Manila Bay--The naval battle of Cavite--General Aguinaldo--Progress of the Tagals--The Tagal Republic--Who were the aggressors?--Requisites for a settlement--Scenes of drunkenness--The estates of the religious orders to be restored--Slow progress of the campaign--Colonel Funston's gallant exploits--Colonel Stotsenburg's heroic death--General Antonio Luna's gallant rally of his troops at Macabebe--Reports manipulated--Imaginary hills and jungles--Want of co-operation between army and navy--Advice of Sir Andrew Clarke--Naval officers as administrators--Mr. Whitelaw Reid's denunciations--Senator Hoar's opinion--Mr. McKinley's speech at Pittsburgh--The false prophets of the Philippines--Tagal opinion of American Rule--Señor Mabini's manifesto--Don Macario Adriatico's letter--Foreman's prophecy--The administration misled--Racial antipathy--The curse of the Redskins--The recall of General Otis--McArthur calls for reinforcements--Sixty-five thousand men and forty ships of war--State of the islands--Aguinaldo on the Taft Commission. Manila Bay. The width of the entrance to the vast Bay of Manila is nine and a half marine miles from shore to shore. It is divided into two unequal channels by the Island of Corregidor and Pulo Caballo, and a rock called El Frayle, about a mile and a half from the southern shore, farther reduces that channel. The Boca Chica, or northern entrance between Corregidor Island and Punta Lasisi, is two marine miles wide, and in the middle of the channel the depth of water is about thirty fathoms. The Boca Grande, or southern entrance between Pulo Caballo and El Frayle, is three and a half marine miles wide, with a depth of water in the fairway of about twenty fathoms. In both channels the tide rushes in and out with great force. With channels of such a width there was no difficulty in taking a squadron in at night, and little chance of suffering damage from the hastily improvised batteries of the Spaniards. And it will be evident to all having the slightest knowledge of submarine mining that the conditions are most unfavourable to defence by such means. As a matter of fact, the Spaniards possessed only nine obsolete submarine mines fitted to explode by contact. These were sent over to Corregidor, but were not sunk, as it was obvious that they were useless. On the other hand, it was a perfect position for the employment of torpedo boats or gunboats, there being excellent anchorage for such craft on both sides of the Channel and in Corregidor Cove. But at the time of the declaration of war, the Spaniards had no torpedo boats in the Philippines. The Elswick-built cruisers Isla de Cuba and Isla de Luzon were fitted with torpedoes, and might have been watching the channels for a chance to use them. Admiral Montojo knows best why he did not detach them on this service.