First and most attractive of the African dependencies, both by reason of natural resources and of their advantages as a naval base, are the Canaries, which are regarded as a part of the Spanish kingdom proper, so long and so secure has been the hold of Spain upon them.

More extensive in area, if not more attractive for residence purposes, is the sandy, partially desert stretch bearing the names of Rio de Oro (River of Gold), and Adrar.  The imaginary line familiar to schoolboys under the name of the Tropic of Cancer has an especial fondness for this region, passing near the north and south center.  The district is close to the Canaries on its northern edge, and it is ruled by a sub-governor under the Governor of the Canaries.  There are two small settlements on the coast The only glory Spain gets from this possession is that of seeing its color mark on the maps of Africa.

Of the other African possessions enumerated some are hardly big enough to be seen on an ordinary map without the aid of a microscope.  Corisco is a little stretch of coast around an inlet just south of Cape St. John, near the equator.  Fernando Po Island will be found right in the inner crook of the big African elbow.  Annabon Island is off Cape Lopez.

Another possession or claim of the decadent peninsula monarchy remains to be catalogued—­the country on the banks of the Muni and Campo rivers, 69,000 square miles, and containing a population of 500,000.  The title to this section is also claimed by France.

CHAPTER XLVII.

Progress of hostilities.

Eagerness to Fight—­Matanzas Bombarded—­Weyler’s Brother-in-law a Prisoner of War—­The Situation in Havana—­Blanco Makes a Personal Appeal to Gomez—­The Reply of a Patriot—­“One Race, Mankind”—­The Momentum of War—­Our Position Among Nations.

The striking peculiarity at the commencement of the war was the general eagerness to fight.  There have been wars in which there was much maneuvering and blustering, but no coming to blows.  There have been campaigns on sea and land in which commanders exhausted the devices of strategy to keep out of each other’s way, but in this war the Americans strained strategy, evaded rules, and sought excuses to get at the Spaniards.

Given a Spanish fortified town and an American fleet, and there was a bombardment on short notice.  Given a Spanish fort and a Yankee gunboat, and there was a fight.  There were no “all-quiet-on-the-Potomac” or “nothing-new-before-Paris” refrains.  The Americans knew they were right, and they went ahead.

Matanzas bombarded.

The first actual bombardment of Cuban forts took place on April 27th at Matanzas, when three ships of Admiral Sampson’s fleet, the flagship New York, the monitor Puritan, and the cruiser Cincinnati, opened fire upon the fortifications.  The Spaniards had been actively at work on the fortifications at Punta Gorda, and it was the knowledge of this fact that led Admiral Sampson to shell the place, the purpose being to prevent their completion.