t
him. He was surprised to receive no answer, and again and again the
mirrors flashed his message across the hills. No response was received.

For some unknown reason the commander did not send out scouts and
messengers to find out why his despatches were left unanswered. Not
receiving any response to his messages, it is strange that he did not
send scouts to find out the reason; but the idea does not seem to have
occurred to him that the stations on the Canto River had been captured
or abandoned.

He throws the whole blame of the disaster on the river stations, and
declares that if they had only answered his appeal, Las Tunas might have
been saved.

As a matter of fact, the insurgents had been so active in the
neighborhood of the Canto River that the garrisons had all been
abandoned, and the messages from Las Tunas were never received.

The fall of Las Tunas has made the fate of Holguin, Bayamo, and Jiguani
very uncertain. These are other towns which Spain still holds in "Free
Cuba." The Spaniards fear that they too will soon fall into the hands of
the insurgents. It is rumored that Garcia has already sent an expedition
against Holguin.

Reports have reached us that a president has been elected for Cuba. The
reports, however, do not agree, and it is therefore impossible to make
any decided statement about the matter.

One telegram states that General Bartolome Maso has been elected, while
another, on equally good authority, says that the new Cuban president is
Senor Domingo Mendez Capote. Senor Capote is a young lawyer, and while a
bright and clever man, was not thought of as a possible candidate for
the office. His election, if it is confirmed, will be a great surprise.

The only information which we get reaches us through Havana. It had been
arranged that couriers should carry the news of the election to the West
as soon as the result was known. No courier has, however, arrived in
Havana. Such information as we have received has been sent through
channels that may not be reliable.

General Lee has been interviewed in regard to the state of affairs in
Cuba.

He gives a very sad picture of the once prosperous island. He says that
there is no business doing but that which deals with the actual daily
needs. No crops are being raised, except those that are required to
supply food, and even these are maintained under difficulties, for the
Spaniards destroy when they can all the crops the Cubans try to raise,
an