war if any more troops were sent to Manila.  He would have bloodshed, and is responsible for it, so far as he is an accountable being.  It is of the horrors of war that the blood of brave men is shed on both sides of a controversy that has been appealed to the arbitrament of arms, though the origin of the affray may be obscure and the issue uncertain.  In the bloodshed around Manila the case is clear and the conclusion certain, and there is the compensation that the heroism, enterprise, activity and dash and continuance of the American soldiers under the most trying circumstances, flame forth, and the glory of our soldiers is equal to that of our sailors in the judgment of the men of all nations.

There is something more in this second clash of arms at Manila.  It is difficult to find ground harder to carry in offensive movements than the sultry thickets in which the Filipinos were hidden, but our soldiers obeyed all orders to advance with alacrity, energy and enthusiasm, and were eager for their work.  The men who can do what ours did at Manila can do anything that may rationally be dared.  And in this story of Manila is the testimony that after the volunteers have been seasoned, they do keep step with the dread music of war with the regulars of any race or people, and there can be no national retreat from the duty destiny defines in the Philippines, any more than from the States of the valley that is the heart of the country—­the valley watered by the Ohio, the noblest river in the world, that flows westward in the course of empire.

The dispatches of General Otis are clear and striking in tone, and may at once be classified as model bulletins of history.  He is a most energetic, careful, studious and laborious soldier, bearing himself with the dignity of a man modest as brave, and full of kindliness, but determined in discipline, knowing it to be for the common good.  He is resolute in demanding that the requisitions shall be according to the forms, and those associated with him must respect the regulations.  The objection to him of those who seek one is that he attends too much to details, but that is well when the commander is absolute in duty and has an appetite for hard work before which the small matters disappear as by magic and the greater ones are conquered by force of habit.

The scenery of the battle fields around Manila should be carefully regarded and remembered.  The bay is a vast sheet nearly thirty miles in length, with a width exceeding twenty miles.  The shores of the bay are low—­not more than six feet at most, above high tide.  They are also sandy and soft, resembling in some respects the banks of Louisiana rivers, but no levees are attempted.  The famous Pasig river is only twenty miles long, and drains a large lake, in which there is an immense multiplication of vegetable growth that floats perpetually to the Bay, and is called “lilies,” though having the look of small cabbages.  The stream