It fell to the lot of Admiral Dewey to open and to close the active operations of the war.  His destruction of the Spanish fleet was the first engagement of the war.  After fighting had ceased in the western hemisphere, under instructions from the President in accordance with the peace agreement, Admiral Dewey forced Manila to surrender under fire of the guns of his fleet.

CHAPTER LIII

VICTORIOUS CLOSE OF THE WAR

Spain Sues for Peace—­President McKinley’s Ultimatum—­French Ambassador Cambon Acts on Behalf of Spain—­The President’s Proclamation—­The Protocol—­Spanish Losses in Men, Ships and Territory—­Appointment of the Evacuation Committees and the Peace Commission.

On Tuesday, July 26, the Spanish government took the first well defined step to bring about a cessation of hostilities.  The French ambassador, accompanied by his secretary of embassy, called on President McKinley, and under instructions from his government and at the request of the Spanish minister of foreign affairs, opened peace negotiations by declaring that Spain was ready to consider terms.  The proposition submitted by the ambassador acting for the Spanish government was in general terms, and was confined to the one essential point of an earnest plea that negotiations be opened for the purpose of terminating the war.

Owing to the importance of the communication the ambassador adopted the usual diplomatic procedure of reading the communication from the original, in French, the translation being submitted by M. Thiebaut.  In the conversation which followed the reading of the proposition neither the president nor the ambassador entered upon the question of the terms of peace.  The instructions of the ambassador had confined him to the opening of peace negotiations, and it was evident that the President desired to consider the proposition before giving any definite reply.  It was finally determined that the President would consult the members of his cabinet, and after a decision had been arrived at M. Cambon would then be invited to the white house for a further conference and for a final answer from the United States government.  Before the call closed a brief official memorandum was agreed upon in order to set at rest misleading conjecture and to give to the public information on a subject which had advanced beyond the point where diplomatic reserve was essential.

After cabinet discussions on Friday and Saturday regarding the concessions which should be demanded from Spain a definite agreement was reached, and the French ambassador was notified that the President was prepared to deliver his ultimatum.  The demands made by the President were briefly as follows: 

1.  That Spain will relinquish all claims of sovereignty over and title to Cuba.

2.  That Puerto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies, and an island in the Ladrones, to be selected by the United States, shall be ceded to the latter.