ms. He could not leave the defence of the city
entirely in the hands of untrained and undrilled volunteers and march
the whole of his European regular troops into another province. A
severe reverse, on the first encounter, might have proved fatal
to Spanish sovereignty. Blanco had the enormous disadvantage (one
must live there to appreciate it) of the wet season, and the rebels
understood this. He had, therefore, to damp the movement by feigning
to attach to it as little importance as possible. Lastly, Blanco was
a man of moderate and humane tendencies; a colonial governor of the
late Martinez Campos school, whose policy is--when all honourable
peaceful means are exhausted, use force.

The Canovas party was broken up by the assassination of the Prime
Minister on August 8, 1897. This ministry was followed by the
provisional Azcarraga Cabinet, which, at the end of six weeks, was
superseded by the Liberal party under the leadership of Praxedes
Sagasta, who, to temporize with America, recalled the inflexible
General Weyler from Cuba, and on October 9 appointed General Ramon
Blanco, Marquis de Pena Plata, to take the command there.

General Camilo Polavieja (Marquis de Polavieja) arrived in Manila in
December, 1896, as the successor of Blanco and the chosen _Messiah_
of the friars. He had made a great name in Cuba as an _energetic_
military leader, which, in Spanish colonies, always implied a tinge
of wanton cruelty. In Spain he was regarded as the right arm of the
ultra-clericals and a possible supporter of Carlism. He was accompanied
by General Lachambre, whose acquaintance I made in Havana. In the
same steamer with General Polavieja came 500 troops, whilst another
steamer simultaneously brought 1,500. Polavieja, therefore, on landing,
had about 12,000 European troops and 6,000 native auxiliaries; but
each steamer brought fresh supplies until the total European land
forces amounted to 28,000. By this time, however, the 6,000 native
troops were very considerably reduced by desertion, and the remainder
could hardly be relied upon. But Polavieja started his campaign with
the immense advantage of having the _whole_ of the dry season before
him. General Lachambre, as Deputy Commander of the forces, at once took
the field against the rebels in Cavite Province. It would be tedious
to relate in detail the numerous encounters with the enemy over this
area. Battles were fought at Naig, Maragondon, Perez Dasmarinas,
Nasugbu, Taal,