The Fleet In The Harbor

Washington, July 19.- The Porto Rícan expedition has started on ita miseion to capture that island. Under Morro Castle, Harbor of Santiago de Cuba, July 17, 3 p. m., via Playa del Este,"Province of Santiago de Cuba, July 18 (delayed in transniission). - At exactly 9 o'cloek this niorning the Spanish flag was lowered from the staff crowning the heights upon which battered Morro Castle stands. The lowering of the emblem was witnessed by a few Spanish and American troops on shore and by the Brook lyn, New York, Vixen and Vesuvius, lying within a few hundred yards of the harbor entrance. Almost immediately the flag was hauled down steam launches commanded by Lieuts. Hobson and Palmer entered the harbor, penetrating as far as the firing stations oí the subroarine mines. These mines were judged to be not so formidable as was expected and late in the afternoon they were all exploded under the supervisión of the Vixen. It was seen that two had been exploded at the time of the entrance oL the Merrimae, but it is not thought that either of them had anything to do with the sinking of the craft. l.oiulon Times on the Victory. London, July 19. - The Times this morning, in the course of its weekly review, says: "The Santiago negotiations are honorable to both combatants, and their success was probably due to the wise and statesmanlike conceesion of Washington to send the Spanish garrison home. The prospects of regaining their native land is naturally grateful to wearied troops, and this stroke of policy will probably have a great effect on the garrison at Havana. "There is not the slightest doubt that troops posseesed of such great flghting capacity as the Americans have shown could have at any time stormed Santiago. Happily a useless sacrifice of life has been averted. "The direct gain to the United States from the capitulation ís small, but the indirect results are important in the growth of mutual respect between the two nations, and the lesson to the Madrid government that it may now abandon a hopeless attitude without loss of military honors. The whole Santiago campaign conforms strictly to the experience of the past. The American navy has displayed conspicuoue ability. "The problem at Manila resembles that just solved at Santiago, except that the military conditiong are more favorable to the Americans. Whatever may be the ulterior designs of the Germans these are not likely to be furthered by incidents like the Irene aftair, which might easily have led to serious consequences but for Admiral Dewey's tact and moderation. The hurricane season in the Philippines Is now fast approaching, and after the experience at Samoa a reluctance to keep a large number of vessela confined in the waters of Manila may probably be expected." Trouble gpreadlng News. Guantanamo Bay, July 17, 9. p. m., - The work of notifying the Spanish troops of the Fourth army corps outside of those which composed the garrieon of Santiago of the surrender of Gen. Toral is likely to be attended by some trouble. The Spaniards at Guantanamo are evidently still ignorant of the capitulation, and the Cubans under Gen. Perez have daily skirmishes wlth the defenders of the town, who are apparently trying to break through the Unes and Join the Spanish forces at Santiago. Gen. Miles, who arrived here on the Yale this afternoon, eays that Gen. Toral will send offlcers to the different garrisons in the province telling them of the surrender. The Spaniards in Guantanamo can be easily reached and they will be ordered to come down the bay and surrender. Those inland, however will be more difficult to municate witn ana it will próbably Be some time before all the Spanish troops know the fact. An Eiigllsh Bluff. London, July 19. - Thomas Gibson Bowles, conservative member of parliament for Kings Lynn, in the house of commone, tomorrow will ask the flrst lord of the admiralty, the Hön. George J. Goschen, whether there is any truth in the statements made by Mr. Cunningham - Graham, former member of parliament, in a letter to the St. James' Gazette, that the excellent gunnery exhibited by Admiral Dewey's squadron in the fight at Cavite was due to the fact that - in the words of Mr. Cunningham-Graham- "most of the gunners were Englishmen decoyed from our Chinese squadron by promises of L100 oonthly." The Yankee Off for Santiago. Norfolk, Va., July 19. - The auxiliary cruiser Yankee sailed from the Norfolk navy yard yesterday and passed the Capes, outward bound, two hours later. Her destination is Santiago. Tlie auxiliary cruiser St. Louis, returning from Annapolis, where she landed Admiral Cervera and other Spanish prisoners, passed out of Chesapeake bay at 6:40 o'clock in the morning. Th steamship Buena Vista, the first Spanish ship captured in the j ent war, left for Norfolk. She took bout 100 eolorw! laborera. Th j Yankee carries orders to Commodore j Watson concernlng her bombardment of Spanish coast cities. Germany Is Our Best Friend. London, July 19.- The Berlin sponaent or tne JJaily News suggestlug the possibility that friction between the foreign office and the admiralty lert to the Irene incident, says: "Nothing, I know positively, would be more inconvenient and disagreeable to the Germán cabinet than trouble with the United States. A letter from Manila is going the rounds of the press here, ridiculing as grossly exaggerated the reports of the savagery of the insurgents. Watson Prepares to StartPlaya del Este, Cuba, July 19. - Commodore Watson's squadron is preparing to go to sea. It is supposed it will sail within a few hours. TO GIVE UF CUBA. Bpaln Realizo Her Rule In the Igland Cannot Be Re-Kstabllshed. Madrid, July 19.- The public here is in a painful state of uncertainty regarding Santiago. The American dispatches are contradictory and there Is almost nu information from Spanish sources. It is suggested that the delay is due to the fact that the cabinet communicates with Gen. Toral only through Cap.-Gen. Blanco, who has large discretionary powers; but this explanation ie unsatisfactory. One thing is tolerably certain, and it ■ augurs UI for the speedy conclusión of peace. The cabinet at Washington seems more exacting about conditions than Gen. Shafter; and this is : ed as indicating anythlng but a j ciliatory disposition on the part oL President McKinley at a critical j ment, when a little generosity might turn the scale in favor of a peaceful solution, and when the local negotiations between the two generáis at tlago might develop into larger negotlations between the two governments. It is impossible, owing to their reserve, to say what the ministers here regard as reasonable conditions. In any peace negotiatione, their private friends say, the point of departure ought to be the publicly-avowed object of the war on the part of the United States, namely, the emancipation of Cuba from Spanish rule. If President McKinley restriots himself to that object, there will be no serious difflculty in coming to an agreement, because Spanish ptibllo opinión, official and unofflcial, has come to recognlze that Spanish rule in Cuba can not be re-established. If, on the other hand, a war undertaken for the specific purpose oí liberating Cuba develops into a war of ruthless conquest and annexation, the Spanish government and people wil] defend themselves to the utmost.