e out alive. The treaty of peace was still being discussed,
and on its conclusion, Article 6 stipulated a release of "all persons
detained or imprisoned for political offences in connection with
the insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines," and that the United
States would "undertake to obtain the release of all Spanish prisoners
in the hands of the insurgents"; but there was no proviso that the
release of the Philippine prisoners should depend on that of the
Spanish prisoners, and after the treaty was signed, Spain showed no
particular haste immediately to carry out her undertaking to return
the Philippine prisoners to their islands.

When General Diego de los Rios evacuated the Visayas Islands and
brought his Spanish troops to Manila, _en route_ for Spain, January,
1899, he himself remained in Manila as a Spanish Government Agent
to obtain the release of the prisoners. For the special purpose, by
courtesy of the American authorities, he held a kind of semi-official
position; but he did not care to risk his person within
the rebel lines. A Spanish merchant, Don Antonio Fuset, president of
the Spanish Club, undertook the negotiations, and succeeded in inducing
Apolinario Mabini to issue a decree signed by Aguinaldo and himself,
dated January 22, 1899, giving liberty to all invalid civilians
and soldiers. Simultaneously the Spanish Press in Manila was abusing
Aguinaldo and his officers, calling them monkeys and using epithets
which brought down their vengeance on the captives themselves.

The outbreak of the War of Independence (February 4, 1899)
precluded direct American intervention in favour of the Spanish
prisoners. General Rios, whose importance was being overshadowed by
Senor Fuset's productive activity, cabled to Madrid that he would
attend to the matter himself. But the didactic tone of his letters
to Aguinaldo was not conducive to a happy result, and having frankly
confessed his failure, the general made an appeal to the consuls and
foreign merchants to exercise conjointly their influence. A letter
of appeal from them was therefore drawn up and confided for delivery
in the insurgent camp to my late friend Baron Du Marais. [228] This
chivalrous gentleman, well known as the personification of integrity
and honour, had resided many years in the Islands and spoke Tagalog
fluently. On reaching the insurgent camp he was imprisoned on the
charge of being a spy, but was shortly afterwards released, a