The Colon Gazette on the 23d of February publishes extracts from a private letter dated Iloilo, January 12, that prior to the conclusion of peace Lieutenant Brandeis, formerly of the Twenty-first Baden Dragoons, with 800 Spanish troops, held the town against 20,000 to 30,000 Filipinos, who were monkeying about and assuming to be conducting a siege, just as the Aguinaldo crowd was doing at Manila when General Merritt arrived.  When peace was declared the Iloilo Spaniards presently surrendered and the Filipinos rushed in as conquering heroes.  The pacific policy of the President prevented the United States troops from taking the place from the swarm of islanders until the outbreak in front of Manila, when our strict defensive was unavailable and General Miller quietly occupied and possessed Iloilo, the important sugar-exporting town of the Philippines.

The natives of the Island of Negros sent a delegation to General Miller, after he had captured Iloilo, to offer their allegiance to the United States, and the General holds Jaro and Molo, where there has been skirmishing recently.  The insurgents have 2,000 men at Santa Barbara.

The governor of Camarines, in the interior of Luzon, has issued a proclamation declaring that the Americans intend to make the Filipinos slaves.

March 4th the United States cruiser Baltimore arrived at Manila having on board the civil members of the United States Philippine Commission.  On the same day the rebels of the village of San Jose fired on the United States gunboat Bennington and the warship shelled that place and other suburbs of Manila in the afternoon.

At daylight General Wheaton’s outposts discovered a large body of rebels attempting to cross the river for the purpose of re-enforcing the enemy at Guadalupe.

A gunboat advanced under a heavy fire and poured shot into the jungle on both sides of the river and shelled the enemy’s position at Guadalupe, effectually but temporarily scattering the rebels.  The enemy’s loss was heavy.  American loss, one killed and two wounded.  General Otis cabled: 

“The transport Senator just arrived; troops in good health.  One casualty, accidental drowning.

Otis.”

The Senator carried Companies A, B, C, D, H and K of the Twenty-second Infantry and sailed from San Francisco on February 1.  The remainder of this regiment arrived at Manila on the transport Ohio, which followed the Senator.

The transport Valentia sailed from San Francisco March 4th, carrying in addition to 150 soldiers, stores and supplies, $1,500,000 to pay the soldiers now in the Philippines.

March 3d general order No. 30 was issued from the Adjutant-General’s office, War Department of the United States: 

“The following regiments will be put in readiness for service in the Philippine Islands without delay, the movement to take place from time to time under instructions to be communicated hereafter:  Sixth Artillery, Sixth Infantry, Ninth Infantry, Thirteenth Infantry, Sixteenth Infantry and Twenty-first Infantry.