Singapore by the P. & O. steamer Malacca yes. terday, but his name does not appear in the senger list.
NAVAL BATTLE AT MANILA.
pas-
DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH FLEET-RE- PORTED SINKING OF THE
REINA CRISTINA."
THE CABLE CUT.
4th May.
Late on Monday evening it oozed out that telegraphic communication with the Philippines had been stopped, and yesterday morning con- firmation was forthcoming in the form of an express" signed by Mr. J. M. Beck, acting manager of the local Telegraph Office, which read as follows:-
"Cable communication with the Philippines is stopped, the cable to Manila having become interrupted at 7 p.m. yesterday."
We mentioned yesterday that a telegram had "We do not know for certain if the war will been received in Hongkong on Sunday from the touch this archipelago, this beautiful portion of commander of one of the Spanish vessels, to the the Spanish realm. Vy possibly it may be effect that the bombardment of Carregidor, the so; we shall know very shortly; and we ought island at the entrance to Manila Bay, had com- all to be prepared to fight manfully as Chris-menced, and when the cutting of the cable was tians and as Spaniards, dying, if need be, in the announced it was at once concluded that the holy cause of loyalty.
Spaniards had been worsted in the struggle. That this was the case was abundantly verified by numerous telegrams received in the city yesterday. These telegrams gave no
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Tofight for country is to fight for God, because God desires that we should sacrifice ourselves for it and commands that uncondi-
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